On behalf of DD - Graduation Dress

[TeddynMousey]

DD is in her last year of uni and has decided she's going to buy her graduation dress now so she has an extra push to stay motivated.
No one in our family has gone to uni before so not sure whether this would be seen as ok.

She wants to get this one - thoughts?

https://www.thereformation.com/products/nadira-dress/1310624POI.html?lang=enGB&gaddsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E-TVChOxwei-x04-7kuTJaGkT8c4hs22Ee5Yct-dj60kULYIuBqfhoC-AEQAvDDBwE

Possibly things have since I graduated or my son graduated many years later from the same university but that doesn't look like a graduation ceremony dress.

Maybe it is acceptable now but she should check the photos of last years. Or ask a tutor.

I used to work at a Uni and had to wear academic dress every year to steward at graduation ceremonies. Agree with other posters that wearing a button down shirt will make the gown sit a lot better. The hoods are surprisingly heavy and are designed to hook onto buttons. Without a button it will ride up on her neck and a) look terrible and b) may be a trip hazard depending on the style of gown/hood.

I agree with PP, it’s lovely for a graduation ball but too fancy for a graduation ceremony. That said, we had to wear black skirts and white blouses for ours but I do think there’s too much flesh on display and she might need something to fix the hood onto, ours had a hook to loop round a blouse button.

tell her to google [name of her uni] graduation to get a sense of what most people wear.

Typically the sort of smart suit you'd wear to interviews for a graduate job with a hired gown and hood. There may well be a graduation ball or party to wear such a dress to as well though.

It is a lovely dress. It really depends what time of year she is graduating, which Uni she is at and the impression she is wishing to convey. As others have suggested maybe encourage her to look on her Uni’s dress code for guidance and or look at last years photos.

At some Uni’s the dress code is more informal, low cut, night club wear is standard whereas at other Uni’s the dress code is much more traditional and more formal. Whereas, at other Uni’s the dress code it’s somewhere in between .

It’s a gorgeous dress and I think it would have been fine at my graduation

Great dress, but I’d save it for the party afterwards and wear a suit to the graduation itself.

I just wore some dark coloured clothing I already owned under the gown - nobody in my family had been either. Maybe times have changed as I don't remember anyone in a dressy dress. Also, if you hold a piece of paper under the model's bustline, the part of the dress that's above that line has no more coverage than a bra. I don't think that I would wear that dress to graduate, personally. If she wants to go out to dinner/party/whatever afterwards, then sure, buy the dress as a carrot.

Gorgeous dress. I assume it’s for the party afterwards? You wouldn’t have been allowed to wear that to the actual graduation at my uni (but obvs there are different rules, and I assume she checked).

It's gorgeous, but (as others have said) practically she needs to think about what the gown sit on, and how the hood will attach.

She doesn't want to either be being strangled by her own hood, or have the weight of the hood dragging the dress upwards because there hasn't been anywhere to to get things attached.

When DD graduated nearly 12 years ago the dress code was dark business wear.DD wore a short sleeved black dress which sat just below her knees.No jacket.She chose red suede peep toe shoes with a moderate heel.

At my daughter's graduation, it was a very hot day so short or no sleeves was essential.

Also one of the (male) academics wore a dress quite similar to that but in green. The times they are a-changing 😂

@TeddynMousey - do you mean graduation as when you put your gown on and formally graduate in a ceremony or is a party afterwards to celebrate .

No, not suitable at all. Ideally she should dress as though she’s going for a job interview

Beautiful dress. I've worked at over 100 graduation ceremonies at a very high ranking and well respected uni, and I've seen far more revealing and scandalous dresses in the last two decades, this wouldn't make me bat an eyelid. It won't be massively practical with the gown but I wore a borrowed frumpy blouse for my graduation and hate how I looked! I wish I'd ignored the advice about needing a buttoned shirt and just wore something I felt comfortable and attractive in.

There's not really any impression you need to make or image you need to convey, it's a day of celebration, not a job interview. If there is no formal dress code then I'd suggest something you like. If you can't do that when you're celebrating years of hard work and you're (presumably) in your early 20s then when can you.

I wish I could afford a £300 dress for my graduation as well haha. I didn't have two pennies to rub together, hence the borrowed blouse (and it really was a frumpy blouse, not a cool neutral shirt).

It the dress for her graduation ball or the actual graduation?

I've sat through a lot of graduations and the most important thing, as a pp mentioned, is shoes she can walk in! I can't tell you how many trips and near-misses I've seen tottering across the stage.

Like @AprilDecember I wore a shirt - mine was under a suit - but our code was quite formal and this was admittedly 20yrs ago, dresses were weirdly uncommon for 21yr olds back then! There was a lot of asymmetric-hemmed skirts, I think 😂

Tell Her I think it’s beautiful! And to keep going, she’s nearly there now 🥳

Having never graduated myself (thicko 😂) I didn’t realise there were dress codes or that they pinned the gown to you, I just presumed they were capes that you tied round your neck! So this has all been excellent reading as Dc1 has one year left before they graduate - although they’d probably be more aware of dress codes.

A buttoned shirt would give an anchor for the hook on the hood to help keep it in place. But I would sacrifice that for wearing an outfit I like, personally. Yea it's impractical but so are many things for fun events. Most places have someone from the gown supplier sorting people out just before they get on stage so the gown is sitting correctly for the big moment - everyone's gown needs adjusting, even the male students in a full suit and buttoned shirt. Graduation gowns are just intrinsically stupid garments, so trying to make them comfy is futile.

The heat is a good point - if it's summer there is a risk it can be boiling, so I'd consider that.

This is similar style to what my sister wore to her graduation last year and she didn’t have a problem with the gown. It was similar to what a lot of her friends were wearing. Apart from mainly in white.

I however wore more formal wear at my graduation but the gown wasn’t clipped properly/ wouldn’t hold up as the safety pin was broken So I had to keep having to move it back it place. It’s all I can remember from the ceremony, that and trying not to fall over on stage.

That seems very fussy and party like. She will have the graduation gown over it. Seems a bit mad for graduation.

Something like this seems more suitable IMO.

https://www.next.co.uk/style/ls375737/k22599#k22599

i love it-she can wear a tight t underneath/cut right down /up as required for pin purposes.x

That’s a stunning dress and if she can’t wear it to graduate in ,it’s worth getting for another celebration! Good luck and congratulations to her and you as a family x

Depends on the uni. I went to 4 graduations last year, some were very formal, others were very glamorous. Maybe a tad ridiculous seeing the female students trying to inelegantly ascend the steps to the stage in strappy high heeled sandals! and I thought stilletoe heels were "out"?
Plus it was raining buckets outside 😕 I am old though.

It's a lovely dress but would look too tarty for daytime.