Fig. 1, White dresses from Seneca Fashion Resource Centre
If the Victoria Day long weekend marks the beginning of summer for you (and after surviving ice storms, frost quakes and polar vortices who wouldn’t want to welcome summer?) then summer is here. It might not have been the warmest on record but the grass is greening, the trees are blossoming and nature is donning her summer colours.
And what colour traditionally marks the beginning as well as end of summer? – White of course!
That old fashion “rule” of only wearing white between now and Labour Day is one almost anyone, fashion-minded or not, has heard of. Few follow it and fewer still know its origin.
Some explanations are linked to the status given to the colour white. It is a colour (or absence of colour) that gets dirty very quickly. When someone wears pristine and clean white it is obvious that they haven’t been doing anything – otherwise, they’d be smudged. The next conclusion is since they aren’t doing anything they must have someone to do things for them and therefore, if you have “people” you must be wealthy.
We also agree that white feels so much nicer in the summer heat and so has been worn to help us stay cooler.
From social distinguisher to seasonal decision the colour white seems to have become a fashion rule during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The blurring of social class lines that began with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the middle class meant that members of the upper social classes needed to find ways to keep the unwelcome noveau riche from invading their society. One way to do so was with the use of fashion as a signifier of class and then to have “rules” about such things.
Having multiple types of clothing for different activities was something that only the very wealthy could afford to do and, like white, implied this status.
If you were of lower social classes you needed to spend your money on things like rent and food and having multiple changes of clothes was just not possible. You were also more than likely to be working many more days a week and the concept of a summer vacation meant little to you. Not so for those members of the elite who could afford to leave the hot and stuffy cities behind and escape north or to the seashore to find cool summer breezes.
So, during the summer months wearing white not only kept you cool but it was a sure sign of status
The end of summer was marked by Labour Day which became a federal holiday in 1894. Since it seems to clearly mark the end of summer it also became the end of wearing white.
Why? Again, lots of theories but no real answer (one of the things I love about fashion!). One thought is that if our summer vacation is over and we are returning to the cities our wardrobe changes to reflect this return to urban. The darker colours of the city (grey, navy, black – just like the concrete, steel and pavement) work better than pristine white. As the days shorten and the weather changes wearing cool white seems a bad choice.
This “rule” of no white after Labour Day was broken by plenty of fashionistas including Coco Chanel who wore white year round. She was always unique and this breaking of rules might have been one of the ways for her to show how avant garde she was.
And for those who chose to wear white in the cooler months they re-named it – winter white! And that is another story.
Winter white is snow, frost, and rabbit fur trims. The perfect camouflage for Snow Princesses – and again status is revealed.
Enjoy your white — weather permitting!
