What to wear to a graduation

Something that works under a gown and still works after it comes off. Graduation is a daytime dress code with a specific mechanical constraint.

What it means

For most of the day you are wearing an academic gown over the dress, which is usually black or dark, mid-calf, and open at the front. What shows is the neckline, the hem and the shoes. After the ceremony the gown comes off for lunch and photographs, and the dress has to stand on its own.

What works

• A midi, so the hem sits near the gown's and reads deliberate
• A neckline that is visible and finished — it is the part on show all ceremony
• A block heel or elevated flat. Ceremonies mean grass, gravel or long corridors
• A colour that reads against a dark gown rather than disappearing into it

What to avoid

• Strapless, which looks unfinished under an open gown
• A maxi that fights the gown's hemline
• White, at ceremonies where the graduating cohort wears it
• A stiletto. There is more standing and more uneven ground than anyone expects

One more thing

Check whether your institution asks graduands to wear a specific colour under the gown. A surprising number do, and it is usually in the ceremony brief rather than the invitation.