Can You Wear White After Labor Day?

In short, YES – absolutely! You can for sure wear white after labor day.

I’ve always found the rule “no white after labor day” to be dumb slash silly and totally unnecessary. No but really, who decided that wearing white after labor day was a faux pas? I mean, I guess it sort of makes sense in some circumstances (like white lace and super summery white things), but in general, you can TOTALLY wear white after labor day. And I think most people have come to accept that wearing white after labor day is totally a “THING” now and gladly accept it as one.

I personally LOVE white jeans (see/read more about what to wear with white jeans in general) so why would I stop wearing them during a certain time period? Wearing white after labor day is absolutely doable, and I think white pants or jeans – or even an all-white outfit – in the winter is actually really chic. Let’s discuss wearing white after Labor Day and what you should be considering when trying to pull of the look.

Outfit Details: See original outfit post

Wearing White After Labor Day: Transitioning to Fall & Winter

Wearing white after Labor Day or in the Fall and Winter months in general just takes a little more effort in order to totally pull off the look. You’ll just need to switch up your tops, shoes, and accessories to pull together something that looks great – and still season appropriate.

Personally, I like to move all my super summery looks (floral off-the-shoulder tops, light colored sandals, etc.) out of my closet – or to another section – during these months so I have a better idea of what I’m working with. This especially makes styling transitional pieces, like white pants!, way easier because most of what you see in your closet you can actually wear.

Outfit Details: See original outfit post

Also, a few things to keep in mind surrounding wearing white jeans in colder months:

Fit – No matter the season, you want your white jeans to look and feel good! Pick a pair that is not see-through or too tight, as those can be unflattering and cheap looking. Find a thicker denim with a little stretch, but make sure there isn’t too much bagginess at the knees. I personally like cropped white jeans that hit (or are rolled to) right above my ankle bone; I find this to be most flattering.

Weather – it might go without saying, but obviously try and steer clear of wearing white pants when in the rain or if you’ll be trekking through snow. White (even good material) can become see-through and the dirt of bad-weather days is an easy way to ruin your outfit. Other than that though, the pants you are wearing don’t matter much when it comes to the season; it’s more about layering, or wearing weather-appropriate shirts, jackets, hats, shoes, etc.

Event – Just like rainy days, white pants aren’t the smartest if you’re doing something dirty (or are going out to eat and you are a messy eater – lol no judgements!). Fall football games are probably NOT the best time to sport white in general, so make sure you’re assessing your situation first. Personally, I like to dress my white jeans up when wearing them in the Fall and Winter – like I did in this outfit with tall suede boots and this one with patent leather nude pumps.

Wearing White After Labor Day: Which Shoes Work Best?

When putting together an after-labor-day white jeans outfit in cooler months, I like to start with shoes, as I’m usually more limited.

For fall, winter, and cold spring days, I’m usually choosing between riding boots, heeled booties, pointed-toe flats, oxfords, sneakers, or closed-toes pumps (I guess you could say almost any shoe could potentially work!)

Color wise, I like to stick to neutrals (tan, white, black, brown) or a colored pump. It’s actually the best time to pull out black shoes, too.

Depending on where you’re going, your shoe choice after Labor Day is pretty flexible (as long as it doesn’t SCREAM “hello summer!” – ha). Obviously sandals and open-toed wedges might be out depending on how deep you are into the season, but it’s also very dependent on where you are! If it’s warm enough – and it is here in Dallas a lot of the year, there is no reason to not wear these style shoes especially if they’re a darker shade.

Wearing White After Labor Day: Which Shirts and Jackets Work Best?

When wanting to wear your white bottoms “off-season,” your upper body is where you can make this look easily appropriate. Just bring the seasonal elements to balance the summer vibes of white on bottom.

Layering is your best friend with white pants because you can turn the look into anything and layering easily transitions to fall and winter! I love a classic tank with a blazer and scarf, a striped shirt and utility vest, a long-sleeve with a cardigan and scarf, or even a plain cozy sweater w/ accessories.

When it comes to which colors work best with white jeans after labor day, I’ve found that neutrals and deep hues (e.g., maroon, navy, forrest green, even mustard yellow) work really well and balance out the summer-y look that white jeans can often bring to an outfit.

I tend to shy away from pastels and bright, bold colors once fall and winter hit unless it’s got a super wintery vibe like cashmere or a thick knit – such as the blush sweater and scarf look featured above.

Chambray can be styled all year round and so many different ways, but it’s especially great as a perfect layering item. Throw on your favorite chambray or a plaid shirt under a sweater and white jeans to have the perfectly styled white jeans and pull it together with brown booties or flats and a neutral handbag.

With jackets and coats, I love to balance winter white pants out with a leather jacket (any dark or neutral color), sleek pea coats, blazers, and chunky cardigans. Speaking of jackets, I loved this transitional winter-to-spring look (shown above) I did earlier this year (before Easter – aka still during the faux pas time period) where I paired my white jeans with a blush duster!

Speaking of blazers, here’s a look I put together AGES ago wearing black riding boots with white jeans. I sort of love the equestrian vibe it’s got going on – totally Ralph Lauren :)

In addition to blazers and duster coats, don’t forget about your everyday trench coat. I love the look of a neutral trench coat with white jeans and riding boots or with neutral pumps like in this winter white look featured above.

Wearing White After Labor Day: Accessorizing the Outfit

As with any outfit, accessories really can make or break the entire look. This has only proven to be more true as I’ve learned more over the years about outfits in general through creating content for this blog. It’s crazy how big of a difference a hand bag, a pair of statement earrings or even just a simple pendant necklace can make – when styled well, accessories can totally transform a look. As such, I wanted to highlight a few key accessories that can transform your white-jeans-after-labor-day outfit.

Beanies, hats, and scarves are great accessories that can be season specific to cooler months (especially those thicker scarves and beanies).  When trying to make white jeans work during the winter time, you want to choose your colors and materials carefully so to balance out the summer-y vibes of the white jeans. Specifically, go for thicker materials and neutral colors (or darker, warmer hues such as burgundy, navy, olive, etc.)

Consider this outfit above with the red peacoat, black over the knee boots and white jeans I wore this past February in NYC (yes, it was FREEZING). I think the outfit works strictly because of the accessories. In my opinion, the starkness of the black over the knee boots with the white jeans needs to be balanced out with another accessory, which I did here with the beanie and black handbag. I think wearing a black and white striped sweater would have also done the trick (or even just wearing a darker-hued handbag!)

While we’re discussing wearing white jeans with black over the knee boots, I’ve only tried wearing this combo a couple of times, but I actually really LOVE the look. I’m thinking I’ll probably wear this combo again this coming season. What’re your thoughts on wearing white jeans with black over the knee boots? or even just with black shoes in general (like I talked about in my wearing white jeans in general blog post)?

Scarves obviously help with the cold, and you can add texture to your outfit in this way. I personally like to contrast a scarf either by color or material – or even just a different shade of the same color like I did in this grey tunic outfit above.  The thicker the scarf, the better – especially when it comes to pulling off white jeans during winter time (versus fall or transitional months). And I added the red accents with my shoes, handbag, and lipstick because it was the holiday season when I wore this and I was feeling festive, but you could also adda pop of navy or olive or even complete the outfit with black accessories too!

Speaking of scarves, I also want to mention ponchos and capes as they’ve become relevant again in recent years on the fashion scene. If you can find one where the colors work with white jeans, I’d encourage you to give it a shot. I LOVE the look of an oversized poncho with stilettos or even riding boots like I did in the look above!

That’s all I’ve got today when it comes to how to wear white jeans after labor day. Hopefully, it’s painfully obvious that I disagree with the whole no white jeans after labor rule. I totally embrace it and keep my white jeans readily available 365 days a year!

How about you?

What’re your thoughts on wearing white jeans after labor day?! (and before Easter)