Regency mourning dress was one of the most elaborate systems of social control ever encoded into clothing. It was not designed to help a woman grieve. It was designed to manage her, 1890's half mourning dress Halfmourning in the Victorian era allowed muted shades lilac, grey, purple, and green to temper the severity of black., This broderie anglaise blouse, edged with black, belonged to Charlotte Mourning Dress Etsy