What should I wear to my dissertation or thesis defense?

Around early April, this question is basically hanging in the air in our grad office (okay, maybe I put it there). I’ve watched so many grad students come and go, write frantically, and, for 15-30 minutes, pace the hallway while their committee decides if they have passed their defense. And during that time, I’ve seen a whole lot of defense outfits. So, what to wear? Now updated for 2022!

Here are my two biggest tips for defense outfits:

• This is a chance to be seen as a colleague with your professors, so dress like your professors. If your department wears suits, wear a suit. If you department is business casual, go business casual! Now, you might run into the problem here that some of your committee members just do not give any cares sartorially (if you live in an outdoorsy town, like I did, people could be in hiking shorts). In this case, I suggest dressing one level above whatever the department norm is. If everyone is in shorts, a full suit won’t be necessary, but a button up shirt and dress pants can be a nice touch.
• The defense is long and stressful: don’t wear clothes that will make it worse. If you have to stand and give a presentation, don’t pick shoes that hurt. If you will be seated, consider if certain items will make you have to sit very carefully (I’m a tall person so I have to watch it with pencil skirts). If you get sweaty when nervous, maybe don’t layer a wool sweater under your blazer. The best clothes are the clothes you don’t have to think about.

Ok, aside from that, let’s consider some ways I’ve seen people add their personal style to the defense outfit.

Get funky: The first school of thought here seems to be to go all out–somewhere between business formal and a festive party, there are the grad students in my department who have opted for the power suit.

Colorful suits: I had a friend defend her MA thesis in a seersucker suit, which was goals. And she passed. So, if you wear a power suit you will pass (#logicalfallacies). If you want a fun statement suit I find that ASOS has the best selection of affordable options, like this one. Or this Old Navy pink or seafoam green set!

Checkered suit: Nothing screams “I’m about to be an academic!” more than this. Here’s a checkered blazer you could wear again and again and a budget pick.

Keep it lowkey: The second choice, it seems, is to dress like it’s any other day. I get the psychology of this. It’s best to remain (or appear) calm. Showing up in a suit can feel overly conspicuous. In that case, may I suggest a smart statement piece, like fun shoes?

Silver loafers: The exclamation point at the end of any neutral outfit–would be fun with a black dress or pair of jeans.

Bright flats: These are fun in a super-saturated color and could add a modern look to any neutral outfit.

Be an outfit minimalist: The last school of thought can belong in any of these categories, and that’s the I-want-all-the-focus-on-my-ideas (and my ideas alone) group. I have been thinking a lot about how to dress for my defense, and I think this is where I’m at currently. But wanting all the focus on my dissertation ideas isn’t the same as not caring how I dress–I know, I know, “it shouldn’t matter how you look!” but it does. Even if the faculty in the room aren’t there to judge my outfit, I need my outfit to look good and feel definitively unfussy, so I can do my job. So with that, here are my current picks for looking like a “casual boss” during my defense. Not quite business. Not quite jeans. Just me, ready to graduate.

Jumpsuit: This one is on its way to me right now after a friend suggested that I try a power jumpsuit. Instagram try-on forthcoming.

Sheath Dress: A plain, well-fitting dress is always a good idea. I like the ruffles (and great reviews) on this one.

Shirtdress: This dress has real dress-up dress-down potential for teaching AND defending!

Which would you pick? Do you have a go-to power outfit combo I should try? Please share! And if you want more dressing in academia posts, here are my winter conference outfits, my month of professor outfits, and my top work clothing suggestions. Oh, and here’s what I actually ended up wearing to my dissertation defense.

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