Good exercise, QM! After the pre-funeral 'I have nothing to wear' panic that happened when my grandfather died, I have made sure to keep a funeral-appropriate outfit in my closet. I have several sleek black tops that can be paired with a gray pencil skirt that is hemmed to an inch or so below my knee. It's modest and formal-looking, and could be worn at any time of year except the blazing heat of summer (which rarely happens in Vancouver, anyway). I'd wear it with my black 2.75" heels and sheer black hose, and I'd be good to go.

Agreed, an important exercise. I am strongly on Team Suit for funerals as opposed to Team Dress. And I am with Kirsty on wearing navy vs. black. So it would be my pinstripe navy suit. I know this errs on the side of being to businessy, but IMHO that's why the navy pinstripe suit is the formal uniform in the business world - because it is so versatile.

I was raised in a tradition where people do not wear black to funerals. I do think it is a good idea to keep a conservative outfit available to wear in case of a funeral for a business associate of you or your spouse. Also it is important to consider religious faith, or lack of, for the person whose life you are memorializing.

I have seen some flashy outfits worn to funerals here in California. I would never criticize any outfit worn by a family member or close friend--you never know what the outfit really means to the person close to the deceased. The only criteria I suggest is: nothing showing cleavage, nothing too short or too tight. After all, it's not about you--it's about the life of the person who died.