“No white shoes after Labor Day? These kinds of rules are gone now, and thank God, because after all, I would like to wear white shoes with a mink–a black mink. Breaking the rules can be fantastic!”

–Manolo Blahnik

I first read it in The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette when I was in high school: “Eye shadow should really not be worn until a girl is sixteen, and then only in the evening.” And last week, when I opined to my mother that it may be time for me to move on from my signature purple shadow, she reminded me again of the outdated rule that I am sure many people my age have never even heard of.

But in spite of Amy Vanderbilt’s and my mom’s (sorry, Mommy!) tactful advice, I am choosing to continue wearing eye shadow during the daytime (as I always have) and better yet, I’m staying with my go-to purple!

Nina Garcia put it best about fashion “rules” in her book Little Black Book of Style. “…Style is personal. There is no herd to follow. There are no rules. There are no seasons. Style comes from within. If there is anything absolute about style, it is that it holds you accountable to yourself at every moment.”

How do you feel about style rules? Do you wear white after Labor Day or continue to wear leggings?