How to Wear White After Labor Day and Look Stylish

One of the questions I receive the most is if one can wear white after Labor Day. This is one of those archaic style rules that seems to stick around even though fashion has moved forward. We no longer live in a time of specific clothing for specific situations, and fabrics have come a long way, where white clothing isn't just eyelet, linen, and voile. YES, you can wear white after Labor Day and still look stylish… with some caveats.

I decided to write about this topic after receiving a recent email from a member of the Wardrobe Oxygen community. She inquired about wearing white after Labor Day and how to style white items from September to May.

I know it’s okay now to wear white after Labor Day, but how do I do it without looking like I’m wearing my summer clothes? I have a pair of white jeans I just bought and I want to know how I can wear them the rest of the year.

I originally answered this question in 2014, but in the past decade, fashion has become even more fluid and it's downright chic to wear white after Labor Day. You may wish to break this old style rule after you learn why it wasn't acceptable to wear white after Labor Day!

Why Did the No White after Labor Day Style Rule Exist?

Before the advent of air conditioning, what you wore significantly impacted your comfort level. Whites and lighter-weight fabrics were worn during the summer to stay cool. Come fall and winter, darker colors and heavier fabrics were worn to ward against the chill (no A/C and no central heat). So the style rule of no white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day may seem like one out of practicality… but it's really a form of bigotry.

In the early 20th century, the wealthy wore lightweight and bright clothing, as well as delicate fabrics, because they could afford to. Not only were they perfect for summering away from the city, but they didn't require durability as they had staff and didn't have laborious jobs. The upper class would continue to wear white after Labor Day to demonstrate their ability to do so.

By the middle of the 20th century, mass-produced fabrics and the rise of the middle class had changed the rules of fashion. Having very specific fashion rules to follow yet again separated the classes, though by this point, wearing white after Labor Day was seen as a faux pas and proof that you weren't cultured. Again, it was a rule created to show off one's money and social standing.

It's the 21st century, and there is nothing more chic than to break all those archaic and offensive rules. Wearing white after Labor Day is a way to look quite modern… that is, if you do it adhering to the rules of Mother Earth.

How to Wear White After Labor Day and Look Stylish

While white clothing and even footwear are now acceptable year-round, not all white clothing is created equal. Some white clothing really should be kept for the summer months and warmer climates, while others look positively chic even in the dead of winter.

It's not the Color That Matters, it's the Style and Textile

Essentially, if you wouldn't wear it in another color in the winter, you shouldn't wear it in white. What matters is not the color of the garment, but the style and textile.

What is a Summer Textile?

Summer fabrics like linen, seersucker, eyelet, macramé, raffia, cork, and cotton voile look out of place in fall, winter, and spring unless you live in a tropical environment. These fabrics are lighter-weight to keep one cool in the heat and make no sense when you are wearing coats, boots, and sweaters.

What is a Summer Style?

Summer styles are items that are meant for warm weather. Sleeveless button-front tops, sundresses, shorts, flip flops, and sandals look out of place no matter the color when the temps aren't warm enough to warrant such items.

Some items can work year-round, but in white, especially in summer fabrics, can look very out of place. A few examples:

• A short-sleeve button-front shirt in blue poplin can look appropriate year-round. The same style of shirt, but in white eyelet or linen, will look like a leftover from your summer vacation.
• A strappy heeled sandal from soft gold metallic leather, depending on the climate you are in, can work year-round with cocktail dresses. The same shoe, though in white leather, reads summer and is best suited for sun-warmed skin and polished toes.
• A drapey silk pantsuit in black can look chic with ankle boots or a closed-toe shoe. The same pantsuit in white, unless you're a bride, reads warm weather, and it would likely be hard to find seasonally appropriate shoes that looked good with it.

This may seem confusing, but the last bullet offers a great tool to determine if a white garment works after Labor Day – what shoes you'll wear with it. If the only shoes that work are shoes best for warm temps, that can help guide you to determining if it can last all year or should be packed away until late spring.

Ways that White Works After Labor Day

If determining style and textile still feels confusing, let me share some guaranteed ways that white works after Labor Day. Sticking to these combinations will help you look seasonally appropriate and stylish all year long.

How to Rock White Jeans After Labor Day

White jeans are one of my favorite ways to wear white after Labor Day. From actual denim (no tencel, linen, or sateen), white jeans are extremely versatile and extremely chic. Here are some ways to rock white jeans after Labor Day:

Pair White Jeans with Luxe Neutrals

When white is mixed with other neutrals like camel, tan, cream, gray, and ivory, it doesn’t look as summery, and it also adds a level of elegance to the other colors. A silk blouse and white jeans can look quite summery, but with a haircalf belt, heavy gold necklace, and leather boots, the feeling is quite autumnal and very luxe.

Shop the collage: jeans (0-20) | cashmere sweater (3XS-3XL) | bag | boots | scarf | bracelet | earrings | glasses | lipcolor | belt

Mixing neutrals is timeless and elegant. It's a great way to extend the life of a lot of your spring and fall pieces, not just white jeans and heavyweight trousers.

Pair White Jeans with Bold Black

Nothing looks more modern than crisp white with bold black. By pairing white jeans with a black turtleneck sweater, black wool blazer, black boots, sturdy black handbags, and using a black belt, the white jeans feel purposeful and right at home on the coldest winter day.

Pair White Jeans with Traditionally Cold-Weather Textiles

Mixing your white clothing with obviously winter pieces makes the ensemble clearly appropriate for the season. While a classic fisherman’s sweater looks chic with traditional denim, pairing it with white jeans ups the elegance factor.

Styling white jeans with leather and suede, wool and tweed will make them feel far more at home during the colder months of the year. The look above from 2023 styles almost-white pants with calfhair, leather, and wool for a look that feels at home in late fall.

Style White Jeans with Traditionally Wintry Accessories

Pashminas, fur-trimmed boots, beanies, leather and puffer coats and vests… adding wintry accessories to white jeans makes it clear that the look is right for the season.

Shop the collage: sweater (XS-XL)| jeans (23-33 & petite/tall) | scarf | face multistick | watch | earrings | bag | socks | shoes

Whip out those clogs, scarves, and cozy sweaters. Even for a casual look running errands, white jeans can look great all year long when styled in a manner that makes them look purposeful.

How to Rock White Shoes after Labor Day

When it comes to white shoes, it's all about style and textile. It's especially important to stick to traditionally cold-weather fabrics and styles. Examples include closed-toe shoes, chunky heels, metallic accents in place of cork and raffia, and leather instead of canvas. Also consider using white as a graphic statement with outfits that incorporate modern silhouettes, and bold colors paired with black and white.

Shop the collage: pants (0-20 & petite/tall) | blazer (0-18 & petite/tall) | turtleneck (XS-3X) | tote | loafers | glasses | phone case | eyeliner | lipcolor | earrings

Also consider dark soles and heels to ground the white shoe, making it not only feel seasonally appropriate but also coordinate nicely with fall, winter, and early spring fashions.

How to Rock White Dresses and Suits after Labor Day

The same tips for white shoes work for white dresses and suits. Focus on the style and the textile, ensuring both make sense for a chilly November day. Heavier fabrics, sturdier accents made from black or metal, long sleeves and higher collars, and pairing with other colors and accessories in the same manner as white jeans will help white dresses, jackets, pants, and suiting feel more at home on a winter day.

While the photo above is of me wearing a white suit in May, I wore essentially the same look in October the previous year when I was a speaker at a Bad on Paper podcast live event. I also wore this white pantsuit another time with black closed-toe shoes. The black base layer, black shoes, and bold jewelry temper the soft white suit, making it feel seasonless.

Final Tips for Wearing White after Labor Day:

• Go Heavy. Thin cotton pants are going to look odd on a snowy afternoon, no matter how you style them. Stick with heavier fabrics that are appropriate to the temperature.
• Be Careful with Color. White can quickly make even the most autumnal color look summery; pairing white with many colors can end up making the outfit look seasonally inappropriate, even if you’re in head-to-toe wool. Use colors sparingly and ground them with another neutral so the look is clearly for the colder months.
• Keep Underpinnings Under Wraps. White undergarments practically glow under white clothing; to keep your underpinnings under wraps, choose a color as close to your skin tone as possible. Some say red an other colors also disappear under white; test at home before heading out the door.
• Show Less Skin. The more skin you show, the more summery you will look. Consider boots instead of pumps, sleeves (even if they’re rolled), and tops that cover the waistline.
• Layer on Luxe. Pairing white with luxe fabrics like faux fur, leather, cashmere, boucle, and metallic will give an instant wintry feel, and the white will really highlight such textures.

The most important rule for wearing white after Labor Day is to dress with confidence. That means wear what brings you comfort and joy. If figuring out how to style that white garment gives you heartburn, that's not comfortable or joyful. Let it go and wear something else. And if you know how to make that white linen dress look so utterly badass and wintry, I support you and hope you send me a picture so I can admire your True Fashionista skills.

In 2025, there are no rules beyond comfort and joy when it comes to being stylish!