I am writing this with roughly a month left till graduation. I am so excited I can’t even put it into words. I can’t believe this chapter of my life is ending. I applied for graduation, reserved my spot for graduation commencement, bought my cap and gown, and …… finally bought my dress.
I don’t think anyone could have prepared me on the arduous journey of finding a graduation dress. I’ve graduated before, but this just feels different: it’s graduation season for my Bachelor’s degree – the achievement I’ve been seeking since I started school!
I’ve been dreaming of my graduation photos since I began attending USF – sitting on the Bull and popping a bottle of champagne. I want to look perfect to celebrate this event in my life.
But no one told me how hard it would be to find a graduation dress.
To fit with tradition, I first looked for a white dress, a staple in most graduations. I thought I’d look during spring break, and that it must be easy to avoid the graduation rush that starts closer to May.
I was mistaken. It took weeks!
I went to at least 10 stores. Macy’s, Nordstrom, JcPenney, Dillards, etc. I couldn’t find anything in white that felt like me, with dresses either feeling too formal or too casual, not meeting in the middle with what I wanted, a chic, but practical dress I could wear again. As I tried on dresses, I felt like I was in a 2000s teen movie makeover scene, but my clothes never got better.
I started scouring the internet for a dress but was worried about sizes, especially the hassle of returning clothes and making sure packages came on time. I even dm-ed a past Her Campus member (thank you so much!) for some ideas because I loved her dress.
I finally found my dress when I least expected it: on the sales rack. I ended up not even going with white but chose something that fit exactly my style and what I wanted for my graduation. Hopefully, my next article is about graduation photos, so I can share pictures of the dress!
For future graduates, I advise you to start looking for your dress early, because it sure is a challenge. Also, choose something that is your style, and maybe don’t go with tradition (i.e., a white dress) but instead with what you really want. It’s your amazing accomplishment, so the dress, or whatever you choose to wear, should be you!