Graduation dresses for under the gown and the dinner after

White with embroidery

Under a dark gown only a strip of your dress shows, at the neck and below the hem, and a narrow band of plain white can read as a shirt rather than a dress. Embroidery gives that strip something to say. On a white base you can keep the thread colours as drawn, so the Wisteria’s lilac and silver or the Emerald Rose’s flowers stand out clearly, or ask for the embroidery in another colour: white on white for something quiet, or thread in your university’s colours.

How white photographs under a dark gown

Black or navy beside white is the strongest contrast you can hand a camera, which is both the appeal and the catch. On a bright day a phone sets itself for the dark gown, and a brilliant white dress then turns into a glare with no detail in it. Ivory and softer whites keep their texture and sit more kindly next to skin, which is one reason the Wildflower is drawn in ivory, and embroidery helps again here, because the stitches still show when the white does not. Ivory, cream and off-white explains the shades, and a daylight photo of the white you want, sent with your quote request, helps us get close to it.

Will a white dress be see-through?

Pale cloth lets more light through than dark cloth, and graduation day tests it twice: once with the sun behind you on the steps outside, and again under camera flash at the dinner. A lining is the answer, and every design on this page can have one. Ask for it in the changes box and it is written into your quote. Underwear close to your skin tone also shows far less through white than white underwear does. Embroidery, lining and sheerness explains more.

Keeping the hood in place

British hoods have a small loop at the front of the neckband, meant to hook over a shirt button, and a dress has no button to give it, so the hood slides backwards. Safety pins through the loop and at each shoulder are the usual fix, and the robing staff often keep a few. Keeping a graduation hood in place walks through the other options.

A summer ceremony and a sleeveless dress

A full hall in June or July, with a gown over the top, gets hot. Any dress on this page can be made without sleeves: choose Sleeveless on the order form or write it in the changes box, and it is confirmed in your quote. The gown covers your arms for the ceremony, and at the garden party or dinner afterwards you will be glad of the cooler dress. Include an armhole measurement with your numbers so the edge lies close to the body.

Modest graduation dresses with long sleeves

For covered arms and a long hem, start with the Emerald Rose Anarkali: a round neck, long sleeves with embroidered cuffs and a full skirt to the floor with a deep border. The Royal Blue Yoke has the same length and long sleeves, and its V-neck can be raised. The seamed maxi reaches the ankle with long, slim sleeves and a plain round neck; it follows the body through the waist, so choose it if you are happy with a closer shape. The Lilac and the Wisteria already have long sleeves, and their hems can come down to the ankle. On a white base, the Emerald Rose makes a modest white graduation dress, and it should be lined.

If you wear a hijab, plan where the hood’s pins will go before the day. More shapes are among our modest dresses and long sleeve dresses, and if you would rather graduate in an abaya, this abaya guide shows how one sits under a gown.

Plus size graduation dresses

There is no separate plus size range to hunt through. Each dress is cut in S to XL or to your measurements, so a size above XL is made in exactly the same way, from your bust, waist, hip and upper arm and the length you want from shoulder to hem. The upper arm deserves care, because you will spend the day shaking hands and hugging people, and a sleeve cut to your arm moves with you. The Ginkgo Wrap lets you set the waist with its tie, while the Emerald Rose and the Royal Blue Yoke flare out from the bodice to the floor. See our plus size dresses for more, and the size guide for where to place the tape.

Midi graduation dresses

A midi suits a daytime ceremony, and four designs here already end between the knee and the calf: the Lilac Tiered, the Wisteria, the White Brocade Frock and the scarlet frock. The lemon frock’s layered skirt falls in an uneven hem, the Ginkgo Wrap can be cut at midi length, and the seamed maxi can be made as a midi too. The thing to check is the gown. Many gowns stop somewhere between the knee and the calf, right where a midi ends, so measure first and move the hem up or down to keep clear of it. Knee and midi lengths in inches gives typical numbers by height, and our midi dresses page has more.

Wearing your university’s colours

Plenty of graduates like to wear their university’s colours, what Americans call school colours, or to echo the lining of the hood that marks their degree. Fabric comes already dyed, so an exact match is hard, and it often works better to carry the colour in the embroidery: a white Wisteria with the flowers worked in your colours, or the Royal Blue Yoke with its yoke in the second colour. Send the official colour codes with your quote request, and matching a colour code explains how close a fabric can come.

Ordering in time for the ceremony

Your ceremony date will not move, so plan backwards from it. Making takes 5 to 7 working days, counted from the day your written quote is approved and paid in full, and the dress is shipped after that, which takes longer to some countries than to others. Leave some spare days on top for the journey.

When you ask for a quote, give the ceremony date first, then the design, your size or measurements and every change you want: a white base, a lining, the sleeves, the neckline or the hem. Nothing is cut until it has all been agreed in writing. Your quote covers shipping to your address and any duties or taxes charged on arrival, so the courier has nothing more to collect.

From the ceremony to the dinner

Most graduation days end round a table. A floor length dress such as the Royal Blue Yoke or the Emerald Rose Anarkali is dressy enough for a formal dinner, while a midi frock suits lunch or a relaxed meal with friends. Our evening dresses have more long designs.