I bought this dress when I just started being pregnant. It's not maternity, but I figured it had room for me to grow.
And then my ass grew at a much shockingly faster rate than my stomach, and by the time I could wear it, um, I couldn't wear it. I seriously couldn't squeeze it down past the top of my butt. Yes, there was great chagrin all around.
But now!
It's deliciously warm and sunny in DC, so I decided to throw rules to the wind and wear white.
Of course, I now commute to work in my toe shoes. And my Liberty bag (which, no, I've not yet had the balls to wear with the dress and hat). I got some weird looks this morning. I assume it was the combo, but maybe it was just the inappropriateness of a white cotton shift?
So, white before Memorial Day is:
A. Lovely and refreshing! Rules are made to be broken!
B. Gasp! Horrendously inappropriate! What next!?
C. OK this once, and thank goodness you have the sense not to wear white shoes!
definitely "A"
ReplyDeleteI think white is fine just as soon as it's 80 degrees out.
ReplyDeleteHowever (and I hate to ask), were you wearing a slip? That looks like a fairly sheer material, on a sunny day...are you sure you weren't getting stares because people could see your undies?
Shannon raises an interesting point. For what it's worth, I have heard that in DC and other, equally warm points, white is acceptable after April.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, fully intend to wear my awesome white jeans while I'm in New Orleans next week, so to heck with convention!
White is appropriate when it's warm!
ReplyDeleteA, this dress is too lovely for rules! I think Easter is a better time frame than Memorial Day. Of course, in Texas, it is so hot by the time Memorial Day rolls around, people are ready to wear bikini tops to the office. I also tend to wear white around Christmas and especially in January - winter white or cream usually.
ReplyDeleteIf it's warm enough for sandals or slingbacks, it's warm enough for white (but then, I wear sandals in February and stop in early October, because we're in AZ).
ReplyDeleteMaybe they just remember you from the whole boobquake thing on the news??
A!!! It is lovely and refreshing and most importantly...rules are made to be broken. I love the shoes you chose with it: )
ReplyDeleteLJ - Excellent! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteShannon - I'm not, but it's fully lined. Although now that you raise that, I'll ask Jenny if she can still see through. Eeee!
Dagny - After April. OK, good.
Oh, your white jeans! Yes, take them to New Orleans! I just know you look great in them!
Mrs. Avery - I like that approach!
HKW - I love the details on this dress - thank you so much! For us, Easter can still be really cold, so I don't know if that works here. I really want to rock the winter white. Maybe next year.
Susan H - Oh, how nice to be able to wear sandals so much of the year!
Haha! Nobody I work with saw it, thankfully, or I'd never hear the end of it. Our contractor is still talking about how he made his wife rewind the news and was all, "Hey! Look! That's Nick's wife!"
I am with HKW. My time frame for wearing white is after Easter. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThe dress is cute and the shoes are adorable. Its white shoes that I think look odd before memorial day.
ReplyDelete"A" always! I love the dress and you look very pretty in it...and the shoes are prefect! I always thought that white before MD had to do with shoes?
ReplyDeleteA most definitely. I'm in S. Florida. The rules don't apply down here, so I don't understand them!
ReplyDeleteAs a Californian, I say screw the rules. But Memorial Day is far too late in the season to START wearing white. Where I grew up, Easter was the norm.
ReplyDeleteSaw you this morning and applauded the audacity of the white dress!
ReplyDeleteTHat white rule went out the window years ago. You are free to do as you please.
ReplyDeleteWot Red said; wear whatcha damn well feel like wearin! And BTW, you're cute enough to look great in a potato sack.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely A!! Super cute! Who cares about rules!!
ReplyDeleteA! You should totally feel free to wear white whenever it strikes you. I think that White only between certain holidays thing is a stupid rule anyway. Besides, it's May already anyway! Who cares if you're a few weeks early?
ReplyDeleteYou go girl. Rules are made to be broken!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be able to wear white, but given the platinum hair and the pasty complexion, it is simply not to be. I'd do a fairly convincing impression of Caspar the friendly ghost. Sigh.
i'll go with C.
ReplyDeletei'm a firm believer in "the rules" but at the same time i've warmed up to the fact that below the Mason Dixon line it's okay to wear white after Easter. sometimes i even do it...
plus that dress looks awesome!
I think it's fine as long as it's not cold and gray outside.
ReplyDeleteI think white is fine as long as it's summer weather!
ReplyDeleteRawr! I say wear whatever you want as long as it makes you feel good. Just stay away from sprinklers or it won't matter if that dress is fully lined.
ReplyDeleteI am also in the camp that thought the rule applied only to white shoes. I think if it's May and weather-appropriate, wear what you want.
ReplyDeleteA all the way. I remember reading something a long time ago (I have no idea when it was or in which publication I read it) that the "No white before Memorial Day" rule no longer exists. I'm not entirely sure who has the authority to make/break such rules, but there you have it.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is super cute and looks SO comfy! Adorable shoes, too.
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ReplyDeleteOk not knowing anything about this wearing white rule, over here we tend to wear what we want and when we want to, very uncivilised I guess lol.
ReplyDeleteIt wasnt the dress sweetie it was those god awful things on your feet they were staring at. I have seen socks like this but never shoes.
But apart from that may I say you are looking truely fabulous a real Yummy Mummy. :-)
Screw the rules. Wear whatever you want! My grandmother was a big gambler, and she said that you can wear white on derby day. There you go.
ReplyDeleteI also will chime in and say I think the rule was about shoes.
ReplyDeleteYou look wonderful! I'm so jealous of your nice weather! We're finally getting a little sun today but it's still too cold. Brrrrr!
Angel JAM - Easter sounds good to me!
ReplyDeletecapitolhill20210 - Thanks very much! I love them both. And I don't own white shoes. I'm too uncoordinate - would totally scuff them.
kayare - Thanks for the compliment! I don't know...I mean, I know no white shoes, but I thought it was no white clothing in general.
cla517 - Yah, in beachy places, you can do whatever you want! Even if you don't live at the beach. It's so nice.
Luna - In San Diego, there seem to be no rules about dressing whatsoever. I don't know what part you're from.
Cynthia - Nice to know! And I was (speed)walking alone!
Red - Ah. I didn't know!
Tamater Sammich - Why, thank you! That's very nice!
Hillary - I've just been informed it's about my commuting shoes and not about the dress. Admittedly a weird combo. But I was glad to learn my dress is NOT see-through, as Shannon feared above.
And can I tell you how much I love that you're all, oh, they can fuck off! You must be in the right! You rock.
Zinfandelina - Thank you!
Teeny - It's true, only a few weeks and I'll be legitimate within the rules. If they exist anymore.
Keenie Beanie - I am seriously considering dyeing my hair platinum. I'll be bummed if I can't wear white anymore. I'm very pale and prone to ghostiness as well.
notsojenny - I love the "sometimes i even do it..." from a firm rules believer. :)
Megan- Yah. It's not. It's even hot! I love it!
Grace - I feel like we're finally lucking out with the weather! I love warm-weather dresses!
FoggyDew - That would definitely be a bad thing. No sprinklers. Plus they'd ruin my shoes.
Wendy - It's the damn shoulder season! It is totally weather-appropriate. I saw people sweltering in black outfits today.
Stevie - Woudln't it be fun to be the person who has the authority to make/break such rules? And thank you! It is totally comf! The shoes, less so, but they're improving.
Go-Betty - You are TOTALLY RIGHT! On my walk home today, a number of people looked at my feet. It was all about the shoes. As for being a yummy mummy, haha - thank you!
Miss Dallas - I love the idea of your gambling grandmother and white on derby day. Awesome!
A.S. - Then I am going to act like the rule is about shoes, because I'll always be safe that way. Here's wishing you nice weather! I feel like it took forever this year!
The rule is "no white shoes" which got bastardized into "no white." Probably because Americans are lazy and that last word was just too much for us. But then of course, it becomes one of those things where even if you know the real rule, you worry about being judged by people who don't ....
ReplyDeleteAlso, the faux rule (1) doesn't apply in warmer climates and (2) isn't really followed anymore. The style lady on the Today Show said so, and I'm pretty sure if it's said on the Today Show, it's automatically THE LAW.
As for white shoes, well, I do think they look odd too early in the season, but if I saw you on the street with them, I probably wouldn't shoot you or anything.
Option A, of course!
ReplyDeleteA. Rules? Bahahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteA!! You look fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI've lived in TN, MS, AL and GA....the rule has always been white after Easter and until Labor Day.
ReplyDeleteit's super sassy and cute!
ReplyDeletei always thought the rule only applied to shoes, not clothes.
Hi Lemon,
ReplyDeleteYou look fabulous in anything.
Lovely and refreshing, all the way babe!! =-)
ReplyDeleteI am adding my thoughts to the pile a bit late on this subject, so I don't know if you've already decided. It is worth noting that every sartorial expert/professional I've ever read has indicated that it "Memorial Day - Labor Day" attire is completely appropriate for several weeks on each end when the temperature is north of 80 degrees.
ReplyDelete