What are you wearing? Have you asked it… been asked? The big celebration and culmination of your 12 YEARS of schooling, 18 years of your life is coming up and we know you’re all excited about how good you’re going to look in the big flowy zip up gown and that studly fat cap… but the real question is how do you make that thing look GOOD?! Well, just like everything else – from the inside-out, of course.

We’ve seen a LOT of graduations over 15 years in business and have some tips for you guys to rock the grad look.

1. Hair

I just learned a new phrase from my fav podcaster Dax Shepard recently that applies here (in a round about way) “curls for the girls.” (He’s talking about biceps but I’m talking about hair). To balance out that big brim of a hat, I suggest opting for a curl look to add a little volume down below. And to get all the curls to lay perfectly once the hat is on, think about marking where the cap will lay when on with a bobby pin and focusing on curling BELOW that line (this will prevent any bulky curls right at the transition).

Don’t worry, if curls really aren’t your style, straight hair works too, but you’ll want to avoid that after graduation cap line in a straight look and can do so by swooping back a few pieces from your temple into a couple bobbi pins at the back, or if you’re #advanced, try a braid to pin pack in the same style.

Lastly for the cap, don’t forget the bobbi pins. Pinning the cap in place in your hair will not only make it feel more secure so you won’t be worried about it falling off at the worst time, but it will also mean you don’t have to wear it quite as low to have a firm fit which will avoid the super awkward hat line imprint straight across your forehead when you take it off (that’s not a fun look for anyone and nothing will make that thing fade so you’ll just have to wait it out).

2. Clothes

So what about under the gown? Well, first of all going ‘Patch Adams’ (you’re too young to know that reference but google it) is not recommended so here are the things to think about when choosing your graduation look:

• No lumps… ladies avoid dresses or shirts with puffy sleeves or large beaded accents around the neck/shoulders. When the gown is on this is just going to make it lumpy. Also avoid full skirts on your dress if you don’t want to rock the Cinderella step sister big booty look.
• Neck & Hem line… most graduation gowns will fall to well below your knees so most if not all of your dress hem line will be hidden and that’s ok. Long floor length dresses can add a bit too much to the look and you’ll want to keep it simple - there's already a LOT going on with the gown/cap/sashes! The top of your dress neckline may show though! Be aware of that and decide if you’d like to choose a high neckline to show off the dress or keep it lower and hidden and accent the look with a nice necklace.
• Color… Most schools have at least 2 school colors and they’re usually pretty BOLD. If so, stick to neutrals in your dress (white/black/grey/cream/etc.) this will let your school colors shine and avoid any color clash, BUT if your school has a muted or neutral color for the robes (black/navy), you can get away with going bold underneath to add a little flavor and style to the look.
• GUYS, your shirt collar will almost always show so be sure to think carefully about the pattern/color of the shirt you choose and consider a tie to class it up even further. I nearly always suggest a SOLD simple color collared shirt with tie unless your robes are black and then go bold on the color of shirt if you'd like a little signature style.

Lastly, we suggest considering a formal cap & gown portrait. This really is a big milestone in your lives and we’d love to help you celebrate!