“Don’t wear white after Labor Day.” Not only is it the stupidest rule of fashion ever written, it’s also the most outdated. Forget what your Grandmother told you. White is hot all year round and it’s also the easiest way to make a vintage wardrobe feel a little more modern. Add some crisp white and it always brings a sleek edge to whatever you are wearing.
Hours spent researching WHY this ever became a rule of fashion in the first place kept leading me back to one main reason: season. White deflects sunlight, therefore white is not warm enough to wear in the winter. I call B.S. To wear white in the winter simply wear heavier fabrics or knits, solid shoes or boots rather than strappy sandals, or pair lightweight garments with heavier garments like cardigans or woolly tights. Stick with heavy cotton, wool, cashmere, down, leather and most other natural fibers for the best protection from the elements.
I am, of course, biased towards vintage clothing so I pulled together a few examples of extra cute white vintage garments for you to check out.
The outdated “No white after Labor Day” rule seems to, most often, be referring to shoes, so let’s start with some shoes and boots that could easily be worn in the winter paired with jeans or heavy sock and tights.
- 1980’s White Leather Lace Up Boots by Laredo, $44, available at JL Vintage: I would wear these boots over dark denim skinny jeans or pair them with light grey tights and a charcoal grey wool mini skirt.
- 1970’s White Platform Wedges, $10 (!!!), available at Violette Slippers: Try wearing these with ribbed chocolate brown tights for a play on the textured wedge. Pair with a belted white eyelet lace 60’s dress.
- 1990’s Leather Corset Pumps, $22, available at Greatest Friend: Pair with olive green tights and a printed long sleeve dress.
- 1970’s White Leather Cowgirl boots, $30, available at Becky Drolen: Try these over heavy leggings or denim. A pair of tall woolly socks would look great popping out of the tops.
- 1980’s White Leather Studded Ankle Boots, $19, available at Santoki Vintage: I think these ankle boots would look best with dark denim and a heavy cotton trench coat, belted at the waist.
Now let’s work our way up and build an outfit. Here’s a selection of white garments and white accessories that will look amazing in the winter.
- 1960’s Mini Dress, $54, available at Lucky Vintage Seattle: Try pairing this with brown tights and tan boots. Throw on a cropped bolero jacket for warmth and a nice silhouette.
- 1980’s White Italian Sunglasses, $40, available at Et La La: Wear these with anything. DUH!
- 1980’s High Waist White Cotton Shorts, $27, available at Becky Drolen: To wear shorts in the winter, pair with heavy cable knit tights. Try slate grey with these shorts.
- 1960’s YSL White Felt Cloche Hat, $86, available at Pinky A Go Go: This would look amazing worn with a nicely tailored trench coat for a sort of sexy Russian spy look.
- 1970’s White Mini Dress, $32, available at 2 Treasure Hunt: This dress is really lightweight, so just layer, layer, layer! A tank top style bodysuit is an invisible layer that will add lots of warmth. Next add heavy leggings, a colorful cardigan, woolly socks and knee high boots.
- 1970’s Crocheted Top, $32, available at Raleigh Vintage: Anything crocheted always looks great with jeans. Just add boots. For warmth wear a thick bodysuit underneath.
- 1970’s 1/2 Length White Trench Coat, $20, available at Zawnbo: Trench coats look great with everything because they give you a perfect hourglass silhouette. I’d wear this with black skinny jeans and white leather oxfords.
- 1960’s Crocheted Cape, $34, available at Mouse Vox: Capes look best paired with jeans or leggings.
- 1970’s White Wrap Dress, $37, available at The Church of Vintage: Pair this lightweight dress with dark blue heavy tights, white platform wedges, and a navy cashmere cardigan.
People tend to gravitate towards wearing black, grey, and most darker colors as fall and winter sets in. Wearing white always guarantees that you’ll stand out in the crowd. As always, all of these items are vintage and one of kind so if you see something you like, don’t hesitate in snatching it up! Once a vintage item is gone- it’s gone for good.
