I was recently asked to speak at one of my best friends book launch on what to wear during a time of grief. Since the book was about her life and the loss of a loved one she wondered what I would advise and asked me to share my thoughts with her and her guests.
Streams Of Life…by Lyndal Nonyane www.mystreamsoflife.com.au
It’s an interesting topic, and I think understandably most people would toss aside any real focus on what to wear each day during such a time. While we all deal with grief and loss differently being kind, gentle and patient on oneself would be my first piece of advice. And indeed during her time of grief my friend was lucky to just get up, go to work and come home again, let alone think about what to wear.
If you do need to shop for new items during this significant time you may want to go a favorite store and buy everything at once – this would ease any potential stress. Or choose 2-3 shops and just focus on those – it’s good to note also that Monday and Tuesday mornings are the quietest days to shop. Online shopping is another option if you’re really not up to going out into the world just yet. And if you’re happy with your current wardrobe consider some of the points below.
Perhaps stick with comfort style clothes with soft natural fibers that feel lovely on your particular skin. Start with about 10-12 items that go very well together and where little or no thought is required when it comes to mixing and matching. Hang as a cluster together in your wardrobe so you can see and access them quickly and easily.
These particular pieces will offer great ease of movement and comfort while simple to mix and match…
Ponti pants
Tee Shirt
Button Down shirt
Tunics
Track Suit
Waterfall Cardigan
Cable Knit Jumper
Draped Jacket
Pashmina
Scarf
Flat Shoes
If you feel like being quite receding in your time of loss and grief go for solid neutrals throughout all of your basic and key pieces. Navy, brown, olive, grey, taupe and off white are great choices. You may gravitate towards black as it seems natural to do so, however as colour is very powerful it can be quite heavy and lacks life on most people. Navy is the next best thing so perhaps try navy and see if it makes a little bit of positive difference to how you feel each day.
You can add small amounts of colour in the accessory items. Don’t be afraid to add the favorite colour of the person you are grieving. This is a great way to keep their memory alive and to celebrate their life in a small way each day.
