Academic dress

A doctor of philosophy of the University of Oxford, in full academic dress
Academic dress of King's College London in different colours, designed and presented by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood

Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assume them (e.g., undergraduate students at certain old universities).[1] It is also known as academical dress,[2] academicals, or academic regalia.

Contemporarily, it is commonly seen only at graduation ceremonies, but formerly academic dress was, and to a lesser degree in many ancient universities still is, worn daily. Today, the ensembles are distinctive in some way to each institution, and generally consist of a gown (also known as a robe) with a separate hood, and usually a cap (generally either a square academic cap, a tam, or a bonnet). Academic dress is also worn by members of certain learned societies and institutions as official dress.[3][4]

  1. ^ Shaw (1995), p. 3
  2. ^ "Cox, N. (2000). Academical dress in New Zealand". Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  3. ^ e.g. Burgon Society: Robes Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "History and Archives of the American College of Surgeons; Highlight of the Month October 10, 2005; The Clinical Congress: Then and Now, accessed 01/29/2008". Facs.org. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2010.