Avoiding the 'fall fumble'

Monday is not only the start of another school year, but it is also Labor Day, a national holiday celebrated by vacationing workers all over the U.S. While many people will be spending the day in bathing suits and summer dresses, here in Bloomington, we will wake up with the dreaded decision of what to wear to class. Every school year students make mad dashes to places like Kohl's, Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, and J. Crew to ease the transition from summer to winter dress. We all know it can be scary and everyone has made the fall fumble, meaning wearing something totally inappropriate for the season, because the weather and falling leaves snuck up on you in your back- to-school haze. \nEveryone has seen the girl in the bright pink and yellow tank dress in October or the guy that had to wear that tropical shirt to class. It makes you want to scream, "Summer is gone, live in the now!" But instead it makes me ask, why can't we wear light colors during the cool seasons?\nAs we all know, fall is commonly associated with darker colors such as amber, forest green, purple, red, brown and so on. As a general rule, pink, baby blue and beach wear are pretty much crazy person attire until next spring. Of course, those are just unwritten rules. But what about the one rule common to every red-blooded American: the no-white-after-Labor-Day rule. \nThat rule has haunted me since my childhood. My grandmother and I would have fashion wars over white jelly sandals and skirts during fall. This absurd rule left me with a considerably smaller wardrobe, and low blows from grandma. Imagine your grandmother saying your butt is too big to wear white, let alone white after Labor Day.\nWell, I don't live with grandma anymore and both Kenneth Cole and Tommy Hilfiger say it is OK, so I am wearing white. White after Labor Day has not always applied to everyone. Audrey Hepburn wore white in the winter, and she is a fashion icon. In the 1960s, the mod look was sleek and futuristic. \nThis fall, not only are the skirts themselves white, but the boots are white, too. Last September during fashion week, some designers surprised many by dressing models in white skirts, yellow turtle necks, white pencil pants, white boots and big white bubble coats. It was refreshing to see bright colors sprinkled amidst collections that were dark and boring. Vogue is calling it space-age and fresh, and now it has become the official fall look. \nSay 'goodbye' to the no-white-after-Labor-Day rule. I think the current trend suggests we are moving forward and expanding our minds. It could also just be designers finding a parallel between the times now and '60s Vietnam. This is a rare moment when European and American designers are on the same page, and I say great minds think alike. No one needs a rule about white to make sure they don't wear strappy tees and shorts in the winter. If they do, they should be committed. So, wear your white boots and block dresses with a big pink coat. We don't all have to look like we are going to a funeral just because we're going back to school.