OP here... interesting views from all around, thanks! The "rule" I have discovered, is a throwback to the time when a LADY out of the house wore hosiery, heels, gloves and probably a hat as well. (Oh yeah, and a girdle, too, I bet!) The so-called "rule" was that one would not wear white (meaning stark white) SHOES before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. It was a mark of good breeding. Or a custom that the middle class adopted in their attempt to appear upper class.
So, first of all, the "rule" only applied to shoes, not shirts or coats, etc. I wear white blouses with dark pants or a dark skirt almost every day throughout the winter. Secondly, the prohibition was only against real chalk white, never creams and winter whites. Thirdly, I am really, really PROUD of all of you who will be carrying your Azur pieces throughout the year! I really had thought that I would be in your camp, but I live in Western NY (not far from Niagara Falls, actually.) While it was still hot in temperature last week, the light does change here as we begin to slip from summer into fall. The colors of the leaves are barely beginning to turn and yet the shade of sunlight is just somehow different than what it was just 2-3 weeks ago. I changed my toenail polish color last week from a cool, vibrant reddish-coral to a deeper, darker chocolate tone. The articles in the home furnishings section of the local newspaper are featuring heavier fabrics and deeper, richer tones. It is just what happens here in a part of the world where we have four very different, distinct seasons. This time of year rolls around, and you just feel like you need to move from summer colors to fall colors... rubies, chocolates and the like.