Thursday, September 03, 2009

Time to Pack Away the White???



Labor Day is nearly upon us and you know what that means don't you???? Yep time to pack away all the lovely white frocks, shoes, purses and any other clothing that is summer white. So is there anyone in Bloglandia that still does this??? (yep) says Me :) I can't help it really I can't. I was still a little girl when my mum trained me to avoid this most horrendous of social faux pas You don't wear white after Labor Day :) SO with this being said I bet you think my mum was raised in one of the "Summer Cottages" in the Hamptons or a Southern plantation??? Actually nothing could be farther from the truth. My mum was the youngest child, only girl with 3 grown brothers. My Grandfather and uncles worked in lumber camps and railroad crew camps. This was the depression anyone with work was lucky. My Grandmother and my mum moved from job to job with the boys. That is until my mum was 9 when she lost her mother to cancer. That left 3 grown boys and my grandfather to raise a cute little red headed tomboy. She was packed off to live with her aunt for the school year and spent the summers in the camps. It was her aunt who taught her how to be a "Proper Lady"



Boy it must have worked cuz when my mum left home to seek..ah make her fortune...ah heck to make a living :) she was one put together woman. Her outfit matched her shoes, which matched her purse, which matched her hat, and there was always a pair of gloves in said purse. :)



See what I mean if she said you don't wear white after labor day I figured she must know what she is talking about. Although I must confess white has never been a color you would find in my unwork (yep made that word up) clothes. As a kid it was a lost cause to dress me in white :) Then after my career choice you don't honestly believe I would ever choose to wear white socially do you??? :) Except for a white tee shirt or two there was never anything in my closet that was white. That was doubly true for white shoes. :) Why???? remember I'm the retired nurse...... I HATED WHITE!!!! I still have trouble with to much white Don't even get me started on white walls, white this white that jeez I've been in some houses you could go snow blind in ...Hurruuph
Oh yeah, these days I have ONE white frock. Oh and it's such a wonderful, famine, embroidered handkerchief cotton sundress. :) I love wearing it. I could be sitting out on the lawn for a little tea with Alice Roosevelt. It's just one of those frocks that make you feel like you stepped out of another more graceful time. :) And I have taken great care to maintain it's whiteness. Not easy here that's for sure!! But it is very white and this is Labor Day weekend so it's time to pack the frock away for another year. What??? Oh yeah I tried a couple of years ago to wear it after Labor Day, but it just was no good. I just knew everyone was staring at me pointing their fingers and whispering behind their hand..... Psssst doesn't she know white after Labor Day is just Not to be WORN??????

To prevent that little unhappy episode from happening again, I started to make a few jumpers, aprons and skirts for Fall-Winter. Annalise is modeling the first one. A blue gray apron (my favorite pattern) and a gun metal gray skirt. Both are made out of a type of luscious rayon fabric. My nod to the warm semi-tropical weather we have here that lovingly passes as Winter!! :)



I love the way this apron drapes and lays in the front but the back is always my favorite the way the straps cross over. It's a great pattern and I can easily change necklines and strap widths so that no two aprons are alike. This and the jumper I made a couple of weeks ago have sorta become my team uniform :) Oh well I like them they cover my overly abused legs from standing 3/8ths of my life. And I don't look like Hoo Hum Hermione or Boring Bertha :)




This concludes our Fashion Faux Pas class for this season, now shoo everyone go put
those whites away you will thank yourself well maybe.....
Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

8 comments:

stregata said...

Lovely white frock!! And what a cool apron - if it really is! I wouldn't have dreamed of calling this fashion statement an apron!! Looks good on Annalise (Miranda sends her regards, BTW, please tell her) and I'm sure it looks great on you!
Have a wonderful day (or night)!

Narrative jewelry said...

I love too the white frock, it is so feminine.

And the story about your mother, reminds me when my grandgrand mother was horrified to see us wearing the same clothes on sunday than other days of the week. We have to change our clothes and wear something special for that day. May be for the same reason as your mother. I was too young to ask her questions.

Times change...

Love your "apron", i wouldn't call it apron... but those two greys are so soft.

Have a beautiful day.

Linda Vincent said...

Must admit I never wear white...much prefer black (its the 'slimming effect') - although I'd be tempted by your rather lovely sundress.
Since the menopause I've given up putting summer clothes away - I just wear them all year-round!
Linda x

Tristan Robin said...

I'm not much of a slave to fashion - LOL - but, I certainly enjoyed this post!

And, I also had a mother who was (is?!) obsessed with manners and all things proper. It all made me yawn when I was a child and being corrected; but, now, as an adult, most of it comes second nature and I don't have to think about it. :D

Anonymous said...

I am a throwback as I don't wear white after Labor Day (shoes and pants) but blouses are okay. You can never have too many white blouses. Last year when we went to a tropical location for Christmas I had a hard time packing white to wear. :)

SummersStudio said...

Not a jot of white in my wardrobe. White and me are just no good together. Not the look so much as things like marinara sauce. But yep, I grew up with the labour day rule. And we were dead boring middle class.

I love, love that apron pattern. I love the layered look. I want to sew that. It looks so fantastic and so comfortable. And yes, another part of my middle class upbringing was learning to sew. No self respecting girl did not sew. Just was not done.

BTW, my daughter, the nurse has never worn white. But she has grown to hate a particular shade of blue :)

Retro Cafe' Art Gallery said...

I rarely wear white, so I'm good :). I'm MUCH TOO messy!!!
xoxo,
Kristin

LuLu Kellogg said...

Guess what? I am wearing white today.

Rebel.

Love to you and LW and the Furbabies!
LuLu~*xoxo

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