Victorian Mourning Costume

Mourning clothes were very fashionable during the Victorian Era. This trend was believed to be started by Queen Victoria. After the death of Prince Albert in 1861, The Queen went into mourning until her death in 1901. Traditionally when mourning a close family member the morning period can last for 2 years, in some cases till the mourners’ own death. Often families would tie a piece of black crape on their doors’ to signify to visitors that there had been a death in the family. The typical mourning period consisted of to phases; full mourning and half mourning. Full mourning lasted one year and one day. Women’s full mourning clothes were predominately made out of a material called Crape; a black silk-like material with no shine. Women’s dresses had no adornments and usually covered their hair with a bonnet. The half mourning period usually lasted about 9 months. During this time we start to see women’s clothes with more adornments such as; buttons, lace, fringe and ribbons. Also women would start to wear more elaborate fabrics like silk and velvet. Jewelry was also was popular during the half mourning phase. Often mourners’ would make jewelry using a lock of the deceased’s hair. After the half morning period, Mourners’ would have many more clothing options. Even with black no longer being enforced, after the mourning period, women would still wear subdued colors like; grey, purple, lilac and steel blue. Again many women mourners continue to mourn until their own deaths. In my opinion Victorian mourning fashion has influenced today’s gothic fashion. The Victorian era has been such an inspiration to me and my design aesthetic. This era is one of my personal favorites because I love the all different styles of cosets and bodices they incorporated into their wardrobes. Personally I look forward to revamping the Victorian corset.