Hey graduates! Are you having trouble ideating outfits for graduation? No worries, I have some helpful tips down below for men and women who are coming up on their big day!
“The Graduates” by Game of EPL5 & LUMIX G20/F1.7 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Ladies, when deciding on an outfit for graduation. It is always important to stay true to yourself and showcase not only your achievement but your personality. The traditional graduation outfit I see, is a short white dress with some heels. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a safe and classic look and there’s nothing wrong with that! But if you are looking to spice it up, I would suggest either wearing your school colors (preferably the one that is opposite of the gown) or examining the color wheel and looking at complementary colors (colors opposite from each other on the color wheel). Not only do the colors matter, but the material matters! Usually a graduation gown is made out of a blend of polyester and other materials which typically have a shinier look to them. To compliment this, you can wear a silk dress, cotton jumpsuit, or even a mix of the two! A silk skirt with a cotton shirt or vice versa! Things that I would avoid are jean material and sneakers. Only because this gives a very casual streetwear look and a graduation is usually more formal attire. Also, you deserve to be celebrated for all your hard work, so why not look the part!
“Silk and Cotton” Image by: Amaiyah Robinson
Men, I know it can be difficult to decide what to wear for graduation so I’m going to follow some similar advice I told the ladies. When dressing for graduation, always showcase your achievement, but never leave out your personality! You want to wear something that screams you but in the most professional way possible. One thing to avoid would be jeans. Blue jeans specifically. I can understand a nice pair of black or white jeans but overall a nice pair of slacks is what will compliment the graduation gown the best. When color coordinating, it’s safe to alternate your school colors with the gown. If you’re looking to make a statement, I would suggest looking at the color wheel and choosing the colors opposite of your gown (complementary colors). Lastly, material matters! I also think this is where you can have a lot of fun showing your personality. As I previously stated for the women, a graduation gown is made out of a blend of polyester and other materials which typically have a shinier look to them. This means going for materials such as linen, cotton, or silk! Funny enough, the image below is created using AI from Deepai.org.
“mens graduation outfits” generated image by Deepai.org
At the end of the day, these are all just my suggestions and personal opinions. I believe ultimately you should wear something that represents you on your graduation day! I hope these tips helped with your outfit ideas!