Voting for TSRs Ultimate Study Playlist is NOW OPEN >>

Buying second hand graduation outfit

Hi there,

My graduation is coming up in August and I'd like to try and buy a gown, a cap and a hood second hand. Buying new and even renting is pretty expensive and I'd like to keep my outfit if I can. Has anyone had any luck doing this? When do they usually start going up for sale?

Apparently the items have to be from Ede & Ravenscroft. I've looked online but the few gowns that are on Ebay seem to be way too short or quite old (I've seen decades-old gowns being sold for the same price as new ones.) Would a size 54 roughly be ok if I am 5ft 9"?

Any advice or similar experiences appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Davenursing

You don’t buy graduation gowns. You usually hire.

I’ve attended many graduations and Ede and RavenCroft’s team are beyond excellent. Gowns are clean, pressed, and fitted on the day, the last thing you’d want is it to up to graduation and your your gown not match the graduating class.

The truth of the situation is your unlikely to use your gown again, unless your appointed in academia.

Reply 2

martin7

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,
My graduation is coming up in August and I'd like to try and buy a gown, a cap and a hood second hand. Buying new and even renting is pretty expensive and I'd like to keep my outfit if I can. Has anyone had any luck doing this? When do they usually start going up for sale?
Apparently the items have to be from Ede & Ravenscroft. I've looked online but the few gowns that are on Ebay seem to be way too short or quite old (I've seen decades-old gowns being sold for the same price as new ones.) Would a size 54 roughly be ok if I am 5ft 9"?
Any advice or similar experiences appreciated :smile:

As @Davenursing says, you'd normally hire a gown from your university's official supplier for your graduation ceremony -- in most cases people would never again need to wear academic dress, unless you go on to be an academic. Even then you'd only get dressed up for formal academic occasions (e.g. graduation ceremonies).

I've personally only worn academic dress twice. First at my own graduation ceremony; and the second time for photos with my parents and my brother after his graduation the following year.

I suspect the reason most second-hand gowns are a similar price to new ones is that the second-hand ones have barely been worn and are effectively "nearly-new".

Reply 3

Davenursing

@martin7 - your so right.

Save the cost of the gown for a fabulous dress or suit to wear to graduation, or put towards a cheeky bottle of champers or a hearty lunch.

Reply 4

McGinger

Why do you want to own a cap/gown - you will never use them again.

Reply 5

Voxdei

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,
My graduation is coming up in August and I'd like to try and buy a gown, a cap and a hood second hand. Buying new and even renting is pretty expensive and I'd like to keep my outfit if I can. Has anyone had any luck doing this? When do they usually start going up for sale?
Apparently the items have to be from Ede & Ravenscroft. I've looked online but the few gowns that are on Ebay seem to be way too short or quite old (I've seen decades-old gowns being sold for the same price as new ones.) Would a size 54 roughly be ok if I am 5ft 9"?
Any advice or similar experiences appreciated :smile:

Been told that porters have spare gowns in their "lodges" - don't buy any. Lots of Chinese students having their photos taken with the obligatory teddy bear - buy the gowns off them once they go - or plan to buy them.

Reply 6

MJ1148

Original post by Davenursing

You don’t buy graduation gowns. You usually hire.
I’ve attended many graduations and Ede and RavenCroft’s team are beyond excellent. Gowns are clean, pressed, and fitted on the day, the last thing you’d want is it to up to graduation and your your gown not match the graduating class.
The truth of the situation is your unlikely to use your gown again, unless your appointed in academia.

Original post by martin7

As @Davenursing says, you'd normally hire a gown from your university's official supplier for your graduation ceremony -- in most cases people would never again need to wear academic dress, unless you go on to be an academic. Even then you'd only get dressed up for formal academic occasions (e.g. graduation ceremonies).
I've personally only worn academic dress twice. First at my own graduation ceremony; and the second time for photos with my parents and my brother after his graduation the following year.
I suspect the reason most second-hand gowns are a similar price to new ones is that the second-hand ones have barely been worn and are effectively "nearly-new".

Original post by Davenursing

@martin7 - your so right.
Save the cost of the gown for a fabulous dress or suit to wear to graduation, or put towards a cheeky bottle of champers or a hearty lunch.

I saw that there is an option to hire the gown and having done more research since I started this thread, I think you're right. I just would have preferred to be able to own my outfit if possible, considering it's not exactly cheap to hire anyway (£45 for a few hours) and they clearly keep their resale value. I'm also doing a master's so I thought I may be able to reuse it, but the gown seems to be different anyway. I've managed to get a mortar board for a good price, but I agree it's too risky to buy a random gown online and have it not match the others. The vast majority of them are literally from the 1980s/90s being sold for crazy prices.

Reply 7

Davenursing

A gown will cost you a minimum of £125, the hood £75 plus, rigid mortar £105.

Often universities will require you to only wear items from E & R. Usually because they want to make sure everyone to be identical. It's part of the effect.

Reply 8

MJ1148

Original post by McGinger

Why do you want to own a cap/gown - you will never use them again.

Plenty of reasons, including that hiring a new gown is a rip-off anyway and I wanted to know if I had other options. Regardless, I didn't include any details about my situation in my original post so I could well be planning a life in academia.