By Shirin Mehdi

White, a color without a hue.  It is said that white was the first color ever used in ancient art since the Paleolithic artists used white chalk to draw.  A color used to symbolize all things good and pure since time immemorial, white has always been the opposite of black or evil.

In fashion, white is a typical resort wear color since most people associate it with sunshine and the deep blue sea.  It is a color that keeps you cool and comfortable when the mercury is on a rise.  You do not see too many people wearing white in the cold months, and fashion guru’s proclaimed off-white is a better color to wear in the winter months.  Quite honestly, it is only a matter of personal preference, unless of course, you are a traditionalist and follow the “No White After Labor Day” rule.

This rule came into play in the early 1900s, sometime after the Civil War, where women of the aristocratic society in the United States laid out a set of fashion rules to demarcate the old money from the bourgeois.  Men and women of the upper class wore white only in the day, starting from Memorial Day up until Labor Day.  But white wasn’t allowed at a soirée.  This very ‘un-American’ rule has stuck around, only to be broken by a few, Coco Chanel being one of them (She wore white year-round).

Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”  So, let go of the ‘laws,’ dress for yourself in white this season and the next -in a way that makes you most comfortable and in a way that brings out the best version of yourself.  Maybe the only rule you should keep in mind while wearing white is, “Don’t wear it to someone else’s wedding!”