Using color is about knowing how to express yourself according to your mood, day's activities, climate, etc. The color white can be part of that story. In other words, use clothes like George Costanza:

They wore things like white linen suits, cream flannel odd trousers, ecru sport coats, etc. White has several advantages: it hides sweat, reflects sun, and keeps the person feeling cool. It also says, "I'm not here to do business; I'm lounging."

The association between white and warm weather is so strong that white dinner jackets—which are just the cream version of their black tuxedo jacket counterparts—are what you wear for dinner when the weather is very warm. Think: tropical resorts or during the summer.

So historically, "no white after Labor Day" was couched in a few things: region (major US cities dotted along the Northeast), class (the upper class), and lifestyle (working in Boston/ NYC and vacationing by seaside towns).

The idea spread bc middle-class strivers felt that copying the preferences and habits of the upper class put them socially closer to "polite society." You put away your white clothing after Labor Day because weather got yucky and you weren't going to vacation anywhere.

They would come out again after Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Spring. Does the rule make sense anymore? Well, there's still something to the rule because the meaning of clothes is path dependent (much like language).

If you like a classic aesthetic and want to wear things like suits or sport coats, then summer will naturally involve materials such as seersucker and linen. These materials typically come in lighter colors.

In the colder months, you will likely wear things like tweed, corduroy, and flannel. The first two typically comes in earthy colors because of their associations with country life; the third is typically grey. These colors hide dirt better in yucky weather anyway.

But there are exceptions. Aside from the obvious white business shirt, people in cities occasionally wore things called "winter whites" (e.g., cream flannel trousers). These can be paired with things such as tweed sport coats and turtlenecks in cold weather.

Whether the rule makes sense for you depends on: — How do you want to dress? If you have a punk aesthetic, this obviously doesn't apply bc it operates on a different language/ cultural history — What is your climate? If you're in Barbados, it's warm year-round.

I would use the idea more as a way to understand how clothes come in seasonal colors, and how that may interact with your climate and the aesthetic you want to create. No one cares about the distinction between Labor and Memorial Day anymore—that was always a striver thing.

Whoops, this should say the unofficial start of summer.

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Learn something new with every Derek thread, thank you

this pretty much sums you up Derek! It's a perfect snippet.

Would love to know your thoughts on jackets with just one button. I know they’re mostly for tuxedos and dinner suits, but would having them on sport coats or business suits, for example, be considered inappropriate or “too formal”?

@MikeVanderbilt

🤣🤣