As a college senior approaching graduation this semester, the search for a graduation dress has proved challenging. From the fit to the cut to the color (white is classic, but what will look best on me?), choosing a grad dress that will be photogenic and express your personal style can be complicated. I’ll discuss a few guidelines for finding the perfect piece and the best options for purchasing said dream dress.
- Silhouette
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The silhouette of your graduation dress is critical because of its unique role of being worn with a cap and gown. Of course, you may not take all of your photos in both your grad robe and dress, but this is an important factor to keep in mind. Because of the flowy and mid-length gown structure, a shorter and more form-fitting dress is your best bet. If you don’t want a bodycon silhouette, a dress that cinches at the waist or has some structure will also work well. The goal is to avoid feeling like a dementor floating around in a sea of fabric and to have some contrast between the billowy graduation attire and your chosen piece.
- Color
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Choosing the color of your grad dress is extremely important because you’ll have to take many factors into account: What shades complement your skin tone, eyes, and hair? What color your graduation gown will be? What colors come across well in photos? Many women choose white as a grad dress color because it has classic appeal. You can choose what shade from pure cotton to eggshell to cream to whichever flatters you best, and its neutrality lets your beauty shine in pictures. However, green might bring out your green eyes most, or gold could be one of your school colors. If you’re able to change outfits during a graduation photoshoot, you can have two to four options: perhaps a neutral dress, a classic black dress and a color of your choice. Getting photos in each of these is sure to leave you with some pictures you love. Disclaimer: choosing a graduation dress that is the same color as your gown may make them blend together, creating the aforementioned dementor effect when contrast is what we want. For example, if your graduation robes are cobalt blue, a white, blush pink or light blue dress would look striking, while a bright blue dress could blend in or clash. At the end of the day, choose whatever you’re most confident in, and don’t worry about what “everyone else” is wearing.
- Store
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Now that you’ve decided on the criteria you want your graduation dress to fulfill, you can begin your search. I’ve found a lot of different good options, and I’ll list them below in order of price range, and with pros and cons listed.
Photo via @kristina.ruth99 (the author), Dress from Thredup The most affordable and sustainable option is thrifting! Low cost and not contributing to clothing waste are two huge pros of thrifting your graduation dress. However, limited size selection, possibly restrictive return policies and time spent looking for a piece that checks all of your desired boxes are cons of secondhand shopping. Strong thrift store options include the classics: Goodwill, Salvation Army and Plato’s Closet. A few more unconventional secondhand clothing options are Thredup, Poshmark, Depop, Swap and Mercari (all online).
Photo Courtesy of Amazon Large retailers offer other affordable options, along with more flexibility than thrift shopping. Some pros of purchasing from a large online retailer are relatively low prices, fast shipping and often easy returns. Some cons of buying from large online or brick and mortar stores are potentially low-quality materials, unethical production, and unoriginality. Amazon, Shein, Target and Walmart have a lot of cute and popular styles in stock.
Photo via @hellomolly Boutiques may be the most expensive avenue for buying your grad dress, but they offer trendy pieces and often are small businesses. Some more pros of buying from boutiques are high-quality construction, lasting wear and unique styles. Some cons of boutique purchasing are more expensive pieces, sometimes low size variability (S-L only) and limited stock. A few boutiques with beautiful dresses are Forema, Zingara Souls, Lucy in the Sky, Hello Molly, Selfie Leslie and Lulu’s.
Right now, I want to focus on completing the requirements to graduate and not spend my time searching for the perfect graduation dress. Hopefully, this guide will help you narrow down your search and help you feel your best when you walk across that stage. Here’s to recognizing our accomplishments and striving towards the future with confidence!