Where does the custom of wearing a robe and a ridiculous hat with a tassel for graduation originate?

gmackematix

The gown and mortarboard (known collectively at Oxford as subfusc) is thought to have derived from clerical garb. Despite what Wikipedia says I have never known anyone in the UK call mortarboards "trenchers". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortarboard May 19 05, 5:55 PM

cobb367

The origins of academic regalia remain an open question; paintings of non-clerics, in non-academic situations, from the 14th-16th centuries include gowns and caps that are quite similar to those worn by academics today. The site I give below, put together by a university to which I have a close connection, offers some information on the subject, plus colors of hoods and their connections to various disciplines. Lanfranco wishes me to point out that certain U.S. universities have fantastic doctoral robes: Johns Hopkins' PhDs wear shimmering gold satin; those from the University of Hawaii are splendid in emerald green; and the doctoral graduates of Princeton wear Halloween orange and black velvet. Lanfranco's robes are clay-red with royal-blue velvet, but she is convinced that the UC-Berkeley grads have the most elegant robes of all: deep blue-violet with subtle gold trim. This is a fun subject, and many universities publish information about it in their graduation programs each year. These can usually be found online. http://www.upenn.edu/commencement/hist/costume.html Here's another helpful site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress May 19 05, 8:08 PM

peasypod

Incidently, I find the origins (or lack thereof) of the liripipe (the long tail on an academics hood) also quite intriguing. May 19 05, 8:31 PM