You paid tuition for your kid’s education for a couple of years. Now is the great day, you get off the hook, and your kid graduates. Now you wonder what to wear to my kid’s graduation. What to wear as the mother of the graduate…. without looking like Mrs. Robinson? When you have watched the movie The Graduate you know Mrs. Robinson goes after her daughter’s boyfriend. Then you know already what not to wear. But you are lucky. Read this post for inspiration on what to wear to commencement, taking into account the various venues, weather conditions, and location. With these easy-to-recreate from-your-closet commencement guest outfit ideas, you will look stunning and stylish in the various venues on campus and in the arena.
The academic regalia is a homage to the more than 700 years of educational traditions. The graduation day is the only time when wearing a uniform is mandatory for students and faculty, while otherwise, dressing is related to self-discipline.
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Your Kid’s Graduation Means You Made It
When you have to attend a graduation, you should celebrate the graduate, of course, but also that your money can now be redirected to you and used for what you like, such as fashion and style.
The graduation may be a sort of family reunion. Many photos will be taken. Therefore, avoid wearing the latest It trend of this year. It may look ridiculous in a decade from now, and you don’t want to be the amusement of the graduate’s future kids.
Instead of a bombshell look, opt for an outfit that’s comfortable for the long hours of the ceremony and versatile enough to transition from the morning festivities to the reception. This practical approach ensures you’ll be at ease throughout the day, no matter the event.
Graduation Must-haves
Create an outfit that is classic, sassy, and comfortable for a day of inside and outside events. You will be on your feet a lot, running from one event to the next, where you will sit or stand for a long time before running to the next event. Wear comfortable shoes. Go for wedges when you want a bit of height. Heels are unsuitable when walking on lawns or pebbles.
You are only interested in the graduate who invited you (when you are the mother, aunt, or a family friend), which means that sitting thru 3 to 4 hours of names read and graduates passing the stage will be pretty boring. So have something to read. Put the book into the commencement booklet so it is not so obvious what you actually read.
What to Bring When the Location Is an Open-Air Sports Arena
If the graduation ceremony is in an open-air sports arena, consider this aspect. What to pack for commencement:
- Sun-cream and sunglasses
- Reading glasses and a book
- A camera to take better quality photos than with your cell phone
- A wrap or cardigan to stay comfortable in chilly air conditioning or the shade
- A water bottle to stay hydrated
- Rain protection (a packable trench coat is stylish and works best) in case the weather becomes nasty (thunderstorm or rain)
- Sun hat. No large brim as it will block the view for the people behind you when the event is in an open sports arena.
- A gift for the graduate
Tip: A backpack is unsuitable for a commencement guest. It can hit kids in the face when you turn around.
The location may be chilly if the graduation celebrations are in an indoor ice arena. Therefore, a layered outfit is best.
What to Wear at Commencement: Outfit Suggestions
Outfit-wise, you want to be comfortable at all the events, such as Mass, commencement, the reception, and the later dinner. Think business casual style with a festive vibe. Wear a modest outfit in fabrics that won’t get caught on folding or sports arena chairs. Also, pick fabrics that are not sensitive to spills from cake frosting, juice, or coffee. Look for wrinkle-resistant items because you’ll be sitting for a long time. Avoid anything that can cut in and become uncomfortable.
Outfit Ensembles to Try
Here are some outfit ensembles of what to wear at commencement that look great and permit enjoying the celebrations in comfort:
- Sundress with statement belt, fabric tote, and flat sandals
- Straight or full skirt with button-down blouse/shirt, 2.5 inch (5 cm) block heel pumps, a cardigan, and a lady-like tote
- Wrinkle-free jersey dress like the one in the OOTD with cropped jacket or wrap, bucket bag, and espadrilles
- Dressy joggers (not sweat pants) with a white button-down shirt, long leopard print or striped jacket with shoulder satchel, and open-toe pumps
- Shift/A-line dress with medium-size bag and wedge heels
- If you are an immigrant, consider wearing a traditional festive outfit of the country of your origin
Why Do Students and Faculty Wear Different Academic Gowns?
The regalia reflect an homage to the more than 700 years of academic traditions—of course, not over 700 years at UAF or in the US, but mainly in Europe, and particularly in Germany. UAF is only 99 years old.
Three blue or black stripes on bell sleeves indicate that the wearer has a doctoral degree. Master gowns have no stripes on their oblong sleeves, cut in an arc shape in the front. These arcs serve as pockets, but they were not intended to hold a cell phone and car keys. Certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degree recipients wear gowns with long pointy sleeves.
What Do the Cords Symbolize in Academic Regalia?
Cords indicate honors, service, or heritage. Baccalaureate degree candidates graduating with honors (a GPA of 3.5 or higher) wear a gold honor cord. Alaska Natives and American Native students celebrate their heritage and academic achievements by wearing a red sash. Some of them wear their traditional clothing instead of the graduation gown. African Americans celebrate their heritage and academic achievements by wearing a colorful sash.
Long blue-trimmed and striped gold sashes indicate graduating honor thesis scholars, and a single blue and gold honor cord. They must have earned 12 honors credits. At least University honor scholars must have earned 27 honors credits to wear the same sash, but a double blue and gold honor cord. Various student honor societies indicate their members by their individual sashes.
What Do the Different Sashes Mean at Commencement?
Alaska Natives and American Native students wear a red sash. Some Native Americans wear traditional clothing instead of a graduation gown. Hawaiian Natives have a floral sash. African Americans have a colorful sash. Various student honor societies indicate their members by their individual sashes.
Who Wears Which Type of Hat?
There are different types of hats. Faculty members with doctoral degrees wear black velvet tams with golden tassels. Faculty members with master’s degrees wear mortarboards or velvet tams with a black tassel. Graduates wear mortarboards. Typically, the tassel is black. However, in some institutions, the students and faculty wear tassels in the color of their discipline. As you can see, mine is gold for science.
What Do the Hoods Indicate?
A hood indicates that the wearer has a higher academic degree than a Bachelor’s. Typically, the hood is black, with the exposed inside displaying the school’s colors, indicating the degree earned (MS, MA, or PhD).
My hood is not black on the outside, as it is typical. I have two doctoral degrees, one in geophysics and one in meteorology. Since I didn’t want to wear two hoods and look like Medusa, I had my hood custom-made to combine the logos of my two schools, the University of Cologne and the University of Leipzig. The color of the outside of my hood represents the silver gray of the latter, while the red and white inside of my hood represent the colors of the former. These universities are among the oldest in Europe, founded in 1409 and 1388, respectively.
How to Know the Discipline of the Wearer?
The small stripes on the hoods indicate the discipline of the degrees. Each discipline has its color: Arts are white, business administration is drab, education is baby blue, engineering is orange, fine arts is brown, and science is yellow/gold.
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The details of the featured look are: Quince sweater, Ralph Lauren denim skirt, Hipstik pantyhose, Ivanka Trump pumps, Ann Klein scarf, VO bag, citrine and bone necklace.
Photos of me: G. Kramm
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