What To Wear To a Funeral
As with most other occasions, dressing for a funeral is a matter of personal taste. There are guidelines about what to wear to a funeral available.
However, the fact that funerals are centred around death gives this occasion a sense of sobriety.
There are therefore two unwritten rules when it comes to choosing funeral attire – it must be respectful, and it should be in dark colours, preferably black. Funerals are not fashion parades.
With these two guiding principles in mind, let us look at a few important considerations when choosing what to wear to mark the passing on of a loved one.
What to Wear to a Funeral – Less is More
This popular fashion maxim is especially important in light of the respect we talked about earlier. You don’t want to show up ‘blinging’ or dripping with jewellery.
Yes, the funeral may be a time to celebrate the life of the departed, but it’s not the time to try and steal the spotlight. Excessive accessories will be seen as a deliberate attention-seeking gimmick and will not look good on you.
When it comes to the clothing itself, be sure to keep it simple as well. This is not the time for a backless gown, ladies. Neither is it appropriate, in light of the respect mentioned, to show up in a revealing mini-skirt. If you wouldn’t wear it to church on Sunday, don’t put it on for a funeral.
What to Wear to a Funeral – Code Black
You may feel it’s being too predictable or corny, but black is and will continue to be the official funeral colour for the foreseeable future.
So stick to the norm and get yourself a nice black suit, guys will probably already have one somewhere in the closet. Ladies can either go for a suit or a flowing black dress.
Accessorising with black is a good idea too for a funeral. So throw on that black hat, your dark sunglasses and step out black heels. To break the monotony you can opt for understated gold or silver jewellery. A pearl necklace is not a bad idea.
If you can’t or won’t do black, go for a dark shade of grey or navy blue. At a funeral you want to use colour in blocks; stripes, polka dots, etc are not the way to go.
What to Wear to a Funeral – Right Shoes
You probably don’t need to buy a new pair for a funeral as your usual black office shoes will do. Again, this is probably not the time to unleash the fashionista in you. So put away those flashy boots or Air Jordans.
Sneakers will make you stick out like a sore thumb and sandals, well, they’ll make you look confused if you don’t have a good reason wear them.
What to wear to a funeral – Mind the Weather
Hot conditions may dictate that you leave a jacket out of your funeral ensemble but it is wise to carry it all the same. It is more appropriate for you to have on that blazer during the funeral service, especially if you’re not wearing a black shirt. You can take it off after paying your last respects. If it’s chilly and you need to wear leggings with your skirt, let them be black.
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All info was correct at time of publishing