Law School Looks: Oh No, White After Labor Day!

When we enter into a professional setting, we often feel the need to leave our youthful looks behind. However, I believe that this is not necessary. My general rule of thumb is to include both conservative elements and fun/adventurous elements when operating in a professional setting. That is one of the reasons that I really like this dress. The black and white combination is very classy and clean. The form is reminiscent of the '60s with the simple lines, loose bodice, cinched waist, and full skirt, and collar. A few special elements of this particular dress's form is that the flowing skirt is pleated and the black trim is very effective at both highlighting and contrasting.

Then, there is the wonderfully whimsical pattern with the mint colored birds wearing top-hats, the water-like lines and swirls, and the small bird silhouette.

Accessories: I decided to wear turquoise earrings to complement the mint colored birds and black flats to stick with the classic black and white combination.

Oh No, White After Labor Day!
While his ensemble is very cute, I have violated one of the cardinal fashion rules of the United States: Don't wear white after labor day. What horror! But where does this steadfast and seemingly arbitrary rule come from? It is a common belief that this rule originated with the elite. Most people in the "olden" days wore dark clothes, because it was impractical to risk wearing light colored clothes that would be ruined by the ordinary drudgery of the day. However, the wealthy members of society rocked white clothing throughout the summer while vacationing at their summer homes. Labor Day is often seen as the day that signals the last day of summer. Thus, out with summer, out with white. This rule became a good way to distinguish those that were in (part of polite society) from those that were out.

While this is a big fashion faux pas in the U.S., there were many fashionistas before me that pushed back against this rule; one example is Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel wore white year-around. Bronwyn Cosgrave, the author of The Complete History of Costume and Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day, said that "Fashion rules are meant to be broken by those that can pull it off." I completely agree.

So what do you think, did I pull it off?

References:
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1920684,00.html