Help dress me for my gaduation ceremony please

[leothelioness]

I am having my graduation ceremony at the end of March and need to figure out what to wear under my gown. Apparently the the hood on the robe I will be wearing has a velcro fastening (not sure if that means if it still needs a button to attach to or not but I am guessing not). I have not worn formal wear for a very long time.
I am a size 10, petite and have dark hair. I need a complete outfit inculding shoes.
What should I wear to my graduation, Please advise me!

Oh and the graduation robe is navy with light blue and gold

Can you find any pictures from previous years?

I'm a Durham graduate and a lot of girls wear lovely sun dresses with sandals. Anything with a bit of colour and a flare to the skirt (bit 1950s). You see a tiny flash under the robes and afterwards it looks like a garden party. But your university may have a tradition of being more formal.

No.1 tip is comfy shoes. You'll be standing around for hours.

Thanks waitingfor me its with the Open university I'll see if I can find some pics. All I could find was a paragraph saying that most students choose to dress smartly (which is rather vague).
I don't wear dresses so it will be trousers with a shirt/blouse of some description.
Yes comfortable shoes are a must, painful shoes (however fab) around would not be a good look

From someone who works in a University and attends graduation ceremonies twice a year, my advice is to dress as if you are going to a wedding! Seriously, graduation is usually a very glam affair, and people go to lots of bother to look well - despite the fact they are wearing a gown over the top of it. Also, going on the female graduates here, the more impractical the shoes, the better. Our Vice-Chancellor has had to practically catch a number of girls as they walk across the stage due to them not being able to balance on their heels!
Enjoy your day.

Thanks dolly ok so smartglam hmmm I need to think about this more, its taken me so long to get here that it still seems sureal.
Heels for sure but as i'm sure I don't want to end up on my arse during the ceremony i'll stick to ones I can walk in .

wow... glam... my graduation day was not glam! I wore jeans! (my best ones mind).
we were a scummy lot though...

Jeans, nooo don't say jeans!
I want to get dressed up, it has taken me years finally graduate and I am using it as a perfect excuse for a spot of retail therapy.

Oh you've taken me back to my OU graduation, I wore the same gown as you! I wore a black dress with bright pink and purple flowers, from DP, and a black cardi. For the OU gowns id definitely recommending having some sort of collar thing to pin it on, I don't remember Velcro (but it was a couple of years ago). Good luck and congratulations!

And as someone who works in a university and always volunteers to work the graduation ceremonies, take a small box of safety pins. You can anchor the gown at the front, but the trick for comfort is to pin the shoulders as well.

Be wary of wearing too high heels, the parade of bambis across the stage every year always makes me wince.

Where is your ceremony?

I must be lazy slug as I rely on the volunteers to pin me tidily

Graduating is really important and well worth making a fuss over. As you like trousers I'd say now is the time to buy the kind of blouse that makes you think wow but when would I ever wear it?

I wore an amazing dress from Vivien of Hollaway for my wedding. It was white satin so I'll almost certainly never wear it again but I've been lusting after the same dress in a crazy print. I caught myself thinking I'd never have anything to wear it to but I'm getting my PhD this summer and plan to buy it for that.

Why don't you wear skirts Leo? You say you are petite, why hide your legs?

Thanks everyone, my ceremony is at the Barbican Centre in London. I will have a hunt around for the WOW blouse, and some super fitting trousers too. As for the heels they will definitly not be too high as I said before falling on my arse is not on my agenda that day . Thanks for the safety pin tip slug.

Dolly I'm just more comfortable in trousers, I do occasionally wear skirts but only the maxi kind (I guess I really don't like getting my legs out after all).