What to wear under your graduation gown

Standing, the gown frames you like a long open coat. Moving, it parts: on the stairs up to the stage, as you sit, on the walk to the centre while your name is read. Three parts of what you wear stay visible for most of the day, and they are the parts the camera finds.

Then there is the colour you don't choose. LSE's academic colours are purple, black and gold, and its dress carries them: bachelor's and master's graduates wear a black gown with a hood in purple and gold, and doctors wear a purple gown trimmed in black and gold. That is already a strong, regal palette, so the best outfits give it space rather than add to it.

Plan for time on your feet. You collect your tickets in the Old Building, cross campus for photographs at the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, and take your seat at the Peacock Theatre half an hour ahead. An hour or more of ceremony follows, then the drinks reception in the Marshall Building. Between those, you are outdoors on the streets around Houghton Street.

Dress for the round you are in. London's long-term averages, from the Met Office station at Heathrow, put December between about 3 and 9°C, and frost is common, on around seven days a month. July runs from about 14 to 24°C, with nearly four times the sunshine. In winter, bring a coat you can hand to a guest during the ceremony, because LSE has nowhere on campus for bags.

On camera, contrast is what counts. A light colour near the hood shows up cleanly against a black gown, while a black outfit under a black gown merges into one dark shape. Dark clothes still work if something lighter sits at the neck: a pale collar, a light top, or a scarf you remove before the pictures.

Shapes that follow the body hold their own under a gown. The gown adds volume, so a loose, floaty dress tends to disappear beneath it, while something fitted still looks like an outfit when the front opens. A short fitted dress stands out most against the black; an ankle-length slip in satin or crepe is softer, and moves well on the walk to the middle of the stage.

For December, look for warmth without bulk: fine-gauge knitwear, sleeves in a thin fabric, tights. Save the thick layers for your coat. Under a gown, they make you look wider in every photograph.

Next to purple and gold, white and ivory are the safest choices: they brighten the purple and let the gold edge catch the light. Champagne and blush are softer. Emerald, teal and sapphire contrast with the purple, so they look deliberate rather than clashing; a doctor in a purple gown can wear them just as well, or keep it simple in black.

Pick shoes for the stage first and the photographs second. You climb steps to the stage, walk to its centre as your name is read, and leave down the steps on the other side, in front of the whole theatre. Heels you have already worn on stairs are fine, as are block heels and smart flats; leave untested stilettos for another day.

Your hair has more freedom at LSE than you might expect. LSE tradition is that hats aren't worn on stage, so you leave yours on your seat or carry it in your left hand as you cross. Choose a style you like with and without it, and keep jewellery small: the hood takes up the space around your neck.

Begin with a suit cut to you: snug at the shoulder, shaped at the waist, trousers that just meet the shoe. Navy and charcoal are the reliable choices against a black gown, and mid-grey works too; all three leave the purple and gold to stand out. December calls for wool and a proper overcoat. For July, choose a lighter cloth in a pale neutral, which stays formal without the heat.

Without a suit, tailored trousers with a pressed shirt and tie still count as formal clothing, and a waistcoat gives the look a shape when there is no jacket. Think about what is visible: the gown hides your back, so the front of the shirt, the tie and the trousers do the talking.

LSE recommends a shirt with buttons, and the reason is practical: it is what keeps the hood in place. A hood drifts when you move, and a button gives you something to anchor it to. A couple of safety pins in your pocket are a good back-up.

The tie is where you can echo the hood. A muted purple, or a tie with a touch of gold, nods to LSE's colours without matching them exactly, and a plain navy tie is never wrong. Under a purple doctoral gown, keep the tie dark or gold and let the gown do the work.

Shoes should be polished, broken in and dark: black or deep brown leather, laced or loafer. In December, pick a sole with some grip for wet pavements. Keep the shirt tucked so the outfit stays sharp when the gown parts, and wear a plain watch, since the sleeve ends just above it in the pictures.