Graduation ceremony dress

meritaten

Why not wear a black skirt and a black blouse? I agree the black/white combo does look a bit waitressy but tbh - no one really looks at the clothes underneath the robes. and a black cardi will keep you warm! oh and you can easily dress all black up with a bit of a blingy belt and some jewellery if going out straight after the ceremony.

Mrs.W_2

meritaten wrote: »

Why not wear a black skirt and a black blouse? I agree the black/white combo does look a bit waitressy but tbh - no one really looks at the clothes underneath the robes. and a black cardi will keep you warm! oh and you can easily dress all black up with a bit of a blingy belt and some jewellery if going out straight after the ceremony.

I second the all black ensemble suggestion - it's flattering, and will emphasis the robes. You could stamp your own personality on the outfit as per Noctu's suggestion; fabulous shoes!

adelight

I just graduated and people who wore something smart and simple looked really classy but those who look like they'd just fell out of a club and threw a gown on top looked terrible imo.
Don't wear anything that sticks out or is too fussy on the front as it makes the gown sit funny. It is easier to keep it all in place if you have buttons but if you have thick material you can pin it to the front of a dress. I actually pinned my hood bit to the gown and then pinned the gown to my bra straps to keep it all in place as my dress was quite silky and I didn't want to wreck it. The Topshop "tuck shift" dresses were very popular and they come in lovely colours that are muted enough to go with grey and look smart. Short or no sleeve shift dresses looked really nice, not too short, long or tight - just perfect.
Is your gown worn closed like in that photo?

Don't wear stupid shoes you can't walk in, it just looks ridiculous. So many girls were shuffling or clunking along the stage and some even had to pause to adjust their shoes. Not good if people are filming it!

Toto

Thanks everyone, you're all so helpful. I think I'm going to go into town tomorrow and look for a skirt/blouse combo I like. Failing that a dress with buttons. I've just qualified as a midwife so it isn't as if I'll use a skirt and blouse for work, but I'll see what I can find. Perhaps I can keep the labels in and return it the next day??? (just kidding-ish ).

miss_independent

I knew I just wasn't a shirt kind of girl, I hate button up blouses and shirts (remind me of my school uniform!) and wanted to feel like me on my graduation day. I actually wore gorgeous cream knee length dress with red roses on (my gown colours were black and red) and red shoes, I fastened the hood part with a pretty but discreet brooch. I'm not saying this to be full of myself and wouldn't have mentioned it had others not said the girls who didn't wear shirts didn't look classy but I did get a lot of compliments and when I look back at the pictures, I am still pleased with the choice I made. I also felt comfortable on the day and like myself and not a secretary or like staff at a catering event which is what I wanted to avoid! Also I've worn the dress loads since, it's one of my favourites! I wasn't bothered what people thought of how I looked and I can honestly say I didn't feel people were looking at me and thinking I looked odd but then I'm not the type to judge others based on their appearance either.

I'd say go with what you feel comfortable in.

OrkneyStar

Just be glad your robes are not like my PhD one was, well actually the robes were lovely and black, but the hood part was cerise pink! Some of them got really faded ones from hire but luckily mine looked fresh and new (faded cerise = worse than new shiny cerise!). For both my graduations (one at age 21, one at age 26) I went for a sort of A-line skirt, and white blouse combo. If you really don't like blouses then perhaps a sort of wrap top or something? If you do go down the dress route, something very plain, and as some one says a cardi if you feel you need it, but the robes do get warm. I really don't think it is nice to 'dress up' your gown with adornments or make it a fashion parade, anyone who tried to do that tended to look like one of those 'oh look at me, aren't I pretty?' types!. Graduation shouldn't be a fashion show. Oh yes, well done and best of luck with it all .

ailuro2

wear the black dress you already have but add a really bright cummerbund type belt to match the fabulous shoes ( and any colour you have on your robe?)

then as suggested, use the extra day's hire to have pictures taken with something you like better underneath - it doesn't need to be practical ( it can be skimpy undies under the gown if you've an OH that would appreciate them, haha)

and you then have more time to get the pics you want.

So - practical on the day, play about for the pics the next day - or previous day if you might be having a drink or three after graduation.

Finally - congratulations on qualifying :-)

Hermia

Callie22 wrote: »

You can use pins but the problem is that the hoods are really heavy, so if you're wearing a lighter dress then the hood can pull it up. It's so much easier if you wear a skirt and a tucked in blouse as it seems to anchor it all in place

At my graduation the robes were so heavy they ended up having to pin them to the front of our bras to make them stay in place! I second the suggestions about wearing shoes you can walk in. When I was watching the video of the ceremony the women who couldn't walk in their shoes did look rather silly lurching across the stage.

alwaysonthego_2

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Psychaley

I recently graduated and honestly I wished I hadn't have bothered worrying about what to wear under the robes. The robes were so big and heavy that you couldn't really see what I was wearing under them even in the photographs, we we're sat down for hours and you're on stage getting your 'certificate' for about 60 seconds. I'm so glad I didn't buy a new dress for it! Save the nice dress for the graduation party!

I second the advice about the shoes though, one girl wore her nicest, highest shoes...and went flying across the stage. Cue awkward silence.... I felt so sorry for her, not only because she fell flat on her face in front of so many people but there was a photographer taking pictures as we walked across the stage and he could only take 1 photo per person, her photo was of her flat on her face and to make things worse we couldn't view these photos before we paid for them!