Short graduation dresses for the stage and the dinner after

When your school has rules about hemlines

Some schools want nothing showing under the gown. Others honestly don’t care. Read the rules before your fitting, and if there’s any doubt, go to the knee.

Our burgundy velvet with a half-circle skirt stops right there. From the front it’s a closed look with a round neck and long cuffed sleeves. Turn around, though, and there’s a cutout on the back. Nobody on the stage will know. Your cousins at dinner will.

The emerald velvet has the same skirt. It flares out on every spin once the music starts.

A tape measure, a folding chair and your robe

Minis vary more than you’d think. Our blue marble velvet mini is 87 cm long, and the blue velvet turtleneck measures 88 cm from the shoulder. Hold a tape against yourself at home and you’ll see exactly where each one ends on you.

Then sit. You’ll spend a couple of hours in a folding chair listening to names, so at the fitting, sit down and cross your legs. A short graduation dress that creeps up when you do that isn’t the one.

Knits are easy here. The beige rib knit mini stretches, so take your usual size with no extra room. Each style comes in XS to XL. Our M lands somewhere around a US 6–8.

A December hall or a lawn in June

Winter ceremonies are where angora-blend knit pays off. Our milky turtleneck mini in angora keeps your neck warm under the robe, and you can leave the scarf in the car. For the party after, lurex is the fun one. The purple sparkly mini shimmers every time you move.

Graduating in summer? We sew satin wraps for warm weather, like an emerald one in polyester with elastane and long sleeves. They come back to the page with the warm months, so plan a little ahead if you’ve got your heart set on one.

Frequently asked questions

Will a mini look too casual at the family dinner?

Not in velvet or lurex. Both look dressed up with almost nothing added, small earrings at most.

Heels or flats for walking across the stage?

A low block heel. You’re climbing steps in front of everyone, and thin stilettos catch on the edges.

Can I wear a short graduation dress under a light gown?

Sure. Pick a darker color if the robe is thin, so nothing shows through in photos taken in the sun.

Is there a page with just white or just red?

Yes. Here are the white minis for commencement, our red dresses for the ceremony, and the whole graduation page if you’d like to see longer styles too.