Funeral Fashion

As a sales associate at the retail store Express, the question I’m most asked (after “Why don’t you have more people working here?” and “Can I use 37 coupons at once?”) is probably “Can you help me find something to wear to a funeral?”

This may be a little morbid for my first blog post on Cuse Clothes Line, but I feel this notion society has created of what’s appropriate to be worn to a funeral is something that needs to be addressed.

According to http://www.funeralplanning101.com/ (yes, it exists), women should wear a “dress or skirt and blouse to a funeral.” The site says suits may also be appropriate, and for all options colors must be “conservative and professional.”

That’s all fine and dandy, but too many people translate said advice to mean funerals are the time to whip out the Church lady oversized dress suit. Pretty much envision anything Martin Lawrence wears as Big Momma in the color black, and you’ve got what an overwhelming amount of women think they have to drown themselves in in order to look “appropriate.”

So let’s update our funeral attire know-how, shall we?

The most important element is obviously color. Clearly you can’t walk into the service decked out in hibiscus flower print (...not that you should walk anywhere in hibiscus flower print), but that doesn’t mean you need to match the grim reaper either. He already came.

What does that mean for you then? Black is an obvious choice, but you really just need to stick with muted colors. Charcoals and other gray subgenres are good alternates, and even a dark blue is acceptable. The fun is therefore in the accents. Have fun with it—stick a little color in the mix with a muted purple, pink, or red base shirt. The key is to maintain your image without forgetting to look respectful.

Now the actual pieces themselves can be a little more debatable. I once had a friendly discussion (read: argument) with a customer who thought I was a complete moron for suggesting she try our new black lace leggings as opposed to the regular black stretch ones. (In case you’d like to see how fun and appropriate they are for yourself— http://www.express.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2494&parentCategoryId=2&categoryId=28&subCategoryId=100.)This is the perfect example because paired with a subtle black top and skirt, lace leggings say “I loved my grandma, but I also love looking fab.”

For the average fashion-conscious woman, you simply can’t go wrong with a slim-fitting dress suit. It’s sharp and easy to make your own with what we refer to at Express as “party tops” underneath. What’s good for the club can be just as good for funerals and work under a subtle and stern suit jacket. Of course, a nice muted pencil skirt paired with a common white or understated patterned blouse works just as well.

Finally, yes, it is perfectly fine to wear pants, ladies. I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I believe we are past the point of women needing to wear skirts to look respectable. Dress slacks are sexy, sleek, and definitely funeral appropriate. Pair them with a button up or neutral sweater, and you’re good to go.

So wake up, world. It’s 2008, and I don’t think your freshly deceased grandma is going to hold a grudge for you looking cute at her funeral.