Wear your white pants at will, any time of year

White on, baby!

It’s white pants time.

That’s right, Memorial Day weekend officially kicks off white pants season.

What? You’ve already been wearing white pants?

Well, that’s OK, too.

Whether there’s a “proper” time to wear white pants is still a fashion police matter, but with fewer followers. Still, many adhere to the “no whites before Memorial Day” rule. Or they wear “winter whites” as opposed to “summer whites.”

There are some people who won’t wear white pants any month of the year.

Some will wear white shorts, but not white pants. Too “Miami Vice”-esque. Others will wear white anything except white shoes. We won’t go there.

White pants have evolved. Skinny white jeans are trending. These aren’t just for mannequins or movie stars. About any clothing store can fix you up. Men, too.

Legend has it the “no white pants rule” was originally enforced by some snobby aristocrats, then spread to the masses. Those 1950s women’s magazines mandated that white clothing came out on Memorial Day and sent packing on Labor Day.

So, in a few months will we have to worry about that?

As the bloggers at www.stylelist.com put it: “Whoever said white shouldn’t be worn after Labor Day clearly never met a fashion blogger. White is one of our favorite colors to wear, regardless of season. It’s the perfect neutral to pair with colors light and dark, or with other neutrals.”

So, there you have it. White has endless possibilities. No need to worry about it clashing. It goes with darn near everything.

You do have to worry about what goes under those pants: Sleek white or nude undies only and no going commando. If there’s a white pants rule, this is it: Don’t show anything.

White also comes with hazards.

You have to watch where you sit, what you eat and who you’re with. It doesn’t forgive coffee spills, ketchup, pens, red wine, green tea and kids’ grimy fingers. All those things that are central part of our lives.

No need to stop living. Just keep a bleach pen or wipe at the ready.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.

How to wear white

All body sizes, shapes and styles can rock the white pants trend.
White pants can be unforgiving. It’s all about the fabric and the fit.
Are you short? Try capris or ankle length.
Tall? Palazzo or gaucho.
Fabric matters. Linen, cotton or Spandex? The mirror will tell.

White pants, silver screen

Ever heard of the movie “Night of the White Pants”? Probably not.

It’s a 2006 comedy/drama filmed in Dallas (of course). It’s about a Texas oil tycoon whose soon-to-be third ex-wife throws him out of his house with nothing but the clothes he’s wearing, including the white pants. He becomes entangled in a sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll-laden adventure with his daughter’s punk-rocker boyfriend as he tries to make things right. It scored 42 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

White pants rules

Responses from an informal social media poll of white pants politics:

“Never. #messyeater.”
“In the South, white shoes or pants are acceptable after Easter.”
“White pants are OK. That Memorial Day thing is passé. However, white shoes — never.”
“I always feel slightly ‘wrong’ when I wear white pants before Memorial Day.”
“White goes with everything, dammit. End of story.”
“Wear what you want to when you want.”
“There are no more rules.”
“White with ketchup stains makes a statement.”
“Memorial Day to Labor Day, but winter white is OK year round.”
“I actually wear white pants at horse shows. This is one of the dumbest rules ever for an animal-based competition, but it’s a Peruvian tradition to wear all white when you show Peruvian horses.”
“If you can wear white and somehow keep it white and not dirty then you must have a clean environment you’re in and be lucky.”
“I never wear white pants because they make my butt look bigger than it already is.”
“I last wore white pants in the late ’80s, when I was in high school. That was cool for guys at the time, thanks to ‘Miami Vice.’ It hasn’t been cool since then.”