Graduation outfit

[Frazzledstudentmom]

So finally, after 4 long years we are finally graduating this July!
So I'm looking to the wonderful hive mind of mumsnet to advise on the perfect graduation outfit.
Incase it's relevant (so I wouldn't clash 😂), my hair is currently a bright pinkish purple 💜 (my hairdresser mispronounced it when she showed me, its called 'deviant' for those I'm the know).
Any ideas/links would be much appreciated. For a slim, 5ft6 thirty-something. TIA 😊

The traditional formal version is a white shirt/blouse - reasonably sturdy/close fitting as you need to anchor the gown - and a black skirt or trousers. Both of which are useful items to have in your wardrobe for the longer term.

If you don't want to do that, then frankly anything goes.

I have been to 5 graduations and pretty much anything goes! As long as it’s clean and smart ish! I’m a bit funny about things like this so I checked the colour of the hood so that my outfit wouldn’t clash but to be honest you can’t see very much of it under the gown. So my tips would be:
Get some lovely shoes as they’ll be most on show as not hidden by the gown, but get ones you are confident walking in, going up steps etc.
Choose a top/dress with buttons or a detail that allows you to sew on a little button. You need something to anchor the hood to. They can provide a clothes pin but the weight of the hood can pull up and change the shape of the top. Choose something not too floaty as it will just get pulled up.

The hoods are designed to hook onto a shirt button underneath a tie (because like bloody everything it's all been designed with men in mind)... if you wear a top without anything to hold them onto they tend to slide back constantly and drive you mad - either plan outfits accordingly, or take safety pins and pin the hood loop onto your bra or similar.

At mine last year everything went - from smart blouses and trousers to skirts that would give MN a fit of pearl clutching trauma and some heels that the wearers were struggling to wear.

Also consider where the gowns are being given out relative to the venue - ours was a fair trek away or trying to get a cab and there was no way I was doing that walk in heels!

I graduated a few weeks ago and was amazed by the array of fashions that people wore. I wore a plain black dress with boots (and a vest because it was fecking freezing) but there were plenty there in evening attire, body con dresses, summer wedding frocks and even one woman who have in a bright red sequinned poofy ball gown 😳

As a pp has said you are mostly covered up by the gown during the ceremony anyway. My hood was velcroed to the gown so no need for a button to attach it to.
I ummhed and ahhed about getting a new outfit but the dress I had was perfect so I bought a new lipstick and perfume instead.

Are you the graduate or the graduate's mum?

As an academic I sit on the stage and have seen hundreds of badly and better dressed graduands. Be the latter not the former by:
not wearing towering stilletoes in which you can’t walk properly
not wearing a short skirt
not wearing hair everywhere
not wearing clubbing gear

When I graduated it was sub fusc ( as described above) or a white dress, plus white gloves …

The gown, hood and cap are designed for men wearing suits and ties, so women need safety pins to keep the hood in place, and if you have hair past your shoulders I’d tie it back so it all looks sleek under the mortar board cap.

FYI In 1989 I wore my black pleated waitressing skirt, black heels and a high-necked Laura Ashley cotton and lace blouse.
And yes, the hood slipped off my shoulders constantly!

Who is 'we'?

I can't work out if you are the graduating student or the Mum of the graduating student. Either way, there should be a YouTube video from your university which will feature the students and parents/carers so you can see the vast array of clothing choices.

If you are the student, the hood has a loop which is sometimes very visible on the videos where they have either come unhooked from shirt fronts or never attached to anything. The main thing to do is to work out where to position it in front of a mirror and then keep adjusting it back into that position on your shoulders.

I agree with looking at what colours the hoods are so you don't clash with it.

Thank you everyone. I am the student. Just as one of the oldest on the course I've adopted a sort of 'mother hen' role.
Certainly stilettos are out, can't walk in them at the best of times! The idea of spending a whole day in them fills me with dread 😂
I'd assumed, being the colour of the science and engineering school, the hood would be yellow, but the gown hire link sent by the University shows blue and red.

From what I've seen at graduations lately at Durham and LSHTM, I'd say anything goes as long as you can move with grace and confidence. It sounds like you have your own individual style, with your hair colour, so tbh i wouldn't fight that!
I've also been to a Cambridge graduation though, which has a dress code, so if it's there - stick to that!

Congratulations! In my opinion as another academic graduation outfits are actually all about the shoes. Sandals do look out of place with the gown, maybe see what colour gown and compliment that colour? I would go for some colourful/ bright 👠 heels, not necessarily stiletto I agree but maybe block heel or a flat, pointy toe to go with the angular outfit. I have a mid v neck shift type knee length dress I like with an academic gown. There is a risk of petite or delicate outfits being swamped the gown is formal so more structural/ suits it in my opinion with modern touches. Maybe a bright clutch bag? Consider hair styles for mortar board wearing, bring hair pins and little safety pins to fix things on. Enjoy it and well done!

Dc Martins would be pretty cool too. Basically get the shoes right and you are sorted

Thank you. I think a girly shopping trip with my 16 year old will be in order a little closer to the time. I just like to be as prepared as possible!
I'm ordering the robes on Monday. The hood is red and blue, so I'll be looking for either those colours or maybe a similar colour to my hair as it's in the middle of the two 😂

Honestly though, just be yourself.

As another word of warning which may be a source of horror... mine live streamed the whole bloody thing over the internet and onto the huge screen on campus, and also then send you the flipping video link of your walk across the stage - so make sure you can walk in your shoes! Mine was more of an irate stomp across the stage as they'd fucked up and dragged out an academic appeal so long I was forced to graduate with my final degree class still undecided, having missed a first by one mark and being sat next to someone on an identical mark who'd had her class bumped up to a first and kept going on and on about it. In the end they re-marked one element of my work and it put me solidly in the first banding but it did fuck over the day quite a lot and I was seriously irked for lots of it and rather stompy!

That sounds awful! I'm sorry that happened to you.
Looking at grades so far, it looks like a Hugh 2:1 for me. I don't think I could raise the % high enough to get a first now. It's a bit frustrating because the first 2 1/2 years I didn't get anything below 70%.
I did see there was going to be a link to be able to watch it live. Part of me thinks it's great that my parents will be able to watch (not enough tickets for them too/need childcare) but another part is absolutely bricking it. I'm not great at being centre of attention!

Congratulations on your graduation @Frazzledstudentmom.
My eldest is graduating after 5 long years. She's looked back at pictures of her friends graduating last year and they all seem to be wearing midi dresses. With pretty shoes, mainly sandals. So we're looking for a White midi length Broderie Anglais dress. In the hope it will be a classic enough item to wear again. Or a back one possibly? The hood has a dark red on it, so it's difficult to match up the exact red. The difficulty is in finding a casual enough dress that she can wear on holidays & that's formal enough for a graduation.
@CoffeeWithCheese I'm glad you got your first in the end.