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

Times have changed. When I graduated, there was a dress code and it was strictly "white shirt and black skirt". Now I see graduates at the same university wearing dresses that, shall we say, would be more appropriate for a nightclub or a cocktail party. I think they look odd with a cap and gown, but I guess it's up to the individuals. I suppose if buying a dress, it would be good to think about where else it would be worn (job interviews, workplace) and get something suitable for those occasions.
Plus think about what the photos might look like in 30 or 40 years' time!

There is absolutely nothing "tarty" about that dress (retro word. Not heard it for years).

Depends on the university. Cambridge, where DS went was all black and white shirts and suits. Durham where DD went - that dress would be perfect. I was surprised at how much leg and boobage was on show tbh. I'm not a pearl clutcher, but was expecting more sedate outfits!
It's a special day so the graduate need to feel special.
And I disagree that it's tarty. It's just a dress. And what a terrible adjective to use.

It depends on the university dress code and (if she cares) the unofficial dress code of what everyone else wears. For my DC, they either had a strict sub fusc dress code (one poor woman was refused entry as she was wearing white shoes instead of black until an usher offered to swap shoes for the ceremony) or everyone wore day dresses like you would wear to a wedding. That said, I know someone who wore a yellow fake fur banana suit to graduation from art school 😂 Business wear and club wear seem to be the norm at other universities.

Looking up the dress code and previous year’s photos is good advice from PPs. As is wearing sensible shoes and bringing safety pins! It’s also worth looking at the placement of the hood to make sure there is somewhere to pin it on the dress without strangling her, pulling on the dress or damaging the fabric.

Yes, I'd echo being careful about shoes. I saw some precipitous wobbles down the steps and aisle at Durham Cathedral. Heels are fine, but make sure you can walk with confidence!

Would be fine at both the unis I graduated from and the one I work at! Tell her to bring a couple of patches of boob tape to adhere the gown in place and she’ll be fine. (Works so much better than pins and buttons). She needs comfy shoes that don’t clack too much, plenty of hair slides to attach the hat. Hair down or low bun works best. If she wears clip in extensions or sewn in that can be a problem with the hat (speaking from experience)

Thanks everyone, her uni is Kings. Just had a quick look online at previous photos but struggling to tell if there is a theme to the outfits really. I doubt she will wear heels; she's 5'10 and always says she feels like a monster in heels!!

Further tip ive thought of - heels with an ankle strap work better

A friend wore a latex shift dress to graduate from kings. It was perfectly fine, so your daughter will def be fine!

I think she needs to think about:

1. how will she attach the hood? (Mine needed to be attached in the middle at the front to sit properly. Either by a loop over button or safety pin). I think the neckline might be too low for that

2. the interesting shoulder detail will be hidden by the gown, as will much of the corset detail.

3. what colour is the hood? Will it go?

4. does the uni have a dress code? (mine did)

Personally, I think a low cut dress always looks odd under a gown and hood. There is lots of detail around the neck and then a chunk of skin and then dress, which doesn't work imo. But plenty of people obviously disagree!

I graduated from King's with a Masters last summer and I saw girls wearing dresses not dissimilar. Personally I thought that was a bit OTT but that's probably because my undergrad was Oxbridge which is very strict on subfusc with gowns. I also suggest there's a risk it'll look like she's not wearing anything under the gown from the back or side.

The only dress code we got was no jeans, no trainers and there were two lads who were wearing...jeans and trainers. I'll freely admit to feeling a bit old and judgey.

I'd note that the gowns are quite bulky / heavy so the straps might be difficult to keep in place. Also there's steps up to and off the stage assuming she's at the Festival Hall so make sure she's practised a lot in the shoes. There was a girl in my graduation ceremony wearing huge stilettos who nearly went over.

What's her subject? Hood colours here. And some previous images of KCL graduates

She's studying law - hopefully the silver would go ok?

Not the experience of my graduation.

No this looks potentially awkward for walking up the stairs.

It doesn’t look tarty at all, it’s very elegant.

“Tarty” - what decade are you living in?? 😂😂

I think the dress is lovely but the shoulder ties will be a bit odd with the gown on top. Also it is handy to have a bit more fabric to pin the gown to.

it’s not a good choice- it’s going to look silly with a robe over it and you’ll have nothing to pin to the robe to.

i have seen girls at my uni wear cami and strappy things and they look lovely before the gown goes on- then it just goes all flappy, can’t be pinned properly and sometimes you can just see skin.

it’s nothing to do with being ‘tarty’ or ‘revealing’- it’s just an inappropriate choice.

Something with higher neckline with cap sleeves would look a million times better. Something colourful and modern is fine, it doesn’t need to be a shirt and a skirt. You just need more fabric.

This one would look gorgeous with the silver https://www.thereformation.com/products/casette-silk-dress/1311240AKO.html?dwvar_1311240AKO_color=AKO&_gl=1x5nbb8_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E-TV_ChOxwei-x04-7kuTJaGkT8c4hs22Ee5Yct-dj60kULYIuBqfhoC-AEQAvD_BwE

It's a beautiful dress but my ancient university experience (admittedly in the 90s) was a dark day dress or business suit and blouse (Glasgow) and sub fusc (Oxford) for graduation. In that photo of the gowns for Kings all the women are wearing white blouses. I think that a red evening dress (however beautiful) is not appropriate for the occasion and she should think about the kind of formal business dress or suit she'll probably need to wear for work if she becomes a lawyer. It may be a celebration day but it's more like getting a business award than attending a wedding, I think she should have her shoulders and back covered by her dress and not reveal too much cleavage. She's there to celebrate her brains not show off her body.

She's also there to have fun and celebrate her great academic achievement. You can do all that while showcasing brains.
Honestly OP. I have very recent experience of Cambridge, Durham, and post grad at LSHTM (not me - my children) and that dress fits squarely midway between showing lots of flesh and looking like a relic from another era. If your DD loves the dress (and will wear it again) go for it.
Your only mistake is asking a bunch of randoms like us off the internet for views on your DD's style choice. Allow her to have the confidence to chose her own style rather than cross checking it. She'll look grand x

Dress codes have changed a lot in recent times with this but it does seem to still vary according to university as well. I graduated back in the 90s and it was "white blouse and black skirt" territory then but I graduated again a couple of years ago and literally anything went - we had outfits that looked more like they'd left a nightclub, some amazing traditional ethnic dress from various cultures, and I think I wore just an elbow length top and trousers (but I was in a foul mood cos uni had delayed my academic appeal and I was sitting at one mark off a First at the time - subsequently had the mark recalculated and my certificates reissued at First level - but it put a dampner on the whole day).

Main thing is to think about how to attach the hood if you're not wearing a shirt with button downs - I think I safety pinned it to the middle of my bra strap - otherwise it'll irritate the shit out of you. Also worth factoring in if the uni does a setup like my last graduation where the gowning area is bloody miles away from the venue and you're planning on wearing fancy shoes which aren't built for comfort.

We forget that graduating back in the 1990s could mean 30 years ago. Times have indeed changed!
And I speak as someone who graduated in 1987! Even at my non Russel group university it was white shirts and black skirts. Seeing my own DC graduate at various levels has shown me how different things now are (bar Oxbridge which remains unchanged!).

I think the “theme” is more business/day dresses in the King’s graduation photos. The women are mostly wearing shirts or high necked day dresses. I seem to remember there being lots of informal advice about comfort, heels, safety pins, wearing things that the gown can be affixed to, gown sleeve length, trip hazards 😂 etc, as well the official dress code, when my DC graduated. I would guess that is why most have opted for high necklines.

I think it would be fine but your DD might feel a bit over dressed if she doesn’t like to stand out from the crowd. If she doesn’t care and the dress makes her feel great, go for it. On a practical note, I do think the sleeves might make a hump on her shoulders so the gown and hood don’t sit flat though, and the neckline is a bit low for attaching the hood so it might not look great or be uncomfortable.