For undergrad, I guess us women were supposed to wear a dress/skirt, but not 100% required, but I don’t love wearing those garments and I didn’t have a non-cocktail dress (which were bought to look hot in, not to be comfortable) so I wore capris and a shorter sleeved button down. The gown covered everything I was wearing but my collar and shoes so it looked like I could have been wearing a skirt, and I was way comfy. All the other girls who asked what I was wearing said “Oh I wish I would have done that instead!” when we were standing in line before we entered sweating buckets and being just generally uncomfortable. For high school I wore a dress because everyone else did and we were given our gowns that night, for undergrad I had to buy it beforehand. For both guys were supposed to wear dress pants, dress shirt and tie but some didn’t…but the ones who did looked better.
For my university graduation, I wore a suit under my robe ‘n’ bling. But I agree with whichever poster said “match your attire to your pre- and post-graduation activities.”
In case anyone is curious, I’ve narrowed it down to two options, both of which feature skirts I found in the laundry room. (The lost and found box isn’t down there anymore, but someone left three really cute skirts in my size in the laundry room. I looked at them about a week ago and wished they were mine. Then I went to do laundry and they were still there, so I took them.)
I’ll either wear a bright lime-ish green skirt and a tank top with Gir from Invader Zim on it, or a cute pink patterned skirt and a Harry and the Potters band t-shirt.
I figure if I’m going to be a nerd my whole life then there’s no reason not to be one when I graduate.
I vote for GIR. Especially if you speak in a GIR voice all day.
High school (white cap and gown): White dress, white hose, white heels. (it was climate-controlled)
College (black cap and gown, black and orange hood): Black sleeveless sundress, no hose, probably sandals (it was hot and muggy!)
Grad school (black cap and gown, black and white hood): Black shirts, dress shorts (it was temperate)
I guess I got more casual as time went on. And high school was so shitty, it was a real celebration to get out of there and demanded an effort.
I think not wearing pants makes you look weird in the gown, and jeans aren’t professional looking. Show some pride.
Dress pants, some sort of collared shirt.
Bring an extra shirt and undershirt and keep it in your car. If it’s hot you’ll be disgustingly sweaty and will want to change if you are going out afterwards.
Bring a camera, and a magazine. It gets boring listening to them call 1000 names.
If you’re hardcore, smuggle in a bottle of champagne under your robe so you can have a celebratory swing at the end of the ceremony!
While I was packing up all of my clothing, I realized that I do not own a single pair dress pants in this state. I’m sure I have some back at home, but here all I had were jeans, corduroys, and this one pair of pocket-covered pants in a strange grey fabric.
Luckily I’m a girl so I can get away with the skirt wearing.
At my high school graduation there was a girl who only wore panties and a bra underneath. Unfortunately the robe was light blue, so when she walked up to get her diploma, the sun made it see-through. This was in 1972; we didn’t show our underlovelies in those days. Jokes ensued.
The jerk sitting next to me at the third-of-three ceremonies I was forced to attend for my university graduation brought a bottle of obscenely cheap champagne… and sprayed it all over everyone in his vicinity.
Do. Not. Be. That. Guy.