Unless you are wearing white robes, come dressed in whatever you want with your grad robe over it. What are they going to do? Lift it up and check?
Actually, depending on the school's strictness, they might...
Bright and/or dark colors WILL show under a white robe, and that does look bad. For my HS graduation (where I HAD to wear a white robe... grrrr) I just wore the shortest most inappropriate little barely-covering-my-butt "babydoll" dress that I owned. (Of course, I actually like wearing tights, stockings, pantyhose or whatever you call them so that didn't bother me at all.)
This was partially because I knew wearing it to school would have gotten me sent home to change into something "more appropriate" on any other day. It was also the only outfit I owned that was light enough to not show through the uber-cheap almost see-through robes the school forced us to shell out $40 for...
For college, I wore ripped jeans and my favorite purple shirt under my grad robes out of spite because they screwed me out of being able to give a speech. (Yes, I'm still bitter about that) I was wearing a black robe anyway, so they couldn't tell. I practically RAN across the stage. Couldn't get out of there fast enough... But one picture, you can see the jeans and sneakers under the robe...
I feel it is an accurate reflection of how I felt about my college by the time I graduated.
But enough about me.
In life, sometimes you'll have to suck it up and deal with dressing "like a girl". They want you to dress like a "respectable" adult, and it's their dog-and-pony show, so you have to. I agree with the suggestion of a light-colored "professional" pants-suit. Just get a pair of knee-high hose, and pretend they're REALLY thin socks. It's not a skirt, but also not disrespectful of the "adult" atmosphere they're trying to convey the way a white leather micro-miniskirt would be... ;-)
If all else fails, go get a swishy white dress you can dye another color later. (Cotton takes dye best.) And wear a pair of light-colored hose with white or tan fishnets over them. Fishnets make everything better. *nods*
It's just one day, and you can change into something "normal" as soon as the ceremony's over and you have the diploma in-hand.
Re: oh dear, what to wear?
Actually, depending on the school's strictness, they might...
Bright and/or dark colors WILL show under a white robe, and that does look bad. For my HS graduation (where I HAD to wear a white robe... grrrr) I just wore the shortest most inappropriate little barely-covering-my-butt "babydoll" dress that I owned. (Of course, I actually like wearing tights, stockings, pantyhose or whatever you call them so that didn't bother me at all.)
This was partially because I knew wearing it to school would have gotten me sent home to change into something "more appropriate" on any other day. It was also the only outfit I owned that was light enough to not show through the uber-cheap almost see-through robes the school forced us to shell out $40 for...
For college, I wore ripped jeans and my favorite purple shirt under my grad robes out of spite because they screwed me out of being able to give a speech. (Yes, I'm still bitter about that) I was wearing a black robe anyway, so they couldn't tell. I practically RAN across the stage. Couldn't get out of there fast enough... But one picture, you can see the jeans and sneakers under the robe...
I feel it is an accurate reflection of how I felt about my college by the time I graduated.
But enough about me.
In life, sometimes you'll have to suck it up and deal with dressing "like a girl". They want you to dress like a "respectable" adult, and it's their dog-and-pony show, so you have to. I agree with the suggestion of a light-colored "professional" pants-suit. Just get a pair of knee-high hose, and pretend they're REALLY thin socks. It's not a skirt, but also not disrespectful of the "adult" atmosphere they're trying to convey the way a white leather micro-miniskirt would be... ;-)
If all else fails, go get a swishy white dress you can dye another color later. (Cotton takes dye best.) And wear a pair of light-colored hose with white or tan fishnets over them. Fishnets make everything better. *nods*
It's just one day, and you can change into something "normal" as soon as the ceremony's over and you have the diploma in-hand.