The Dress of Generations

Woven into 178 years of an unparalleled St. Mary’s education is 178 years of graduation dresses. A tradition as old as the school has generated thousands of ornate white dresses worn by St. Mary’s girls as they graduate. One of these dresses has been passed down for over four decades and worn at over seven graduation ceremonies.

This dress, along with every other, serves as a testament to the lasting heritage and tradition the school cultivates. Some have lace and some have ribbon. They have different necklines and various types of sleeves. Many are old, and many are new. But they all carry a legacy of love accompanying a St. Mary’s education.

For generations, these beautiful gowns have symbolized a significant milestone. Many graduates pass down their dresses to younger siblings, friends, and even their children years later, creating a lasting legacy of St. Mary’s girls.

The legacy of the dress worn at over seven graduations started with Lisa Schwandt ’81 when she first conceptualized and wore this gorgeous gown. 

“As a senior in high school, I loved one of the dresses Julie Christie wore in ‘Doctor Zhivago.’ I took a sketch of that dress to the woman who made my dress, and we worked on the design together,” Lisa said. 

Since then, five girls have altered and made the dress their own, but its essence has remained the same. The dress went from friend to friend, sister to sister, and even mother to daughter. 

After Lisa, Anna McQuiston ’88 graduated in the dress, followed by classmate Taylor Holden Taylor ’90 a few years later. Then, Anna’s sister, Reverend Katherine McQuiston Bush ’93, wore the same dress for her graduation. After that, Louisa Craddock Altman ’94 graduated in the very same dress. 

Decades later, Anna’s daughter, Caroline Holtzclaw ’24, donned this dress for her graduation ceremony, furthering the history of this sacred tradition.   

"Walking down the aisle in my mom’s dress felt like I was honoring both her and our shared history while also recognizing all the positive changes that have happened in the years since she went to St. Mary’s,” Caroline said.

"Walking down the aisle in my mom’s dress felt like I was honoring both her and our shared history." 

Holden Taylor ’25 added a new thread to the legacy, as she wore the same dress in the same chapel as the five women before her, including her mother, Taylor.

“It means so much to me that it was my mom's dress. Wearing the dress she wore when she graduated 35 years ago was a feeling like no other,” Holden said. “It just makes the whole tradition of graduation even more special than it already is.”

Not only did Holden graduate in her mother’s dress, but there was another parallel to her mother, Taylor’s, graduation ceremony. Winn Talbot ’36 was Holden’s flower girl this year, but decades earlier, Winn’s mother, Abby Yandell Talbot ’03, was Taylor’s flower girl. 

Taylor enjoyed reminiscing about her graduation as she watched her own daughter walk down the aisle. 

“I have wonderful memories of accepting my diploma in that dres, and to see Holden in it was very emotional and joyful,” Taylor said. “The fact that Holden’s flower girl was the daughter of my flower girl is incredibly sweet and would only happen at St. Mary's, where the community is so tightly knit and connected.”

"The fact that Holden’s flower girl was the daughter of my flower girl is incredibly sweet and would only happen at St. Mary's, where the community is so tightly knit and connected.”  

Holden sees a deeper symbolism in the dress — a common thread of sisterhood woven into the St. Mary’s community.

“I believe this dress symbolizes the traditions of sisterhood at St. Mary’s,” Holden said. “This ‘hand-me-down’ shows how our community and our passion for the school lasts for generations, and that’s why I love it.”

 

Written by Cam Hart ’23 and Wallis Rogin ’25