I’ve never quite understood the whole “don’t wear white” afterLabor Day or before Easter rule, especially here in the South.

There seems to be such variations to the rule. Some say it onlypertains to shoes, while others say it applies to all pieces ofclothing.

I remember when I was a kid that I always got white patentleather shoes to go with my Easter dress. As a child, I neverunderstood why I couldn’t wear them anytime of the year – they wereso cute!

I’ve never been much of a rule-follower when it comes toclothing. I have a closet full of items that I wear year-round.There are a few things that I shift from winter to summer andvice-versa, mainly because they are too hot – like sweaters forwinter or sleeveless for summer.

When you look into my walk-in closet, everything is pretty muchsorted by color. There is a huge section dedicated to just blackclothing and one to just white – not to mention the sectiondedicated to just T-shirts (comfort in cotton).

Where did the “don’t wear white” rule come from? I researched abit on the Internet and found several explanations. One is that itcame from Southern women, who seem to be a bit more formal whenthey dress up than their northern counterparts. Another explanationwas that it’s just common sense. White reflects the sun, thereforemaking you cooler in the process. Why would you want to be coolerin the winter? You want to be warmer. There are others, but you getthe gist.

Since there are rules about white, I wondered if there wererules about other types of clothing, footwear or colors. So I did abit more snooping.

Is there a rule about flip-flops – the popular summer footwear?Like white, are there “wear-by” dates? It stays so hot in the Southone could just about wear them year-round and there are lots ofpeople who actually do.

I’m guilty. I wear them in the house year-round since I don’tlike to go barefoot. I wear a lot of flip-flops in the summermonths and I have them in various colors to match whatever I may bewearing at the moment. I never did find any set rules for thefootwear.

I donned a pair of closed toe flats the other day (after LaborDay) with a pair of slacks I was wearing. My toes screamed, “let meout!” all day long. Flip-flops will definitely spoil your feet.

Another piece of clothing I’ve wondered about are capris orshort-cropped pants. When is the cutoff date for wearing such? I’veworn them in the winter months with boots, but is there etiquettewritten just for capris?

I’m sure Emily Post, the queen of etiquette, has something tosay on all of the above topics but I couldn’t find her advice onflip-flops or capris.

Maybe certain clothing should come with “wear-by” dates, kind oflike food comes with “use-by” dates. That way we’d all be on thesame page when it comes to certain types of clothing.

I guess I’m categorized as an eclectic dresser. I dress in whatI like and what I feel is comfortable no matter what theseason.

If I didn’t have a day job to go to, I’d probably dress in jeansand T-shirts every day. And as for shoes, my favorites would haveto be flip-flops during the summer months and my New Balancesneakers all the other times.

Clothing rules may apply to some, I guess I’ll pick and choosethe rules I’ll follow. After all, I wore my white capris the dayafter Labor Day.

And how was your week?

Graphics and Systems Director Tammie Brewer can be reached atThe DAILY LEADER at (601) 833-6961 ext. 144, by e-mail attbrewer@dailyleader.com or you can write to her at P.O. Box 551,Brookhaven MS 39602.