Q. I know there is that whole rule for women about Labor Day and wearing white, but do I really need to go with that as a man, especially in nonwork settings? In a few weeks I’m attending a leisurely marriage party (the wedding was actually months ago, away with family). If it is hot, as it might be in early May, I’d really like to wear a blazer with a pair of white linen pants. For me that is one of my “best looks,” but if everyone else is wearing something a lot darker, I imagine I will feel out of place. What do you think?
A. Silly as it may sound, there are certain “almost-written-in-stone rules” about what to wear, and when. One of those ancient axioms that still holds true is “women don’t wear white shoes and men don’t wear white linen pants before Memorial Day … or after Labor Day.” Except for tropical islands and other warm-weather resorts, this formula is almost ironclad.
You may ask, how does someone get to know these “rules”? That’s a good question. Time was when people learned them at home from their parents or at fancy prep schools. Unfortunately, nowadays, it’s the kind of information that some people just seem to know - and most men don’t!
To begin, let me say: These are not my rules; they have been handed down through the ages. Other inner-circle know-how includes: Don’t wear a straw hat before Easter. The reverse is almost as true: Even Indiana Jones probably would not wear a felt fedora in the summer. But I’m not so sure about that wool mountain hat that Pharrell Williams wears.
Another seasonal rule: Tan and khaki suits, welcome additions to a man’s spring wardrobe, are not worn in the dead of winter. While their season is longer than white linen and straw hats, they are generally reserved for wear from April through September or October (depending on the climate).
Men, too, should never wear white leather shoes in the winter - but then again, I can’t think of a time, other than for sneakers, when they should, ever.
Pastel neckties (made of cotton or linen) are not worn in cold weather, even though pastel-colored ties in silk are fine all year. Lest you think that white must be eliminated from a man’s winter wardrobe, not so. White wool or cashmere sweaters and retro “winter-white” (more ivory than pure white) wool trousers always look sharp.
Actually, seasonal clothing rules depend much more on fabric than on color. Then, too, “transitional dressing” (mixing a small item from the next season in with this season’s clothing) helps to span the seasons. It works when the weather is unexpectedly warmer or colder that one might expect. Oneway is to wear a lighter or darker color; another is to introduce a different-weight fabric. This sort of segue between seasons helps make the rules practical as well as logical.
Most of these classic dress rules are holdovers from Edwardian days when they not only governed how a gentleman dressed at different times of the year, but what he wore for different times of the day.
Even so, I urge you not to feel too restricted by these and other widely accepted “rules of what a well-dressed man wears.” Think of them more as guidelines to help us feel appropriate and confident at all times. The world-renowned designer, Yves St. Laurent, was quoted as saying: “So, I am a classicist. I am fond of discipline. I find men’s clothing fascinating because sometime between, say, 1930 and 1936, a handful of basic shapes were created and still prevail as a sort of scale of expression, with which every man can project his own personality and his own dignity.”
To that, I say, “amen.”
Some rules are absolute. And others can bend. I believe that it is best to first know the rules; then, if you have the confidence, you can break a few. If you are the sort who is not too concerned with what everyone else is doing, you can go off a bit in your own direction. But since you are wondering if you might feel uncomfortable at the party in your ahead-of-the-season white linen pants, I suggest you stay with the basics and try not to jump the gun.
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High Profile, Pages 42 on 04/20/2014