Graduation shoes - help!

[gradshoes]

Help! I'm graduating at the start of February and need some shoe help. Apparently heels are now mega dated? Totally stuck on alternatives. I'm graduating alongside a load of lovely twenty-somethings who are all very stylish, and don't want to look too out of place among them! Planning to wear this dress in red, but I can't really imagine it with anything but heels.

Wear what you feel comfortable wearing, dd was certainly in heels 2 years ago!

Heels were very much worn at the last couple of graduations I’ve been to (one and two years ago). A few women wore their DM’s, regular flat shoes didn’t look quite as nice with the graduation gowns as heels did.

I have that dress and usually wear it with heeled ankle boots that have a reasonably pointed toe. I think it would look awful with flats.

I’ve had my Yavhi a few years now and like all my Beulah dresses get a lot of wear out of it, it’s timeless.

I would go for ankle boots or slingbacks (either pointy toed or chunkier) but either way definitely with a heel! Me + Em have some good ones in the sale.

I don’t get this “heels are dated” thing. Yes court shoes are dated but there are plenty of alternatives and heels don’t have to be sky high. A lot of clothes just do not work with flats.

I still see heels. There was about a year when they were really weird looking, but they have been creeping back in (where I live - just outside London) for the past 18 months or so. I would say whatever you're comfortable in though. There might be a lot of waiting around.

@gradshoes to be honest you are better wearing a white blouse and black skirt because the hood has a button hoop which is supposed to be buttoned to the lowest button on the blouse/ this stops the hood throttling you. also, if you know someone who goes fishing, a large lead weight stitched into the front bottom corners of the cloak helps prevent it falling back off your shoulders. congratulations btw!

Having sat on the platform as a member is staff at more graduations than I care to remember, I can say that high heels are worn a lot. But please make sure that you can walk in them. Our graduations involve climbing a few steps then walking across a highly polished stage. Nothing looks worse than that newborn baby giraffe look of someone in heels that they can’t walk in. Having said heels are commonly worn, so are DMs and everything in between. You want to stride confidently across that stage, whatever you wear.

Nowadays the hood usually has Velcro on the shoulders which attaches to the gown, so no need to fiddle with buttons and safety pins. I personally think a black dress looks best with academic gowns, but that’s just me.

You will be on your feet all day. The number of people I've seen hobbling after after a few hours

@Chemenger Thanks, I was wondering why all the advice about buttons had disappeared from all the uni/gown hire info! That makes things a lot easier with the hood if they're now velcro (and explains why everyone suddenly seems to be wearing dresses...)

I’m assuming everyone gets their gown and hood from Eade and Ravenscroft, like we do. They’ve had Velcro for two or three years now. I suspect they spent the lockdown period sewing it on!

Thanks for all the replies so far! I should add, it's not my first graduation (last one was over 10 years ago though and outfits seem to have changed a lot!), so I do know what I'm letting myself in for with wearing heels all day and making sure I can walk in them😂. Very reassuring to hear that wearing heels isn't likely to look too out of place!

Most people wore dresses at mine (second one). I was forced to wear a white shirt and black skirt at my first one, I looked terrible. Even my lovely Mum said I looked like a 'pizza waitress'.

As for shoes, definitely something that you can walk in and stand for long periods. I regretted wearing heels, something about having to walk up steps in front of lots of people instantly made me feel like I was about to fall flat on my face, even though I'm not usually at all clumsy.

Having sat through a few graduations in the last years I would say please be comfortable and wear something you can walk in!!

It def spoils the moment to be hobbling across the stage and being uncomfortable/worrying about walking/clomping etc.
And so many girls after carrying shoes barefoot and regretful!

No one will probably notice what you have on your feet at all to be honest so be comfortable and happy-own the walk up the stairs and the stage-congratulations!!!

I attended a graduation this month! Huge range of different shoes were worn - heels were definitely very popular so you certainly wouldn't look out of place. I would recommend something you feel comfortable & confident standing / walking in for the day though - lots of graduates wore thicker / block style heels which seem to be more comfortable than stiletto heels. Hope that helps!

DD graduated 18 months ago. Just about all the girls wore heels just for the ceremony (and then slipped on some flats immediately afterwards)

I don't get this heels are dated attitude either, a good pair of heels can finish an outfit and not every outfit can be worn with chunky boots or flats.

Heels are not dated. I would wear flats because I don't wear heels anymore.

Saying "it will look awful with flats" is as ridiculous as saying "heels are dated"

What I would not wear it with are the very ugly, imho, platform soles they've styled it with. I don't think it's a dress for ankle boots either.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle The point is that there is a huge range of “heels”, ranging from a very comfortable block heel, kitten heel, a platform and so on and so on. Nobody needs to ever wear a stiletto any more thank goodness as there is so much choice.

I’d be interested to see an example of a flat that would look
good with that dress.

Um, why are you lecturing me about stillettos and different heel heights?

Any neat, flat shoe, not loafers will look fine.

Ankle boots would look great with that. A chunky block heel boot if you like. Heels do look dated to me now, certainly during the day.

I think that dress would look awful with chunky block heeled ankle boots, what a way to ruin a nice dress. It is completely the wrong dress for ankle boots.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle I wasn’t aware I was lecturing anyone about heel heights ; it just seems self evident that a statement such as “heels are dated” doesn’t make a lot of sense when heels these days come in so many different shapes, sizes and looks - many of which can be more comfortable than a flat!

Disagree about the ankle boots, as long as they are slim fitting with a pointed toe I think it could look great. Definitely needs some sort of heel though imo as flats could look frumpy.

@Teddleshon I didn't say heels are dated" so not sure what the point was of telling me that heels come in different shapes.

I said that sweeping generalisations that "flats are awful" is as ridiculous as "heels are dated". Flats come in all sorts of different styles too- hadn't you noticed?

I agree with @SideshowAuntSally that ankle boots are not right for that dress, whatever their style.