What do you wear to your kid’s (public) HS graduation?

[Anonymous]

Most people take nice group family photos at graduation or the graduation luncheon. I would probably wear a nice day dress and sandals, similar to what I would wear to afternoon tea with my girlfriends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! People no longer dress nice to attend graduation?

Please tell me nobody is in jeans or t-shirts.

I teach at a title I high school and for the families at my school, this is likely the first generation of their family to graduate high school. Their child getting that diploma is the entire reason they came to the US and left their home country. They dress in GOWNS and come loaded with flowers, it is a truly beautiful thing to see.

Then there’s the wealthy McLean moms wearing jeans and “nice sneakers” with a work top lol

Yep, you should see how dressed up the first gen immigrant families are at the graduations for the selective nyc high schools. Many of them dress like they would for a wedding in their home country. For them, this is their American dream.

To be fair, though, Stuy's graduation is at Carnegie Hall (or at least has been for years). No one is wearing shorts to that.

You shouldn’t be wearing shorts to your kid’s graduation , period. It’s like wearing jeans to a wedding. Have some decorum.

[Anonymous]

Business casual is your best bet. There will be others more formal and more casual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Business casual is your best bet. There will be others more formal and more casual.

Yep, my general rule for these things is just dress like you're going to a business casual event with a lot of walking, like a tradeshow. So my husband will probably wear khakis and I will probably wear a dress or nice pants with flat shoes.

[Anonymous]

Jeans, nice sneakers, and a nicer top that I'd wear to work (a step up from a t-shirt). My kid's HS graduation is not about me.

Way to send the message to your kid that their graduation is no big deal. OP, please don’t follow this advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business casual is your best bet. There will be others more formal and more casual.

Yep, my general rule for these things is just dress like you're going to a business casual event with a lot of walking, like a tradeshow. So my husband will probably wear khakis and I will probably wear a dress or nice pants with flat shoes.

This is perfect advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Jeans, nice sneakers, and a nicer top that I'd wear to work (a step up from a t-shirt). My kid's HS graduation is not about me.

Way to send the message to your kid that their graduation is no big deal. OP, please don’t follow this advice.

NP. What if the HS graduation has all the family's sitting on the school's bleachers? I think there's a range of acceptable options depending on venue.

[Anonymous]

*families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business casual is your best bet. There will be others more formal and more casual.

Yep, my general rule for these things is just dress like you're going to a business casual event with a lot of walking, like a tradeshow. So my husband will probably wear khakis and I will probably wear a dress or nice pants with flat shoes.

This is perfect advice.

Graduations are happy spring events, so I would probably wear something more colorful and fun than what I would wear to a work event. I think it's more like a baby shower.

[Anonymous]

Why did you specify that it was for a public school?

[Anonymous]

It really changes school to school. At my kids school parents get pretty dressed up - suits/dresses. My friend who always dress well showed up looking nice, but in denim and a blouse and was extremely underdressed for her and she was embarrassed. Her stepchildren had graduated from another HS and she just assumed it was the same for our HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I simple skirt and shirt is fine. Make sure your kid looks good. It's about your graduate, not about you.

My kid is insistent on wearing shorts and a tshirt. I asked DC to at least wear nicer shorts, but he said no. I can only do so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Jeans, nice sneakers, and a nicer top that I'd wear to work (a step up from a t-shirt). My kid's HS graduation is not about me.

Way to send the message to your kid that their graduation is no big deal. OP, please don’t follow this advice.

High school graduation ISN'T a big deal though. And anyway, I don't indicate my feelings through my clothes, except that I want to be comfortable. I speak or write my feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people take nice group family photos at graduation or the graduation luncheon. I would probably wear a nice day dress and sandals, similar to what I would wear to afternoon tea with my girlfriends.

Lol, okay well I'm not going to "afternoon tea" with anyone. We apparently are ... very different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Jeans, nice sneakers, and a nicer top that I'd wear to work (a step up from a t-shirt). My kid's HS graduation is not about me.

Way to send the message to your kid that their graduation is no big deal. OP, please don’t follow this advice.

a lot of kids wear shorts under their gown.