As I start this blog post, we fade into a scene from Serial Mom:

The trial for the mom accused of being a serial killer has just ended. She has been found not guilty of killing people for behavior she deemed offensive and inappropriate.

Juror #8 (who has just helped serial mom to be a free woman) is talking on a payphone, when Beverly (serial mom) comes up behind her and grabs the phone from her,

Beverly Sutphin: You can't wear white after Labor Day!

Juror #8: That's not true anymore.

Beverly Sutphin: Yes it is! Didn't your mother tell you? Now you know. [She whacks her in the face with the phone]

Juror #8: No! Please! Fashion has changed!

Beverly Sutphin: No... it hasn't. [She hits her again]

Has fashion changed? Is it ok to wear white after Labor Day? Stacy and Clinton from What Not To Wear say its ok. They also say your shoes don’t have to match your handbag. How liberating is that?

I have followed a lot of Stacy and Clinton's rules. And, since I live in an area where people are sometimes known to wear shorts in December, I may sneak in a wearing or two of the white capris after Labor Day.

But--maybe not. And definitely not to work. Why? Because that rule is just ingrained in me I guess. And because down south, we just follow this rule.

I remember when I was younger, the excitement of being able to debut my new white shoes for Easter. And those shoes were worn all summer and put away after Labor Day. They probably didn’t fit much past Labor Day anyway. And probably had so many of those black scuff marks on them that don’t like to come off, that they were ready to be chunked anyway.

I did a little research and found that the rule did seem to originate with just white shoes, and then expanded to encompass white clothing as well.

No one could say for sure where and why this rule originated. There was mention that it started because white reflects light and heat, so wearing white would make one cooler. Another version stated that in the 1950's more people were entering the middle classes and were unaware of the standards they needed to keep, so they were given specific rules in order to fit in.

Whatever the reason, I know that Southern girls used to be raised following this rule and that it is still highly regarded among most women.

Even though a lot of schools actually start school a couple of weeks before Labor Day, it just seems to be the weekend that wraps up the summer for most people, even though fall doesn’t begin for a couple more weeks.

And with Fall, we start thinking of Fall clothing and Fall activities. And white clothing and shoes are usually packed away till the following Spring.

I'm wearing my white capris and white sandals today. But, already I am feeling like it is time to say goodbye till the rules say we can meet again.