Death is inevitable. And unlike today, in the '20s people took mourning seriously. Of course there are some people that still wear black to funerals out of respect, some even keep the black for a few days, but in general, mourning is ignored. Women would be expected to wear full black. Otherwise they would be seen as careless and insensitive. Men would wear black neck ties and shared with employees and servants a black band on their left arm, as the latter shouldn't change their work uniform. This is the complicated part. Everything should be black. And the period of mourning would have diferent lenghts, depending on the person. If a husband died, their wives would be in full black for six months. Six weeks to parents or children, three weeks for aunts, uncles and grandparents and one or two weeks for distant relatives. As the time went, mourning was eased with some white, grey or nude acessories and eventually breaking the mourning.

I know this might not be a sensible theme to talk about and I apologize. But after all, it was part of history and being in mourning wasn't an excuse for people to be less presentable in a society where opinions matter. So here I share a recreation of what a mourning outfit would have looked like: 

During the day: a hat while outside, and gloves. As the dress is plain, one could add more details to the hat, to cheer it up a bit. Mourning in the '20s didn't mean boring clothes. Women would attend funerals in very chick, yet discrete clothing. As they were held in a church, covering the shoulders was mandatory. Then for the evening, first class women changed to a more elaborate dress, often with beading, lace, ribbons and other decorations. Again, being in mouring wasn't an excuse to not give one's best and they pulled out their best jewels, still in black.