What Not To Wear - Graduation Edition

I attended my Graduation Ceremony for University on Friday and thankfully it was way less boring than I thought it would be! 

However, I had one very big problem with the whole affair. 

 Graduating from University is a fairly big achievement and milestone, hence why I assumed most people would take the opportunity to scrub up and make themselves look professional to attend this significant occasion. 

Apparently not. 

Our gowns were the kind that were open at the front so that you could see most of what you were wearing underneath.

Uni Buddies

Female fashion faux pas included white sneakers (see back left in the photo above), jeans and thongs, sandals, mini skirts, dresses that were completely see through on stage, heels that were too high and skirts that were too tight and both of these that were impossible to walk in. 

But by far the worst outfit consisted of mini denim cutoff shorts, a pink singlet top and Nike kicks. 

Why girls, why?

The young men of my graduating class didn't make it through free from fashion fails either. 

There were board shorts, jeans and canvas shoes. Also guys, we're not 16 anymore, it's now cool to start brushing and cutting your hair. 

Now I'm not saying you have to put on a Nanna outfit and some pearls but what's the harm in bringing a bit of class to your graduation ceremony?

Honestly though, I think most people were just unsure of what to wear (like the poor girl in what can only be described as a ballgown). 

 I am by no means perfect and wasn't sure what was appropriate to wear to Graduation either. 

Therefore I've put together a bit of a guide based on what I thought looked fabulous (and appropriate) on the day. 

Girls 

1) Skirt 

FYI - everyone looks up at you on stage. A skirt that is 'just' suitable normally suddenly become super short. I saw way more female upper thigh at graduation than I've seen in my entire life. Talk about uncomfortable.   

2) Shoes 

Do not wear hooker heels. Especially if you can't walk in them. If you don't have a low sensible pair of heels, then just wear flats. Thongs are also not appropriate. 

3) Hair 

Straight hair definitely looked the best under the motarboard (yes I had to Google that). It's really hard to do anything with it other than wear it down. Think about what your going to do with your fringe if you have one. A lot of girl were seriously stressing about this and it was seriously annoying.

4) Bag

Don't take a huge handbag. However, you leave your bag on your seat and you come back to it, so you can take a clutch.

5) A Touch Of Class  

My advice would be to aim for class. You don't have to dress like a Grandma but you should wear something your Grandma would approve of. A nice (knee length) summer dress or a skirt and shirt are totally acceptable.
Basically, if you'd wear it clubbing, then it's not ok.
Most of all just wear something you feel comfortable in!

Guys 

1) Do not wear something you feel comfortable in. 

2) No jeans are not acceptable, neither are shorts of any kind, I dont care if it's 45 degrees. Put on a pair of dress pants. 

3) Yes you have to wear a shirt and tie. No they should not have cartoon characters on them. If you don't know what matches, ask your mum. Actually, ask your mum even if you think they do match. 

4) Brush your damn hair. It's one day, you can go back to being an unemployed University graduate who's had to resort to selling weed tomorrow.