Mourning in Fashion by Cindy Regnier

If you’ve read Gone with the Wind or even seen the movie, you know what mourning clothes are. But how did this tradition get started? Apparently, its beginnings had nothing to do with the Civil War, but date all the way back to the Middle Ages.

In the Middle Ages both men and women wept openly after a close loss and chose to wear white clothing, the color of mourning at the time. They chose white as it was the most affordable fabric color, and one most people already had. Some of the more affluent people, especially royalty, often chose purple for their mourning garments making them stand out from the crowd by letting it be known they could afford the expensive dye.

During the Victorian era, mourning became more defined with rules and requirements that must be followed by the royalty of the time. They recognized two phases of mourning, the whole process lasting as long as three years. Black was the designated color or mourning and hats or veils often accompanied a woman’s attire.

By the Georgian era, black became a mourning color not reserved for only the royals. First, the wealthy commoners tried to imitate the royal family showing clearly that they had the means to do so. The less affluent soon followed suit, black being the customary color in all classes, largely because Queen Victoria wore black clothing when her husband Prince Albert died in 1861. She wore only black for the remaining 40 years of her life.

Mourning clothes were one of the first items to become available as ready-to-wear attire because of a lack of enough black dye amongst dressmakers to create every piece needed for every woman. The black clothing began to appear in catalogs and was then advertised throughout Europe. Mourning items that could be purchased from catalogs included not only dresses, but hats, veils, handkerchiefs and jewelry. Jewelry was often a black locket that would hold a piece of their loved one’s hair.

Demand across Europe expanded and was met through extensive manufacture of socially acceptable mourning attire. Often, in the death of a royal family member, rules were made for all to follow. At the death of the queen in 1738 instructions were given not only for clothing but decoration as well. Part of the instructions say that “Coaches and Chairs” should be covered in black cloth, servants should wear “Shoulder-Knots of Black Silk Ribbon…” and that deep mourning should last six months, followed by another six months of second mourning. Second mourning was less strict, consisting of black dresses, trimmed with fringed or plain linen, white gloves, black or white shoes, fans and tippets and white necklaces and earrings. 

Mourning customs extended to America and became very commonplace during the Civil War when many families experienced loss. The period of time a woman was expected to wear mourning clothing depended on how close she was to the person who died. Advice on timing was widely available in women’s books and magazines. Widows were expected to mourn for two and a half years. Mothers mourned a child for one year. They started in a period of “deep mourning,” during which they could only wear plain black dresses. After this period, women were allowed to add white details or tasteful mourning jewelry to their outfits. Women then progressed to wearing lilac, before they could finally return to wearing other colors. These steps were intended to mimic the emotional journey of grief, from deep sadness to acceptance. Some widows chose to wear black for the rest of their lives to signify their loss.

Today, most people will wear dark clothing to a funeral, but then go back to their regular clothing. If you’re like me, you’re thankful for colored clothing and its acceptability in today’s world. What do you think? Was wearing black a fitting tribute to a lost loved one or simply a social standard that had to be upheld?

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.