What to wear to a funeral
Dark, plain and comfortable. Black is always right at a Western service, and so are navy, charcoal and other dark colors. Below: what to wear as a woman or a man, what to avoid, and the dark colors that suit each of the 12 color seasons.
By Jane MitchellCertified color analystPublished
The short answer
- Wear dark, plain colors: black, navy, charcoal, dark gray, dark brown or deep green.
- Choose simple clothes with no big prints, logos or shine.
- Cover your shoulders, and keep a dress or skirt at the knee or longer, above all for a service in a church.
- Wear shoes you can stand and walk in. A graveside service is often on grass.
- If the family asks for a color, or for bright clothes, wear what they ask.
What to wear to a funeral as a woman
A dark dress, or a skirt or trousers with a plain blouse, and a cardigan or jacket on top. In winter, add dark tights and a dark coat. Flats or low, wide heels are best: thin heels sink into grass at the graveside. Keep jewelry small and makeup soft.
What to wear to a funeral as a man
A dark suit in black, navy or charcoal, a white or light shirt and a plain, dark tie. Polished dark shoes and dark socks. Without a suit, wear dark trousers, a shirt with a collar and a dark sweater or jacket.
What not to wear to a funeral
- Bright and neon colors, and big, loud prints.
- Party clothes: sequins, very short hems, low necklines.
- Ripped jeans, gym clothes and sneakers, unless the family says the dress is casual.
- An all-white outfit at a Western service, unless the family asks for it. A white shirt under a dark jacket is fine.
- Big jewelry and strong perfume.
Funeral colors in other traditions
Not every tradition wears black. At many Hindu funerals, mourners wear white. At many Chinese funerals, people wear white or black and avoid red. A celebration of life is often less formal, and the family may ask guests to wear color: see what to wear to a celebration of life. A wake before the service has its own customs: see what to wear to a wake. If you are not sure, ask the family or the funeral home, or wear a plain dark color.
Dark colors for your color season
Black is easy to wear for some seasons and harsh for others. These are the dark, quiet shades in each season's own palette. If a palette has fewer than two dark shades, its card shows its darkest quiet shades, to wear with black or charcoal. Keep the skip-line colors for another day.
Dark, quiet colors
- Soft denim navy#5C6B8A
- Light taupe#9E8C74
Skip: buttercup, apple green, coral.
Dark, quiet colors
- Warm denim#4E6E82
- Warm mushroom#A1887F
Skip: bright tangerine, golden yellow, terracotta.
Dark, quiet colors
- Dark warm brown#3E2723
- Bright navy#1A3A5C
Skip: bright violet, vivid orchid, bright orange.
Dark, quiet colors
- Soft navy#4A5C78
- Soft plum#8E7C9E
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Dark, quiet colors
- Cool navy#2F4058
- Cool aubergine#5D4E6D
- Soft plum#7E5A82
- Blue gray#5A6B7C
Skip: rose red, cool raspberry, cool lavender.
Dark, quiet colors
- Soft navy#3F4A57
- Muted aubergine#6B5E70
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Dark, quiet colors
- Soft olive brown#57503F
- Slate blue#5F7386
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Dark, quiet colors
- Coffee#5A4632
- Deep olive#4A5340
- Forest teal#2E5E4E
- Chestnut#7C4D3A
Skip: rust, goldenrod, burnt orange.
Dark, quiet colors
- Dark mahogany#3E2A1E
- Deep olive#2F3325
- Deep petrol#154360
- Deep pine#0E4B3F
Skip: deep amber, tomato red, dark mustard.
Dark, quiet colors
- True black#1C1C1C
- Midnight navy#12243D
- Blue charcoal#263238
- Cool espresso#4E342E
Skip: indigo, deep violet, true red.
Dark, quiet colors
- True black#000000
- Charcoal#37474F
Skip: vivid purple, royal violet, cobalt.
Dark, quiet colors
- Bright navy#0D1B3E
- True black#212121
Skip: bright violet, electric purple, vivid orchid.
Every dark neutral with its hex code is in the neutral color palette. Other dress codes, the same idea: wedding guest colors and what to wear for a passport photo.
How we picked the colors
Each season card reads that season's own palette and neutrals on this site, 300 named colors across the 12 seasons, measured in CIELAB: lightness (L*), chroma (C*, how strong the color is) and hue angle. A shade is on the card when it is dark (L* under 45) and quiet (C* under 30), darkest first. A season with fewer than two gets its two darkest quiet shades, to wear with black or charcoal.
The skip line lists up to three of the strongest colors of the palette (C* 50 or more). Where a palette has too few shades that far apart in hue, the gap narrows to half, then to 12°. No color is typed by hand, and no brand or store is used. The same rule runs on every season, so two cards can be compared.
What this page cannot do
This page lists the dark colors in each season's palette. It cannot tell you which season you are, and it cannot know what the family wants: the invitation or the funeral home can. Our free analysis reads your season from one selfie, in your browser, and gives you your own palette with its dark colors.
How this is different from other color analysis tools
- 01
Your photo stays on your device
Many photo apps upload your selfie and read it on their server (see our comparison). Ours measures it in your browser. There is no upload.
- 02
The result is free
Your season and palette, with no account and no email. At least one app in our comparison takes payment before you see any result.
- 03
A close call says so
Every result names the runner-up season and how close the call was. Borderline is a result we print.
- 04
We publish our accuracy
We tuned the method on faces that experts had labelled by season, then tested it on 410 celebrity photos we collected. The results, misses included.
Questions
What colors are OK to wear to a funeral?
Black, navy, charcoal, dark gray, dark brown and deep green are safe at most Western services. If the family asks for a color, wear that color.
Can you wear navy to a funeral?
Yes. Navy is dark and plain, and after black it is one of the most common colors at a funeral.
Is it OK to wear jeans to a funeral?
Only if the family says the dress is casual. Otherwise wear dark trousers, a dark skirt or a dark dress.
What can I wear to a funeral if black does not suit me?
A dark, quiet color from your own palette. For example, a Soft Summer can wear soft navy or muted aubergine, and a Soft Autumn soft olive brown or slate blue. This page lists the dark colors of all 12 seasons.
What you can do on this page
This page gives the usual dress code for a funeral for women and men, what to avoid, and notes on other traditions. It then lists, for each of the 12 color seasons, the dark and quiet shades of that season's palette with hex codes, picked by a stated CIELAB rule, and the loud shades to leave at home. The free photo analysis finds a season from one selfie in the browser, with no upload and no account.