Why are you supposed to stop wearing white after Labor Day?

ATLANTA — Labor Day has nearly come and gone, and if you’re into rules of fashion, you’ve locked away your white outfits until next spring.

A longstanding rule says we’re not supposed to wear white after Labor Day.

Some fashion experts believe it was our nation’s wealthiest citizens who started it back in the late 19th Century. They considered white linen outfits and Panama Jack hats to be leisure attire. It’s a part of the wardrobe they put away when they returned from their summer vacation homes.

“It think it was a snobbish rule, a way to separate the old money and new money,” says Octavius Terry, Fashion Program Coordinator at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

The arrival of September marks the start of Fashion Month in New York, Paris, and Milan. The fashion world turns to fall and winter trends that includes heavier fabrics and darker colors.

But just because a rule has been around a long time doesn’t mean you have to follow it.

“It is absolutely alright to wear white after Labor Day,” says Nyssa Green of The Green Room Agency.

People in the know about fashion remind us that there are white outfits designed specifically for winter.

“Personally, I think white can be very chic and sophisticated after Labor Day,” says Terry.

“Here in the south, they will still call you out on it,” says Green. “People are gonna stare. Some lady might pull you to the side at church.”

So you might get a few stares, but there’s no need to feel bad if you want to wave the white flag and surrender to your temptation to wear white after Labor Day.