I guess to some extent this thread is about dressing with the audience in mind. Yesterday I had a new situation to navigate wardrobe-wise and although I always said my wardrobe at the moment can easily see me through any situation my life can throw at me, I still found it quite a task to find the right balance of things from several possibilities I could potentially wear to the funeral.

I knew I wanted to dress formally and I also had a gut feeling I should not overdo it. I had no idea what to expect nor how many people would show up nor what funerals here look like in general.

Although I normally wear all black outfits, on this occasion all black or even black dress was out of question, as I feared it would make me look too much like a mourner from the family. It would be pushing it too far given my relationship with the deceased - she was my neighbour(*). So, white button up shirt was the obvious choice, which I paired with another no-brainer: black skirt. I also needed a topper, but I did not want a blazer - again, I suspected it would look too formal. I figured that if I realised on the spot I needed to look more dressed up, I could always take the toper off and wear the white shirt only for more formal feel. I opted for navy long cardigan in the end. It was there to keep me warmer if necessary and gave me a feeling of more finished look but in softer form.

It's not no-hose weather here (and, you may remember that I wear nude hose unapologetically, trend or no trend). But, somehow I did not feel too comfortable in the nude hose, black sheer ones are out of question for daytime wear for me and opaque ones were too heavy. These semi-sheer dark grey ones were a happy medium.

Finally, I did not want to wear heeled shoes, but wore black flat Mary Janes which to me were dressy enough. Plus, they would be comfortable for any walking on any surface, if it came to that.

I also had pearl earrings.

In the end, this was the right measure of everything. I was pleased that I was dressed appropriately, I was not standing out more than I should have given that nobody but Frau W's husband knew who I was and naturally I did notice some confused looks in my direction. I also noticed some family members were dressed even casually. But, most importantly for me - I felt I looked respectful of the occasion.