<p>Do parents dress up for this anymore?</p>
<p>At Rice, you wear light, light clothes and pray that it isn’t 90% and humid, or raining! (Commencement is held outside… :eek:)</p>
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<p>And you invoke all the gods in those prayers since it’s May in Houston.</p>
<p>Aside from that, our D has two graduations - one for her major’s school, and one for the whole university. I will be wearing a dress one day, and nice dress slacks with a nice top the other. Whichever one is more comfortable, I will wear the day of the university graduation since it will definitely be a longer ceremony, taking place in the Carrier Dome.</p>
<p>One of the reasons I want to dress more than casual is because I’m sure we’ll be taking lots of pictures.</p>
<p>I suspect the answer will vary according to the school. When S graduated from Vanderbilt two years ago, I had moved half of D’s things home from her freshman dorm with plans to bring the rest home following graduation. Thank goodness we had filled the car on the first trip willy-nilly and “illogically” left behind the polar fleece jackets (after all, no one would need those in May!). We were both dressed nicely for Senior Day in honor of the occasion and the wonderful speaker, Laura Bush, who I believe is quite an accomplished woman, no matter your politics. However, after a 30 point drop in temperature from the previous day and seats covered in rain (Vanderbilt sets up for graduation on Alumni Lawn more than 2 weeks in advance of the event), we were thrilled to be pulling on the polar fleece and wrapping up in blankets. The next day’s graduation ceremony was only slightly warmer at the outset, although by the time it ended four hours later it was not too bad. The moral of this long story - opt for comfortable shoes and be prepared for anything!</p>
<p>Wear comfortable shoes and comfortable clothes.</p>
<p>So it sounds like I should leave the pillbox hat and white gloves at home.</p>
<p>Ours were held at Michigan Stadium in April. So the day before, you try and guess the weather and keep in mind the steps so avoid very high heels.</p>
<p>But I did wear a dress and luckily both times it was warm and sunny. Dress ranged from jeans to dresses by the other family members.</p>
<p>Glad to see this thread…I was sort of wondering the same thing. The part about comfy shoes I had already figured out!</p>
<p>I’ve been pondering this question,too. S1’s graduation from UF is next Saturday. It’ll be held indoors (inside the basketball stadium to accomodate all the families and friends), and I’m sure we’ll probably see everything from shorts and flip-flops to suits, this being Florida (down here, people come to Catholic mass dressed in shorts and flip-flops :eek: )</p>
<p>My husband will probably wear a dress shirt and tie (no jacket) and I’ll wear black pants and a nice top, maybe a shell and cardigan. We want to be comfortable, but I think the occasion calls for something at least a little bit nicer than usual.</p>
<p>I’m so glad someone started this thread. Our whole family plus mother-in-law (six total) is traveling across the country to D’s graduation at Yale so packing is an issue. There is a commencement ball that we know requires cocktail or business attire but there are also four separate ceremonies we have to attend. I keep looking at the program wondering how it is possible to need so many ceremonies but there it is. I certainly don’t want all of us to bring a different outfit for each one especially as we will have a stuffed hanging bag with evening wear so I figure there will be repeated outfits and that we will not be the only ones doing that. The ceremonies are mostly outside so I’m thinking a summer type dress with comfortable shoes and nice slacks and polo shirts for the boys. Or possibly nice pants and a comfortable but nice blouse for me – I just feel more comfortable in pants. Does that sound OK? I’m a bit worried about the expectation in another part of the country. Here in California you could show up in almost anything and no one would bat an eye but I know that is not the case everywhere.</p>
<p>In rags </p>
<p>(after 4 years of paying for it)</p>
<p>When D graduated from Interlochen (high school) we were wrapped in blankets. Northern Michigan in late May…</p>
<p>Rice- lots of sunscreen and cool clothes.</p>
<p>I still have a photo of my mother at my graduation – teal pantsuit and matching Keds. My boyfriend’s mother – think old school Italian – was just horrified. It was the matching Keds that did her in, although it might just have been the pantsuit too. This was the late 70s. </p>
<p>The ceremony was held in the fieldhouse … who in their right mind would want to clamber up into the bleachers in skirt, hose, and heels?</p>
<p>If it’s outside, wear a hat and plenty of sunscreen. The rest is up to you.</p>
<p>So if I’ve heard you correctly, I should dress for temperatures ranging from 50 to 90, wear sunblock, a sun hat, and a polar fleece jacket, comfortable shoes and slacks as well as a dress to connote that this is a special occasion 
</p>
<p>Correct - make sure you pack it all in a tapestry carpet bag and you can just pull out what is necessary like Mary Poppins!</p>
<p>I think you have about summed it up, worrywart! (But what about the pill-box hat and the gloves?)</p>
<p>No worries, be happy. You only lose points if the boyfriend’s mother is there, and most times he isn’t the One True one anyway. So even matching keds will be okay.</p>
<p>LOL p3t :)</p>
<p>Exactly p3t … he was not the One True One at all (although he wanted to be) and it was lucky that the prospective MIL was there to show just how miserable any sort of family function in the future was bound to be if he was!</p>
<p>Overall, I am thinking that you look nice, but still comfortable. Be prepared for plenty of walking, and watch out for Mr. Sun.</p>
<p>(In 2008, I would probably wear white cropped pants and a very light weight twin sweater set, with a hat. And walkable sandals or mules on my feet.)</p>