Is it safe to wear
white now?
Well, springtime is upon us again and our wardrobe
is in full swing to show off the sun’s warm
and vibrant rays.
So does this also mean it’s time to spring
back to white? Well, if you haven’t already
broken the G.R.I.T.S. rule of thumb, then yes,
now is the time. And I’m not referring to
the good ol’ wholesome grits we’ve
been raised on. I’m referring to the G.R.I.T.S.
— the Girls Raised In the South. According
to these gals, wearing white after Labor Day is
a big NO! NO! Really!
According to Dear Yahoo!, the rule originally
went along the lines of “only wear white
shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day.”
Furthermore, it mainly applied to white pumps
or dress shoes with the exception of white tennis
shoes and off-white boots, as well as those worn
by a winter bride. Additionally, even “winter
white” clothing was excluded.
On one hand, the only logic cited in this rule
is the consideration of the weather. Winter months
are usually our gloomiest, grayest and darkest
days of the year. And, yes, it does put a toll
on our wardrobe. White reflects light and heat;
therefore, wearing white keeps you cooler in winter,
and as a result we tend to avoid white. On the
other hand, the custom is said to stem from a
class issue, where southern girls know bad manners
when they see them — darks are for winter
and lights are for summer.
However, with the explosion of “diversity”
in the fashion dress sense where particularly
anything goes, little did our G.R.I.T.S. know
that this concept would soon be outmoded. Many
of our top name designers like Dolce and Gabbana,
Channel, Armani and Versace feature white in their
fall/winter collections, so much so, that “winter
white” or off-white has become the more
accepted white-color for fall or winter clothing.
Come to think of it, didn’t First Lady
Laura Bush wear a white suit during the inauguration
ceremony in January? According to one college
grad, who comments on the topic “the old
fashion rule of not wearing white after September
is as tired as a pair of last year’s Jordans.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
School has enough stress as it is with mid-term
and endless assignments, wearing or not wearing
whites should be the least of our problems.
— Crystal Felicien is a student assistant
in Liberal Arts and a contributing writer for
the News-Register.
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