New Clothing During the Thirty Days for Strengthening Modesty

A woman within the thirty days of mourning for her father wishes to strengthen her modesty by purchasing more modest new clothing. Is she permitted to renew her modest clothing during the thirty days of mourning?

According to the Sephardic custom, there is no prohibition on new clothing during the thirty days except for white clothing. For Ashkenazim, it is forbidden to renew even colored clothing. According to the basic law, one who needs to buy new clothing within the thirty days should give it to another to wear for three days before wearing it themselves. (Or a few hours if worn continuously.) However, if by doing so the woman would need to wear less modest clothing for three days, she may purchase colored clothing and renew it within the thirty days, even for Ashkenazim. She should do so in memory of her father.

Shulchan Aruch, Siman 389, Seif 5: "Throughout the thirty days, it is forbidden to wear (or spread under oneself) ironed clothing if it is white and new, even if it is linen. Regarding one's father and mother, it is forbidden until the festival after thirty days when friends will rebuke him."

In Seif 3, the Rema writes: "It is forbidden to wear Shabbat clothes during the first four weeks, but afterward, it is permitted, even for one's father and mother, and also to make new clothes (Kol Bo in the name of the Maharam), but the custom is to prohibit throughout the twelve months."

Therefore, even for Ashkenazim, since the rule of renewing colored clothing is not a basic law but a custom, if it is necessary to renew, one should give it to another to wear for three days, as explained in Aruch HaShulchan, Siman 389, Seif 11. (And the custom is to be lenient for a few hours if the clothing is worn continuously.) If she can give it to another woman to wear for three days before she wears it and still be modest during those three days, she should do so. However, if during those three days she would wear less modest clothing, it is better to violate the custom of the Rema not to renew clothing than to violate the Torah prohibition of "do not place a stumbling block before the blind." (And since the rule of mourning for twelve months is due to honoring one's father and mother, on the contrary, her father wants her to act this way and do so in his memory.)