Can I wear a coat to a funeral which isn't black?!

[horsesanddrywhitewine]

We're going to a very formal and large funeral tomorrow of a family friend.

My black coat doesn't fit since having a baby 8 months ago. I said I'd wear my camel coloured one, my husband says that isn't an appropriate colour for a funeral.

I don't want to be cold, it's forecast cold tomorrow, can I wear it if I take it off once I get into church?

I'd wear it. It's an inoffensive colour.

I think all black is becoming less and less popular these days.

Ofcourse it is. People really don't worry about wearing black the way they used to. Honestly at my Dad's funeral I wouldn't have cared if people turned up in pj's the main thing is they came.

A camel coloured coat will be smart & totally appropriate

I would wear a dark coat personally but it doesn’t need to be black. Navy or grey etc but camel could look quite striking against a sea of black. Fine if it’s a small piece but a coat is the first thing you see.

I have a classic funeral outfit. Black dress, camel coat. Fortunately it's not been used in a while.

Camel is absolutely fine!

I wore a camel coloured coat to my uncle's funeral in the summer. No one cares - my aunt wore faded and ripped black jeans, the rest of the family were in suits. I think the expected level of smartness is a bit over rated

I wore a camel coloured coat to a funeral a few years ago. Didn't feel out of place at all. There's not so much emphasis on wearing black at all these days.

I wore my plum-coloured goth coat to my cousin's funeral. I don't think anyone cared, tbh.

Of course. I think only royals insist on deep black nowadays!

I think Camel isn’t right for a very formal funeral. Very formal means a dark and neutral colour, black, charcoal or grey. Navy at a push. You can wear cream or white shirts or blouses but otherwise it needs to be dark.Lots of funerals are more informal now of course and it would be fine for a less formal situation.
Can you borrow a coat from anyone ?

A camel coat will be fine, far better to be warm than shivering, as there is often a lot of standing around waiting. Wearing all black at funerals isn’t as prevalent as it once was. As long as you are smart, you will be perfectly appropriately dressed.

Sort of in the same predicament(ish) only it's my OH who hasn't got a black suit, we're going to a family friends Funeral on Friday, and he's only got a dark grey tweedy looking suit, it looks very smart, but I'm worried that it'll make him look more like he's going to a wedding than a funeral. We just haven't got the time to go out and buy a new suit, or order one online incase it doesn't fit. I think a camel jacket sounds fine, tell your husband it's a funeral, not a fashion show, and Camel is a nice neutral colour xx

It's a very formal funeral - there will be in excess of 500 people there. I've been mulling it all evening and I think perhaps camel is just too much of a contrast.

@Tothemoonandbackx can you find a local hire suit place tomorrow? That might be a solution if he's really worried. I wouldn't be so concerned about my own choice if it were a small family funeral though

If you can fit in the black coat but not do it up, I'd wear that with a black / dark pashmina type scarf to cover the fact it doesn't fit abs take it off ASAP.
If not, then I'd wear the camel but buy the above mentioned pashmina to reduce the impact.
Either way, I'm sure the deceased would be passed off at you going out to buy a new coat simply because he or she had died.

If it was dark grey or navy, I think it would be fine. But I do think camel will stand out in a sea of black.
And standing out at a funeral is not generally a good thing.

My gran noticed when DH wore a navy coat to my grandad's funeral and commented on it. Some people do notice and take offence at these things.

Of course you can. Wear whatever colour you like, as long as you are there.

If your DH doesn’t agree your camel colour coat then he can buy a black coat for you.

@AdoraBell I wasn't concerned that my DH doesn't agree - he hasn't raised the concern because he is in some way wanting to control me. He doesn't want me to stand out, at a funeral, which would be awful for everyone involved - some replies on this thread have rather confirmed that.

If it were a matter of buying a black coat in the correct size that wouldn't be an issue, but the funeral is at noon tomorrow and so, in this case, my own tardiness is to blame.

Wear your camel coat, be warm and comfortable. There'll be other people not wearing black I'm sure. The important thing is you're going. Hope it goes well

Wear black gloves, bag and scarf with it.

Wear the black coat open with a black scarf so you don’t get too cold maybe?
I don’t think camel is that appropriate if it’s a formal funeral.

It's a coat and not everyone will own a black coat. At my dh's funeral some of his friends had come from work so were in hi-vis tops and tracksuit bottoms. It was more important to me that they had turned up to say goodbye.

Like others I’d say wear the coat open with appropriate scarf/pashmina etc for the cold.

Wear the camel coat. If anyone judges you that is there problem. Hardly anyone wears black to a funeral here (not the UK) - I can't believe how conservative you seem to be over there.