# What did you wear under your graduation gown/robe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817 "2009-05-09T02:55:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/21 "2009-05-09T12:42:09Z")
Sunday dress, hose and dressy shoes. And a full complement of undies. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/22 "2009-05-09T13:06:10Z")
A simple dress and sandals, and for PhD an aloha shirt, capri pants, and tevas (seriously, all that shows is the bottom 5 inches of leg, and I didn’t have concerned parents or anything there; on a girl a 400 dollar skirt suit and 30 dollar short pants look exactly the same under robes). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/23 "2009-05-09T13:28:15Z")
I think your after-ceremony activity should dictate what you wear underneath. If your folks are taking you out to a schnazzy joint, dress for that. If you’re going to a kegger, dress for that. Back in the day (high school graduation) a girl wore jeans under her gown. It was just un-fucking-heard of at that time). She was forever labeled a rebel. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/24 "2009-05-09T13:34:48Z")
In high school I wore a suit and tie. I didn’t bother to go to my college graduation. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/25 "2009-05-09T13:42:51Z")
I graduated last year, and I wore grey pants, a shirt of some sort, and comfortable black shoes. I’m female, but I don’t own a dress and didn’t feel like buying one. I don’t think my pants-wearing scandalized anyone too badly, and if it did, I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/26 "2009-05-09T13:53:52Z")
My college graduation ceremony was held during a raging blizzard. I wore dress pants, a sweater, and dressy boots (not snow boots, although it would have been smart). ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/27 "2009-05-09T13:58:14Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Go commando. My brother wore his kilt with full kit under his robe in HS, and of course went regimental underneath. He looked awesome but it was hot. Keep in mind that the robe WILL gap or blow open at some point, and your grandma might not want to see you naked… just sayin’… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/28 "2009-05-09T15:17:20Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I wore a suit and tie. I can’t imagine a man wearing anything any less formal for a graduation. If I’m not mistaken, robes worn in many commonwealth countries are quite a bit more… revealing of what the wearer has on underneath than those normally worn in the United States. (For example, [this](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0bmw36ReGyaEE/610x.jpg) versus [this](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_64itAtqJIlY/SULzP8F5VLI/AAAAAAAAF7U/Hkv1dql7C68/s400/Bush+at+A&M,+12.12.08+++1.jpg).) Here, no one would be able to tell, for example, if you had a jacket on under your robe; as a result, even someone who’s “dressing up” will skip that element (IME). For my PhD graduation I wore a dress shirt, tie, black slacks, and black dress shoes. The very tops of the shirt and tie were visible until I got my hood during the ceremony, at which point they became invisible, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/29 "2009-05-09T16:15:13Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > My brother wore his kilt with full kit under his robe in HS, and of course went regimental underneath. He looked awesome but it was hot. You think your brother in a kilt is hot? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/30 "2009-05-10T01:08:10Z")
IT was hot! IT! IT! As in, out-fucking-side! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/31 "2009-05-10T01:26:28Z")
Charcoal grey suit, white shirt, [school color tie](http://www.josbank.com/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/10067.jpg). Hey, it was 20 years ago week before last. I shoulda worn a tweed coat. I remember it was hella cold out on those bleachers. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/32 "2009-05-10T02:37:11Z")
Jr. High - Brown corduroy suit. High School - Dark blue suit BS Engineering - Ripped up 501s, tie dye t-shirt MS Engineering - Same as BS Engineering ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/33 "2009-05-10T03:30:47Z")
When I graduated from high school in 1966, the guys were required to wear black shoes and socks, black slacks, white shirt and black tie. Except that my tie was one my brother had given me. All you could see with the gown on was the knot. When I took the gown off, the tie was revealed. It spread out about three inches below the knot and on the wide area was painted a very naked, buxom young lady. I wish I still had that tie. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/34 "2009-05-10T03:39:00Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > My school has also been silent on the topic, so I’ll be wearing jeans and a t-shirt underneath my dignified polyester sack and extremely stupid hat. (Seriously: “Congratulations on your at least four years of [ostensibly] hard and dedicated work! Here, put this piece of cardboard with a cat-toy dangling from it on your head. It makes you look dignified!”) And if you’re very lucky, the stupid hat will make itself look even worse by popping off your head at inopportune moments. My graduation ceremony was today and I ended up with a head full of bobby pins to keep my cap from making its merry way off my head 2.5 seconds before I crossed the stage. Other people did not think ahead so well. And I wore a navy dress and a pair of black flats. My university didn’t have any particular dress code either. They said that, ideally, we should wear dressy dark clothes and shoes (and avoid high heels because of the floor covering – we were in our sports arena and the floor cover was wrinkled in places that could catch heels), but mostly just to at least wear _something_ underneath, please. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/35 "2009-05-10T04:47:26Z")
For high school we didn’t have gowns so I wore the required white, full-length dress. For undergrad I wore a causal skirt, tank-top and high-heeled loafers which were very stylish at the time. Most of the other women in my class wore something similar - sundress, skirt and T-shirt, and heels type thing. I don’t recall anyone wearing something “dressy”. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/36 "2009-05-10T14:23:51Z")
You have to buy your own gown? My previous university, and my husband’s, just handed them out the day of the ceremony and we returned them before leaving. So we just wore something reasonably presentable (a nice skirt and top for me and a suit for him). ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/37 "2009-05-10T19:28:09Z")
**Kalhoun** , I am likely to be going to a party with kegs after, but not one with all the debauchery that “kegger” implies for me. I should ask my parents if they wanted to go to dinner after: this being a pretty casual town with even the nice wine bar fairly loose in its dress codes, I could find an outfit formal enough to wear out to dinner that wouldn’t look out of place at a theatre graduation party. **mnemosyne** , yes, we had to buy our own gowns- I had to do it in high school as well. Both gowns are nearly shapeless polyester sacks that zip up the front supplied by Jostens. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/38 "2009-05-11T13:17:46Z")
I didn’t go to college graduation. For high school and law school, I wore a suit underneath. For law school they provided the gowns ahead of time so they could be ironed and what not. The morning of, I had a law school prep class so I wore the suit and carried the gown on a hanger. It was about 98 degrees that day. Immediately after the ceremony (indoors, thank God) we had to return our gowns and caps, so commando was not an option. But even if it was, your legs and feet are still visible so what was I supposed to- bare hairy legs and sandals or something? That would look terrible. Girls can get away with that much more easily than guys can, but that applies to everyday wear too, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Real_Regency_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/39 "2009-05-11T20:19:26Z")
Long black skirt, nude stockings (I normally ecshew them, but this was in a coliseum which also had hockey games so we were sitting on wood boards over ice), white blouse and flat dress shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817/40 "2009-05-11T21:40:17Z")
Red Chuck Taylor All-Stars. With red laces. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-wear-under-your-graduation-gown-robe/495817.md?page=3)