I've always been taught to wear white from Easter to Labour Day. That could be from my mom who was raised in Arkansas, where it's warm in May.
In the South, I think it is okay to wear white from Easter onward. For instance, Easter was always when we wore white patent Mary Janes as kids, but the white should be packed away at Labor day.
There is, however, a difference between Winter White and regular summer white. That depends on the shade and fabric (for instance, white cotton pants in the winter wouldn't be acceptable due to the fabric). I have always worn Winter white and find it very classic (ie. a winter white wool pant with a cashmere sweater set in the winter has always been one of my favorites) but I do think that's a matter of personal preference.
I agree with the white from Memorial to Labor Day rule! Usually the July 4th holiday weekend is a good occasion for breaking out the Lily on the Cape.
Love the blog Mel!
I start breaking out the Lilly starting Memorial Day! But, then again, I live in the land of Lilly- Main Line Philadelphia, where Lilly is headquartered. We are afforded a bit of leniency around here, at least on the preppy garb.
As for the white, while I wear winter white, I will not wear pure white until June, unless an event forces me to do so.
I live in North Carolina and usually start with white & other "summer" items around the beginning of May. I mean, it's already 80 degrees here, so.....For many of my co-workers, Easter is the start, but having growrn up in Connecticut, Easter is still "too early" for me....
I've also been instructed I can start planting in my vegetable garden on Good Friday 
I am in NC and have always lived in the South. The rule for me has been white is from Easter to Labor Day - this includes pants, dresses, shoes, handbags, etc. I typically have done the same for madras & my Lilly, unless I was somewhere coastal, where I think the rules are a little more relaxed. I was in Charleston, SC over the weekend and Lilly was all around!
To the best of my knowledge, it is acceptable to wear white after Easter in the south. It is definitely warm enough by that time. People usually break out the madras and Lilly at the same time, as we are often engaged in summer-type activities by then. I would say that weather wise our summer really begins in April or May.
New England born and bred....and that means Memorail Day whte is the rule. I was also taught not to chew gum in public, woman who smoke in the street look 'trashy' and you never ask someone what something costs. To this day when I see a girl walking down the street with a cigarette I think it looks bad! What other polite rules of living were we all raised with?
It's Memorial Day to Labor Day for me too!
I'm from Baltimore and I think the rules are a little more relaxed here. For instance, there is a steeplechase every Saturday in April, so as long as the weather is really nice you will see tons of people wearing Lilly at those events. I think people wait a little longer to wear white, however.
I was born in Texas, and the rule was from Easter to Labor Day. It can be hot enough in Feb. to wear summer clothes, but we would wait for Easter.
I'm a southern girl and its definitely Easter through Labor Day for white around here. I throw Lilly, madras, and seersucker into the same time frame.
Memorial Day/Labor Day here in Philadelphia. However, I think winter white looks beautiful on some people. Just not me.
I will also say that I have no problem wearing madras in the city, usually a skirt with a polo shirt and flip flops. Most of my Lilly stuff is in sweaters or tanks so I'll bring those items out at will. Mostly though, I stick to plain JCrew basics for day to day stuff. I'd love to hear your take on city wear.
I have been known to sport winter white. But that's different than wearing summer pants and white sandals on the first warm day in March... tacky!
I have a Lilly cable-knit cashmere sweater, so I get to wear my Lilly year-round!
Easter to Labor Day for whites, seersucker, madras, and Lillys . . .
Hi, Melissa! I agree with the white from Memorial to Labor Day rule, too. However, I will wear ivory/off white/cream all other times.
I used to break out the Lilly around March (if the weather allowed) but now I wait until May/June. I also agree Lilly should only be worn in a casual environment, not in the city.
Right now, I don't own a lot of Madras. I wanted to buy the strapless J. Crew Madras dress featured in their February catalog but couldn't get the size 6 (the size I normally wear) zipped around my bust -- and it's really not that big. I also tried an 8 and 10 and it still didn't fit so I gave up. 
Tarheel here, too, raised in Virginia and educated in the Deep South. White's OK from Easter to Labor Day, but my mother always said that pure white shoes were not classy unless you were a nurse! Better to have white/combo spectator pumps or white sandals than an all-white loafer or pump, for example. We do break out the linen a little earlier down here (earlier than Memorial Day) for comfort's sake. It's 82 here today. Summer styles, on the other hand, look more appropriate after Memorial Day....so I hold the madras and Lilly for MD weekend! It's very interesting to read how the climate dictates our hard-and-fast fashion rules, no?
Without you Mel I never would have heard the Easter/ White southern rule! What other North/South differences do we have prep wise?
Personally I think madras, flip flops etc are summer wear and we only broke them out when we decamped to the Cape/Vineyard every year. I only started wearing flips in public the last few years as they became fashionable and less 'beachy'. Still cannot break out the Lily except for casual soirees in the late summer and the same for madras capris. And by the way Mel you look fabulous in your adiroindack. If only they were not so hard to lauch yoursel out of!
Here in Virginia, the high school and college girls can get away with Lilly and madras is late April- I think the rest of us need to wait a bit longer- maybe mid-May.
I remember that there was always lots of drama surrounding the purchase of Easter shoes whenI was growing up because we had to find bone or taupe colored shoes- no white! The Memorial Day to Labor Day rule was non-negotiable. (I do sometimes wear a white skirt in May because I am a big rebel ; )
As Philadelphia transplants to Arkansas, we were always taught the Memorial Day to Labour Day rule.
Easter was the first time one could wear patent leather (which also had to be put away after Labour Day) and our Easter shoes were always navy or red patent leather, not white.
However, as the other Southerners have indicated, it becomes really hot and humid here much sooner - and stays so much later into the year - than it does in the North, so some modifications to the standard rules are truly necessary.
I have already started wearing cottons (It's 84 degrees outside.) and will probably continue wearing them into November - I just save the really bright colours for June, July, and August.
I also agree that full-on Lilly and madras are more suited to the summer house or beach house than the city, though pieces of each are probably fine.
Greetings from SF. Lilly and madras after Easter. White after Memorial Day! Love the blog!
I'm from South Carolina, and I was raised with Easter to Labor Day for white (Clearly, winter white is not what we're talking about here).
However, I was at a steeplechase in South Carolina this weekend (the Carolina Cup), I wore Lilly (but it's a festive occasion and whether it's before or after Easter--it's always the first weekend in April but it fell on March 31 this year--it calls for Lilly, madras or seersucker. So that's usually the first time I break out my Lilly).
I don't think I'd wear white shoes that early, though. I always thought the rule for shoes was a bit less forgiving, for some reason. White patent leather shoes on Easter Sunday as a child is also a memory for me. My son will be wearing white bucks with a seersucker shorts suit.
75-80 degree days in South Carolina by the end of March are pretty much the rule rather than the exception.
Off topic, but Vineyard Vines is all the rage with the college crowd down there.
I've been lurking for a while but have gathered up my courage to comment! All these rules are rather different here in England, but I think the white rule depends on the item of clothing - surely a plain white cotton shirt is an all year round basic? Whereas a white skirt is definitely summer-only wear! By the way, the cropped trousers you're wearing in your photo - where did you get them?! I love them! My grandmother lives in Greenwich, CT, so I've been brought up to love the preppy classics...
I'm in FL and it's always been Easter-Labor Day here. Except for white pants which are always a nono.
I've heard a lot of Southerners state that they abide by the stereotypical Memorial Day rule for white. I was born and raised on the beach in South Florida and I rarely ever saw a day below 50 degrees (and that was a stretch for us). White can be seen from Key West to West Palm Beach almost year round. In fact, you would be hard pressed to see many people wearing dark colors (especially native Floridians) as they absorb heat. Since becoming a military spouse I move often and to various states throughout the country. For this reason, I started to wear white strictly Memorial Day through Labor Day. If I'm back in my home state, however, anything goes.
In the South, it's all about the weather. I grew up in Texas but now live in Atlanta, where it stays cooler a bit longer. I made up my own rules based on traditions:
- Linen clothing, Easter to Labor Day...although in Texas where it can stay above 90 well into October, dark linen clothing may still be acceptable.
- White clothing, Memorial Day to Labor Day
- White shoes are for brides and nurses; white sandals are acceptable between Memorial Day and Labor Day
- Lily, May to August
- Seersucker, June to August
- Flip flops, May to August (these are "year-round" shoes here...ugh)
- Dark sandals with heavier heels are acceptable through September. After that, switch to closed-toe.
Wow...turns out I've given this a bit of thought!
Okay, as a college girl in the South (and currently 80 degrees!) I do think I am a bit more leeway. I've currently got on a strapless dress that's white cotton with pink lace covering the whole deal. And white keds. I refere you when I posted the picture of the new dress last year.
I would never wear white pants though, until well into May. Actually, I just don't wear white pants, they look garish on me.
I remember my college days when with the first hint of spring (in March) girls all over campus would pull out their Lilly and spend the day shivering!
On another note - Ck Bradley has some great new summer stuff that I would feel safe wearing before Memorial Day!
The rules are much easier broken in the South and Midwest since it gets hotter sooner. Not so much in the Northeast. Here's what I was rasied to adhere to:
White shoes okay for children on Easter, then put them away until Memorial Day. Everyone else, white shoes and flip flops have to wait until then, too.
Summer fabrics are okay after Memorial Day, granted it's warm enough. I usually wait till June.
As a Southerner born & bred I can confirm that white is acceptable only from Easter to Labor Day. I have a winter white bag that I carry in the spring (now that I live up North) but it was a real stretch for me to buy it & carry it!
I'm from Georgia and I adhere to the Easter/Labor Day rule. I also break out the Lilly, madras and seersucker then as well. In fact, many southern men wear there seersucker suits on Easter morning, very dapper!!
Hmm. Personally, the white is worn after Memorial Day up through Labor Day. The madras and the Lilly i am much more relaxed about. I can see myself wearing my madras capris on a warm April or May day with driving mocs, a long sleeved T, and maybe my jean jacket. Ditto Lilly capris in darker colors. Then again, I also will bust out the flip flops on a warmish day, too.
I have a question: Jack Rogers or Stephen Bonannos? What's the difference? They look very similar. . .
In Alabama, it is no white below the waist between Labor Day and Easter. That also goes for seersucker, madras, linen or spectators. I was never allowed to wear white shoes because my feet were so long and narrow. It only made them look that much longer and narrower.
Regarding the north/south differences, it seems like Lilly is more casual in the north, but often worn for special occasions in the south.
Aha, the age old question. I tried some google research and did not find anything definitive, as some people believe one thing, others something else. I did find some sites that validated what I was always taught, specifically, that it is not that matters, but white SHOES. The shoes I hold off on, the pants I wear if it is warm enough to justify. But I live in hot, swampy DC. I think everyone will have to default to their own prep traditions and make their own call. For the record, yesterday was in the 70's and I enjoyed my first G&T of the year, but not while wearing white! 
Cheers!
I've had to learn to compromise between a lot of different traditions--St. Louis mother (MD to LD), Southern father (Easter to LD), raised in Arizona (rules? what rules?), and now living in DC. . .
. . .anyway, I'll generally go with touches of madras (belt, bag) once it starts warming up; white prints (e.g. a white skirt with colored flowers), Lilly, full body madras, and seersucker after Easter; unrelieved white only MD to LD.
And white shoes are an absolute never in my book; I was always told they were only for first communion, debuts, and weddings (and May Day if you were a child).
Mare - I tink Bonannos are the original and I have heard the sole is a bit better. I should probably try them, but all the NY stores carry Jack Rogers so it is more convenient for me. Basically from what I see they are almost identical (and now there are knock-offs too)
I totally agree with the Easter seersucker suit for me. I know my daddy wore that when I was growing up. I think the rule flexibility in the south also has to do with weather. This weekend with the Easter high only being 60s I doubt I will see as much seersucker at church. (However I did go to a fancy-ish Episcopalian church with lots of little children in smocked outfits but no shoes inside church. Must be a Montgomery thing.
North/South...I'm not sure what the rule is for Northern Cali. As for myself...I abhor white clothing. I guess because I can never keep it clean and crisp looking.
I have to second my fellow South Floridian, Laura. It's been in the 80's here since late February, and while I understand the tradition of waiting until Memorial Day, it's just not possible.
I do try to dress with the seasons, at least as much as I can down here (which means I wear long sleeved tees, winter white and darker colors in the "winter") but we would bake if we waited until the end of May to wear white.
Heidi- I had that same problem with the J. Crew madras dress. I had to order up 3 sizes and have the waist taken in. J. Crew dresses are not of busty girls!
Interesting you should ask. My husband and I were just debating this the other day, because we have a steeplechase to attend the first Saturday in May, plus we host a croquet party in late September. My husband, who's from Texas, had planned to wear white for both. I'm from the Northeast and have always observed the Memorial Day to Labor Day limits for white. But, as my husband points out, whites are the appropriate attire for croquet. I think we've compromised on him wearing tan for the steeplechase and whites for the croquet party.
I usually break out my white shoes for Easter Sunday, but never before Passover. I generally put them away after labor day. It warm here in Texas, however, white is white.
Memorial Day to Labor Day for all of the above including sandals...except flip flops. If it's warm and a weekend, they are ON!!! If anyone comments I usually say I'm on my way to get a pedi!
It's always been Easter - Labor Day where I grew up, in Georgia and now living in north Florida. Besides the weather issues, I remember getting all hopped up about white and pastels after I broke out my easter bonnet and white patent leather shoes each year!
So, i was with mellie when she first got this e-mail, and her and our other friend Vivi laughed at me when i said you can wear white all year long. I have an undying affection for my white patent leather Dolce and Gabanna pumps, they are actually perfect in the snow! In the cold weather, I think you can wear any shade of white, it is the fabric that you need to be concerned with. Leave the linen and cotton pants for the summer, but fashion is so anything goes now, do what makes you happy!!!
We do Easter to Labor Day when in Texas and elsewhere in the South for white everything and Lilly dresses. I don't do madras. My two years in Connecticut were incredibly confusing for this Southern girl - how was I supposed to know that one didn't wear a hat and white shoes on Easter Sunday? (The fact that it was 34 degrees outside should have been my first clue.)
When in the Congo, I try to avoid white altogether. It's too dusty to even bother.
I agree with the winter-white girls. BUT I lived in the south for most of my life. We would haul out our whites at Easter and madras or Lilly by spring break. Of course we managed to keep a tan year round as well which makes those things easier to pop on.
These days I stay away from tanning all together (one must always keep one's skin looking its best) and so the madras or Lilly tends to be in accessory form and whites must be the right shade.
White shoes are usually just new tennis shoes each season!
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