As far as I can recall, graduation party attire has never been this fun and interesting for a long time. In the past, we all tended to wear clothes in solid, neutral colors with little or no embellishment.
But thankfully this seems to have changed. I'm thrilled that mothers of small children are dressing so nicely (albeit comfortably ... but that goes without saying when you have preschoolers!). Here are some highlights ...
Lots of women wore California Casual (this is the Golden State, after all!), which meant tees or tanks paired with jeans or shorts. But even these outfits were chic and appropriate.
April (Michael and Matteo's mom):
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I love the look of layered tanks! They're particularly cute with cargo shorts.
shorts: Gap
tanks: Wal-Mart
sunglasses: Fossil
Kasey (Isaiah and Lilli's mom):
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I really like the silvery embroidery on the tank ... I think such details make a simple top more festive.
tank, jeans: Target
Mrs. Rosa (Teacher and also Xavi and Rafi's mom):
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I want a pair of cool navy blue twill walking shorts like these! They can be dressed up or down and always look classic.
top: gift
shorts: Sears
sandals: Target
Carrie (Alexander and Olivia's mom):
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Walking shorts again, this time in denim. I really need to get a pair of these, but still haven't found any that look good on me. I love how the soft color of the tee is so flattering to her complexion.
Check out the lovely earrings:
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And the shooooes! I can only dream of walking in heels like this!
blouse: Ross
shorts: Gap
shoes: Victoria's Secret
earrings and bracelet: Target
Miss Christina (Teacher):
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I love the full cotton skirt! Paired with the melon-colored tank and elegant sandals, this is both laid-back and dressy.
tank, skirt, sandals: J. Jill
There were also a lot of lively prints, which looked fantastic in both neutrals and bright colors. I'm really excited about how popular prints are, these days.
Angela (Andruw and Haley's mom):
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A glamorous and ladylike outfit! I'm very fond of flared/pleated skirts. The black-and-white color scheme is classy and pretty, and the black patent heels are to die for!
blouse: Ross
skirt: Burlington Coat Factory
shoes: Macy's
jewelry: Claire's
Mrs. Linda (teacher):
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I just love the vivid, batik-like print of this blouse! It's really unique and elegant, and a perfect counterpart to the tailored, dark blue jeans. And those too-cute sandals are Crocs! Can you believe that?! I'm really taken with the new Crocs styles these days.
blouse: Ralph Lauren
jeans: Tommy Hilfiger
sandals: Crocs
cap: Wal-Mart
Erika (Van and Lena's mom):
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Another top with a vibrant print and gorgeous colors, which are set off really nicely by the capris. I think the black color of the capris takes them from casual to chic ('a la Audrey Hepburn).
A close-up of the print:
to: Nordstrom ("Cameo Appearance" brand)
capris: Dockers
sandals: Dansko
There were also a lot of ethnic/tribal prints, colors and styles which are big trends these days but also the choice of many women from South Asian countries, particularly India.
Here, from left to right: Jaya and Anupriya, grandmother and mother of Avanti (who's standing between them) and my own mother, our school director and principal:
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I love the mix of beautiful patterns here! Prints are more popular in India, whereas Sri Lankan women go for more solid colors. I, however, prefer the Indian choice of prints.
Jaya's Sari: Nalli (this multi-storeyed shop in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, is a veritable sari heaven! It's one of the biggest sari retailers in India)
Avanti's Dress: from India
Anupriya's top, pants and jewelry: JC Penney
My mother's top: JC Penney
pants: Gap
sandals: Teva via Nordstrom Rack
Shyamala (Vickram's mom):
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These kinds of "kurta" tops are very popular throughout South Asia. I like the subtle spice color and bronze embroidery of this sleeveless version, which sets it apart from the usual bright-hued, heavily-embroidered kurta tops. This one is perfect with denim.
I also really like how she matched the top with these adorable sandals! The colors are almost identical on both:
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top, sandals: Max retail store, Hyderabad, India
Priya (Swadhi and Shreya's mom):
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I went crazy over this shimmery kurta top! Priya got it in Chennai, India and paired it with American jeans. The dull gold embroidery and Nehru collar gives this a very '60s retro vibe, which I found so cool!
And Me!
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My beloved Patrick Robinson tunic dress from Target! I loooooove this dress and thought this graduation ceremony was the perfect occasion for it. The colors make it very versatile: I wear it in warmer months with sandals, but also in the cooler months with my dark brown boots and jacket.
dress: Target
sandals: Dolce Vita
