What to Wear Under a Graduation Gown: My Best Tips

By Nicky Johnson @stylebuzzer

Last Updated on August 29, 2023

Graduation day is an important day for everyone. One of the most important parts of the day is the graduation gown.

The gown can be a symbol of the person graduating and their achievement. While the dress is important, it can often be impractical to wear. If you’re wearing a gown, you don’t want to be restricted by clothing. 

In this article, I’ll share my best tips on what to wear underneath a graduation gown. You’ll surely find something that works for you, from loose-fitting workout clothes to cocktail dress-style skirts that show off your legs.

Headline

  • 1 What To Wear Under A Graduation Gown?
    • 1.1 The Matching Top
    • 1.2 Top To Wear
    • 1.3 Recognize Your Bottoms
  • 2 For Women Who Graduates
  • 3 For Man who Graduates
  • 4 Weather Circumstances
    • 4.1 Spring Festival
    • 4.2 Winter Festival
  • 5 Conclusion

What To Wear Under A Graduation Gown?

Graduation is a special occasion that deserves a special outfit. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends and to enjoy something new in your life.

So, what to wear under a graduation gown? Finding a matching dress to wear under your graduation outfit that reflects who you are is important. 

Finding a good dress shirt and tie is important to showcase a professional and tidy appearance. Graduation gown that suits your personality and your body type. Here are some tips for finding a dress that matches your personality and body type.

The Matching Top

Whether you’re a girl or a boy, your top will be visible in your graduation gown. The gown won’t conceal you even with a hood covering your neck and shoulders, so whatever you wear as a top must be appropriate.

Top To Wear

Even when wearing a hood, the colored sash draped around the neck and over the shoulders, graduation gowns are cut low enough in the front to expose a shirt or top.

Given that the collar and tie are visible above the gown’s neckline, males wearing a collared dress shirt and tie appear well-groomed. Scoop-neck shirts with a modest cut and collared blouses are viable options for ladies due to the gown’s cut.

Recognize Your Bottoms

Under the gown, women can wear either dress pants or a skirt, though a floor-length skirt may make your ensemble appear bulky, given the length of the shift. Men should wear black formal pants or khakis. 

Dark-colored slacks or long skirts are preferable over brightly colored bottoms that reveal beneath the gown’s hem and detract from the event’s formality. Bright colors are appropriate for skirts that end above the gown’s hem and cannot be seen.

Skirts should be no wider than an A-line shape and be relatively narrow. Steer clear of puffy skirts that add to an already voluminous gown’s volume.

For Women Who Graduates

Female graduates typically wear a scoop-neck or V-neck dress or a scoop/V-neck blouse with pants or a skirt underneath the gown underneath the college graduation robes because of the low necklines of those garments.

This gives students a neat and professional appearance because no excess fabric or colors will protrude over the gown’s neckline.

It’s acceptable to stand out somewhat as well! If you do choose to wear a top or dress that will be visible, think about choosing a color that complements your gown or something neutral (such as black, white, or grey) with a straightforward design (maybe save the paisley or cheetah prints for another occasion!). to match your outfit.

For Man who Graduates

A man can never go wrong with a dress shirt, jeans, and a great pair of khakis or dark dress shoes, just like many other significant moments in life.

Instead of wearing dress pants, you could wear khakis, slacks, or a pair of solid, dark-wash denim.

However, it’s ideal for keeping it business casual and wearing shirts that look excellent when buttoned up and visible over the gown collar.

It’s customary for male graduates to don a collared dress shirt in contrast to their dark gown, usually in white or another light color like navy or black.

A black or other dark-colored shirt might also look good if your graduation gown is vibrant, like royal blue or crimson. Always bring a change of shoes in case of any emergency.

Weather Circumstances

You’ll want to coordinate the layers inside your gown depending on the environment and its thickness (for example, our doctorate gowns and deluxe master gowns are manufactured with thicker fabric than the ones on standard caps and dresses).

Spring Festival

Most graduation ceremonies take place in May or June and are often outside. Your shirt and slacks inside the gown are sufficient in most of the United States, so adding a suit jacket could make the day unbearably hot. Especially if it’s a sunny day, wear a dress lightly!

Winter Festival

The indoor winter ceremony often takes place in December or January. To understand how climate control is for your comfort zone, consider what you ordinarily wear in that particular building or event site.

For instance, wearing a jacket underneath your graduation gown would keep you warm during the lengthy ceremony if you wore it to winter occasions in that ballroom.

Conclusion

Now I hope you know what to wear under a graduation gown. You can wear many different types of clothing under a graduation gown that will keep you comfortable and stylish. I have my own best tips on what to wear under a graduation gown. It is important to remember that the type of clothing you wear under your gown should be comfortable.