Half mourning was the third stage of Victorian mourning, lasting 3-6 months. Black clothing was replaced with shades of purple and gray, and white was acceptable. Fashionable mourning clothes were sold in department stores, while some women dyed their own clothes. Jewelry was allowed in this stage.
Half mourning is the traditional third part of mourning in the Victorian era. The plain black clothing associated with the first stage of mourning and the trimmed black clothing worn in the second period were replaced in mid-mourning by garments in shades of purple and gray. White was also acceptable in this phase of late mourning.
In 19th-century England, the first period of mourning, or full mourning, lasted for a year and a day. The second stage of mourning was nine months long, and the half mourning period was three to six months long. The notion of abandoning non-mourning was emphasized by switching from dark clothing and a veil for widows to a dark dress with decorative trim to new, lighter colored clothing.
Victorian widows in full mourning were required to wear a black crepe veil or weeping veil. The fabric of the black mourning dress was not to be shiny. The black dress was still worn in the second stage of mourning, but the dress was allowed to be cut as were the mourning jewels. The colors of purple worn in the period of half mourning could be lilac or any shade of purple. Darker grays were also often worn then, but light gray and white were also acceptable.
Fashionable mourning dresses were designed in Paris and sold in department stores so that women could look fashionable while wearing the expected colors and styles. These looks were for Victorian women who had the money to buy them. Those women who could not afford to buy mourning clothes in department stores often had to buy them from funeral homes when arranging the coffin and burial.
Sometimes, women dyed their clothes in colors suitable for half mourning. As long as their dresses weren’t too low in the neckline and of the appropriate length, they would be fine for half mourning when dyed a shade of purple or gray. Women could wear their normal jewelry again in this last stage of mourning, but could not wear jewelry in the first stage of mourning and would only have to wear special jewelry in the second stage.
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