What to wear under your graduation gown

A graduation gown hangs open down the front. Stand still and it frames you; walk, sit or climb the steps to the stage and it swings apart. That leaves three parts of your outfit in view all day, and in almost every photograph.

Then there's the hood. Every Sheffield hood is green, and the colour that changes is your faculty's: a bachelor's hood is half-lined with white fur and edged in it, a master's hood is silk and lined in it throughout. Social Sciences is lemon yellow, Science apricot, Engineering purple, Arts and Humanities crushed strawberry (cream brocade for music degrees), and Health red, pale rose pink or cerise, depending on the degree. Green with one bright accent is a colour scheme before you've chosen a thing.

Plan for a long day on your feet. The university suggests arriving on campus two hours before your ceremony: robes and official photographs are on Level 4 of the Students' Union, and you're in your seat in the Octagon 40 minutes before the start. The ceremony itself runs 45 to 90 minutes, and afterwards everyone spills out onto the concourse to find their families.

Dress for the month, too. Sheffield's official weather station sits in Weston Park, just along Western Bank, and its records are clear about both seasons. Winter ceremonies, for postgraduates, fall in January: 2 to 7°C on average, with frost on around seven nights a month. Summer ceremonies, for undergraduates, are in July: 13 to 21°C, with four times January's sunshine. Either way, plan a coat or jacket that a guest can hold while you're inside.

On camera, contrast does the work. A colour that stands apart from the black gown shows up cleanly in photographs; one too close to black disappears into it. Dark outfits still work, as long as something lighter sits near the hood: a shirt, a neckline, a scarf you take off for the photos.

Close-fitting shapes work best. The gown adds volume of its own, so a loose, flowing dress tends to vanish beneath it, while something that follows the body still reads as an outfit when the gown opens. A fitted mini or a bodycon midi gives the sharpest contrast with the formal black; a satin or crepe slip to the ankle is softer, and moves beautifully on the walk across the stage.

For a January ceremony, choose warmth you can photograph: a fitted knit dress, long sleeves in a fine fabric, opaque or sheer tights. Keep the bulk in your coat rather than under the gown, where it adds width in every picture.

Against the hood, white and ivory are the surest choices: they make the green look richer and let your faculty colour stand out on its own. Blush and champagne flatter the warmer shades (crushed strawberry, apricot, the Health pinks), and soft blues and lilacs sit well with lemon yellow and purple. For a deeper look, sapphire, plum and navy all work with green without competing.

Choose shoes for the stage before you choose them for the photos. Crossing it means a short flight of steps up, a walk across the platform and a flight down the other side, with the whole hall watching. A block heel, a slim heel you've already worn on stairs or a pointed flat all manage it; brand-new stilettos are a gamble. In January, add some grip, because wet pavements and smooth soles don't mix.

Leave room for the cap. You'll lift it to the Presiding Officer as you cross, so a style that lets the mortarboard come off and settle back without a fight beats an elaborate one. Keep jewellery fine, small earrings or a delicate chain, because the hood already fills the neckline.

Start with a suit that fits properly: close through the shoulders and waist, with trousers hemmed to sit just on the shoe. Navy, charcoal and mid-grey all photograph well against the black gown, and they give the green hood a calm background. In January, wear wool and bring an overcoat; in July, a lighter weave in stone, sand or pale grey looks modern and stays formal.

No suit? Tailored trousers, a pressed shirt and a tie meet the same bar, and a waistcoat adds structure without a jacket. The gown covers your back and shoulders, so what people see is the shirt front, the tie and everything below the knee.

A buttoned, collared shirt matters more than usual, because it's what the hood rests on. Hoods shift as you walk and sit, and a shirt button gives you somewhere to anchor one that starts to slide.

Your tie is where the faculty colour can come in. A muted yellow for Social Sciences, apricot or coral for Science, a deep purple for Engineering, a berry shade for Arts and Humanities, a soft red or pink for Health: a toned-down version of the hood colour looks considered rather than matched. If you'd rather not, navy and silver grey go with every hood.

Shoes should be polished leather, oxfords, derbies or loafers in black or dark brown, and broken in before the day. Think of the steps up to the stage, too: a sole with a little grip is worth having in January. Tuck your shirt in so the outfit keeps its line when the gown opens, and keep the watch simple; it sits just below the sleeve in most photos.