A graduation dress has been a white dress for longer than most families realize. Fashion2Fiber traces the habit to the late 1800s, and Spelman College made it a written rule in 1900. This is how to choose one you can walk across a stage in and still dance in afterwards.
Graduation Dress: A White Tradition Older Than the Diploma Photo
The white dress has a paper trail
A graduation dress is one of the few pieces of clothing with an assigned color, and the habit is old. Fashion2Fiber, the Ohio State fashion archive, traces women wearing white to high school and college commencements to the second half of the 19th century. Spelman College set a white-at-graduation policy in 1900, saying it gave the day a uniform look and marked its importance. In 1911 Vera Lee Conley wore a white cotton lingerie dress to her Antioch graduation. A graduation dress is a very small piece of living history, and you are allowed to find that moving.
Think about the robe first
The gown goes over everything, so the neckline and the hem are the only parts that really get seen. A square or V neck sits well under a collar of fabric, and a hem just above the knee stays clear of the stairs. Choose fabric that does not wrinkle when you sit for three hours in a folding chair. Poplin, crepe and a good heavy cotton all pass. Bring a small steamer or hang it in the shower the night before.
Beyond white
White is the tradition, not the law. Picture her in a pale blue satin slip under the robe, then pinning her hair up for the dinner afterwards. Soft pastels, ivory lace and a clean black dress all photograph well in a crowd of navy gowns. If the ceremony is outdoors, choose a dress with a bit of weight so it stays put in the wind. A graduation dress should look like you on the best day of your spring.
Shoes, layers and the long day
Graduation is a day of standing, walking on grass and hugging relatives. Wear block heels or a flat that you have already broken in, and keep a light jacket in the car. A dress with pockets is a small gift to your future self. If there is a party after the ceremony, a belt or a bold earring changes the mood without a second outfit.
What I would skip
I would skip anything that needs constant adjusting, a hem that drags and shoes that have never been walked in. Nobody remembers the dress that fit simply, but everyone remembers the girl tugging at a strap through the speeches.
