Graduation Dress

Finding your perfect graduation dress will require you to keep a few things in mind: your school's guidelines for graduation attire, your climate, and the look you're going for. Though your graduation is a special occasion, you'll do fine with a simple dress from almost any department store; leave the fancy cocktail dresses for your upcoming sorority semi-formals or other special occasions you attend for college or work.

Dress for Your Body and Your Preferences

Just because your dress will be underneath a gown for the ceremony, don't let that deter you from shopping for your shape. Hopefully you'll want to get a lot more use out of your dress, and you won't always be wearing it under something else. Plus, you want to feel amazing on your special day, and choosing a dress that plays up your best assets will help.

If You Want to Look Sophisticated

With the guidelines for your body type in mind, choose a simple shift dress in a neutral shade. The neckline can be scoop, square, or sweetheart, and sleeves can be anywhere from long-sleeved to sleeveless. You may also consider a suit-style outfit, with a skirt that hits about mid-thigh or lower and a cropped jacket. Depending on the type of gown you have and the jacket you buy, you may want to leave the jacket off until the gown comes off, wearing just a silk top or fitted sweater with the skirt for the actual ceremony.

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If You're a Total Girly-Girl

Choose a retro-style dress with bright or light colors-florals optional-and an A-line skirt below a cinched-in waist. For a classic, feminine look, try navy or black instead. Prints and dark colors may not be the best choice if your gown is white, but it will work with most other colors. If jewelry is allowed, accessorize with pearls.

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If You're a Fashionista

Look for your favorite patterns on dresses with simple necklines. If you love leopard print or just all things purple and turquoise, look for a casual dress of an appropriate length for your school's dress code, and you'll be able to enjoy it for at least the next few months. Remember to keep the jewelry under wraps; don't go too wild with the items that are visible when you're wearing your gown; keep the large hair accessories and standout jewelry to a minimum.

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Dress for Your Climate

Fabric Choices

Not only is the style of graduation dress important, but also the type of material should be considered as well. The time and place of your graduation should dictate to some extent the type of material you choose for graduation dress.

Warm Weather

If your graduation will be held outside in June, and you live in a warm climate, then look for a dress that will be cool and comfortable, preferably made out of cotton, linen, or silk. Remember, you'll be adding another layer to your clothing with the addition of a graduation gown. Unfortunately, some graduation gowns actually bleed their color onto the garments underneath. If you must wear white, there isn't a lot you can do if this happens, although a professional cleaner may be able to clean the outfit. With this in mind, however, you might not want to spend a fortune on your graduation dress.

Cold Weather

For northern climates and those graduations held during the winter, appropriate clothing should also be chosen. Wool blends, flannels, mohair, and thicker cottons should keep you warmer and more comfortable. You might want to consider wearing under clothing, such as Under Armour as well, and add layers of additional clothing for extra warmth.

Considerations to Keep in Mind

Consider the color of your gown. If it's black, almost anything will be fine underneath. If it's white, you'll need to be a little pickier about the color you choose for your dress; you don't want it to show through the gown. Before purchasing a dress, make sure that your school doesn't have any color or style requirements.

Make sure any embellishments on the dress (beading, bows, etc) are invisible under the gown. Beading near the neck could hit the light along the edges of the gown and be distracting, and bows or other embellishments could create lumps under the gown.
If your school requires a certain type and color of shoe for the graduation ceremony, make sure the dress you choose will match the shoes you have to wear.

Finding Your Perfect Graduation Dress

Before you start to shop, get a general idea of what you want and need for your graduation ceremony. That way you'll shop with a clear head and get the right thing, rather than finding something cute that you later realize won't work at all. With luck, you'll be able to find a flattering dress that meets all of the qualifications and can be worn dozens more times.