> > But "no white after Labor Day" doesn't seem to have anything to do with asking participants of an occasion to show a level of respect for it by dressing to a level of formality. It's not tied to an occasion or situation, and it's not tied to a level of formality.
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> I so don't get the difference.

My last line there *is* the difference.

The manager of a hotel having the rule "Dress formally at this hotel after 5pm" has a purpose: he is trying to establish a look and atmosphere at his hotel by requesting that his guests respect the hotel and the other patrons by conforming to a certain standard of decorum. It's not unlike asking participants of RinkChat to endeavor to spell correctly and be polite. The rule does not extend outside the public areas of the hotel: it is confined to a specific occasion.

"No white after Labor Day" is not a rule that addresses a level of formality. It is not tied with a specific occasion or place. It is not dictated by an authority who should have the right to do so. It is not dictated out of a request to respect other participants on an occasion or at an event. It's just there, dictated by society in general, mandating blanket, blind, and gratuitous conformance to an arbitrary standard.

It's a big, huge world of difference.