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#1: Academic Gowns Author: Tiffany, Location: Is this a duck I see behind me?

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:35 am
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I notice in some of the later books that mistresses, while being 'official' and teaching, wear their BA or MA gowns. I guess this is the kind of detail that's cut in paperbacks, but I'm curious as to when the tradition started. Did they do it in Tyrol? Madge doesn't have a degree, does she? So was gown-wearing only standard after Madge left?

#2: Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:53 am
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I know it was common in schools in this country. My mother says her teachers at Grammar School still wore their gowns. I don't recollect it until Hilda Annersley starts to be more prominent.

#3: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:12 am
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My tutor at college always wore her gown for lecturing (the only one of our lecturers to do so), and she told me it wsa "to keep the chalk dust off my frock". Perhaps the staff do it for the same reason?

Or maybe they just started wearing them while the school was in England/Wales because that was what heppened in such schools at that time. I think most of the staff would have had some sort of qualification by then.

#4: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:37 am
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Teachers at our school only wore gowns on formal occasions such as Speech Day, but I know that when Mum and Dad were at school their teachers always wore gowns. I would have thought that those teachers with degrees would have worn them even in Tyrol, and that EBD just didn't mention it.

#5: Author: Maeve, Location: Romania

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:45 am
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In Ireland, my secondary school teachers in the 1970s and my college lecturers in the 1980s all use to wear black gowns.

They really are chalk magnets.

#6: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:00 am
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Ah, yes, they are chalk magnets, but when you teach in the coldest room in the school, they help to keep you warm.

#7: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:33 am
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My aunt wore hers in school up to a few years ago. She was very annoyed when it was abolished as she hated having to decide what to wear in the mornings and the gown used to hide her clothes. Smile

She taught in an Irish convent boarding school that now just takes day girls.

#8: Author: Róisín,

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:31 pm
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Yes a few of them did it in my secondary school too up til about 6 years ago. Citing the chalkdust thing too.

As regards Madge - I don't think she did wear one when she taught. Neither would Mlle LeP. Is there *any* mention of Hilda wearing hers before she became headmistress?

#9: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:23 pm
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Madge wouldn't have been allowed to wear one as she didn't have a degree. I don't known if Mlle Lepattre did or not, but I don't think so. I think whenever the gowns are mentioned, it's stated BA gown or MA gown.

I was annoyed that my university has very boring gowns, as when you wear formal academic wear, it has to be the version you graduated in.

#10: Author: Kat, Location: Kingston-upon-Thames/Swansea

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:39 pm
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A few of my teachers did in Comp. I only left 5 (5?! Can't believe it's that long ago Shocked

) years ago, summer of 2002.

One of the deputies (also my chemistry teacher) wore his nearly everyday. Thing he got a power trip from it though Confused

Can't see any of the CS lot needing power trips - they all had their good looks or famous (sarcastic) tongues! Laughing

#11: Author: Róisín,

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:48 pm
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I don't understand how it works in present day though. OK I only have Irish experience to base this on, but it seems that every university has its own colour code for the hoods of different disciplines - that there is no standard. And I hate the way we don't get to keep them Crying or Very sad

, not that I would have many situations to rewear them in...

#12: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:51 pm
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You can buy them, can't you? From Ede & Ravensworth. Don't know what they cost though!

ETA: Think they have lists of the different types of hood! My BA hood was pretty - red and white and silver!

#13: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:54 pm
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My gown went missing after one particularly drunken formal hall in my second year...

I never bothered going to my graduation so I didn't get another one but I remember getting a leaflet about it. I think they were around £30 but I may be completely making that up and that could have been some sort of special offer.

#14: Author: pim, Location: Londinium

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:58 pm
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KathrynW wrote:

I think they were around £30 but I may be completely making that up and that could have been some sort of special offer.

Unless that was the hire price? I vaguely recall it costing me (more or less) that to hire my gown for the day for grad where I had much fun being batpim in the St Andrews wind up and down the road outside the grad hall...

#15: Author: Ally, Location: John Bettany's Cabin!

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:02 pm
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I had the chance to either hire or buy the gown (and the hat and hood which comes seperately!) for both my graduations. I had a lovely brown colour both times!

#16: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:02 pm
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I think we could buy our gowns, but they were an extortionate price and I couldn't think when I'd ever wear mine again, so I didn't!

#17: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:10 pm
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pim wrote:

KathrynW wrote:

I think they were around £30 but I may be completely making that up and that could have been some sort of special offer.

Maybe that was it...but I do also recall looking at prices for buying a cambridge gown to replace my one but then maybe the normal cambridge gowns are cheaper than graduation gowns *is sadly ignorant of anything to do with her university*

That was, of course, the best thing about gowns, that you could pretend to be a bat. I'm sure Miss Annersley would agree Wink

#18: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:15 pm
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Ooh I really enjoyed my graduation, only bad thing was my friend measured my head wrong and my hat was a bit on the small side *lol*

Ede & Ravenscroft, not Ravensworth !

#19: Author: JackieP, Location: Kingston upon Hull

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:27 pm
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£30 will be the hire price - I remember mine being about that back in 2001. We had lovely green hoods (mint green though, not lime green), and fairly sensible gowns.

JackieP

#20: Author: Katherine, Location: London, UK

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:40 pm
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I paid £30 to hire mine. Ede and Ravenscroft must be raking it in as they seem to have a monopoly on gowns. And at £30 a time!

#21: Author: Clare, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:52 pm
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It's £30 to hire, around £160 to buy. I only know that because I did look at buying it, not sure whether my school would make me wear it for speech days. Did buy the hood (£70 - refrained from the £200+ real fur hood!!!!! Didn't think they'd be allowed.) when I graduated with my first, only because I had to wear the same again for my PGCE graduation.

#22: Author: Sarah_L, Location: Leeds

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:10 pm
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My commoners gown that I had to have during Oxford was £25 to buy, and then the mortarboard (which we had to have even though we weren't allowed to wear it) was another £25. A commoners gown isn't much more than an oversized waistcoast though - no sleeves. My graduation gown and hood cost £9 to hire for the ceremony through college. My hood was boring black, with white fur trim.

#23: Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:18 pm
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I hired mine for graduation - normal black stuff gown with open sleeves, and an "electrice blue" hood, which was in fact a pale silver colour.

The Aber ones are red, if I remember rightly, with an orange hood...

That'll be fetching then.

#24: Author: catherine, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:37 pm
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Mine was quite nice actually! It was blue and yellow - more gold than yellow though. No hood but a hat. I could have had two more graduation ceremonies since but I declined both times! Neither meant as much as my degree did.

#25: Author: Maisie, Location: St Albans, Herts, UK

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:42 pm
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My teachers used to wear their gowns on the last day of term and any special days (15 years ago eek Shocked

)

We had the same as Roisin in Scotland (Edinburgh) - I graduated with a green hood and white fur trim (fake I think?) which indicated the faculty of Science and Engineering, the other faculties had their own colours. Mine cost about £30 to hire too IIRC Laughing

#26: Author: Steph, Location: Buried under a pile of books

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:48 pm
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I've just ordered mine for my graduation in July and it cost £36 to hire the gown and mortarboard (sp?). Plain black, alas. I was rather hoping for lime green... Laughing

#27: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:17 pm
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I can't remember at all how much mine cost to hire now, but I really, really wish I'd bought it and not hired it. I have no idea how I'd go about getting one nowadays!

My hood was sea green - I didn't like it at the time but I'm rather fond of it now!

#28: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:26 pm
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I borrowed a gown and hood for my graduation, and my present gown is somewhere about, not sure where, and is definitely second-hand, or possibly more. it was more or less thrown at me by a colleague who was retiring with the words 'You might like this, it'll keep you warm in winter.'

#29: Author: Xanthe, Location: London/Cambridge

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:53 pm
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I think my gown was £30 to buy when I matriculated... Normally I think they are £40... And you can generally get them second hand... But then we use ours for Matric & formals & various other bits and THEN graduation. Have had to hire my fluffy hood though (which I think is costing about £13 or something)...

Last edited by Xanthe on Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

#30: Author: Rosie, Location: Brest. Still amuses me...

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:00 pm
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arky72 wrote:

I can't remember at all how much mine cost to hire now, but I really, really wish I'd bought it and not hired it. I have no idea how I'd go about getting one nowadays!

My hood was sea green - I didn't like it at the time but I'm rather fond of it now!

Were you at Bangor? I think ours are sea greenish...

#31: Author: Kat, Location: Kingston-upon-Thames/Swansea

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:04 pm
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I like the idea of firing your fluffly hood, Xan! Very Happy

#32: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:07 pm
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My mum bought me my gown and hood when I graduated on the premise that she was never going to have to buy me a wedding dress (A Disappointment To Her Mother Shocked

)!

At Uni we had to wear our undergrad gowns for the formal evening meal in Hall (very messy). I have loaned out my hood several times, but, having always taught in very egalitarian comps, have never once had the chance to wear it myself. Sad

The staff in my own school only ever wore them for school photos, I rather think because in those days subjects like PE and Domestic Science weren't degree subjects, so those staff didn't have them. Except for our Maths master, who used to wipe the board with his.
One thing I never understood about chalk was how it made your petticoats filthy! Confused

BTW, when I got married, about two years after graduating, I hired my wedding dress! Very Happy

#33: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:18 pm
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Tara wrote:

BTW, when I got married, about two years after graduating, I hired my wedding dress! Very Happy

Glad you added that Judith - was about to start asking questions! Wink

#34: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:08 am
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Rosie wrote:

arky72 wrote:

Were you at Bangor? I think ours are sea greenish...

I was! I was at Coleg Normal before it all became part of Bangor Uni.

#35: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 1:53 pm
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Rosy-Jess wrote:

I hired mine for graduation - normal black stuff gown with open sleeves, and an "electrice blue" hood, which was in fact a pale silver colour.

The Aber ones are red, if I remember rightly, with an orange hood...

That'll be fetching then.

Only the doctors gowns are red (and purple) I seem to recall - your gown will be black but it is rather better than my undergrad gown was thicker material and properly shaped across the shopulders and has a tabard behind the hood edged in orange and a fully lined hood - its actually rather nice and I enjoyed wearing mine - though it's heavy and my hood kept trying to strangle me in the wind!

#36: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:54 pm
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The last time I looked, the people with the monopoly here wanted $360 for a sale price doctoral gown. That's without the hood and hat. I'm still using the flimsy one made of kiddy Halloween costume material that came with my graduation fee 20 years ago. We only wear them once or twice a year, and I just can't see paying that kind of money or rental fees when I don't have to. I did finally spring for a new hat, though, as the old one kept falling off and disrupting the procession.

#37: Author: Rosie, Location: Brest. Still amuses me...

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:05 pm
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arky72 wrote:

I was! I was at Coleg Normal before it all became part of Bangor Uni.

Can you answer WHY it is called 'Normal'??

#38: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:26 pm
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This matches what I've been told about normal schools over here:

Quote:

normal school

NOUN: A school that trains teachers, chiefly for the elementary grades.
ETYMOLOGY: Translation of French école normale (so called because the first school so named was intended as a model) : école, school + normal, normal.

The American Heritage Dictionary

#39: Author: Rosie, Location: Brest. Still amuses me...

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:59 pm
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Golly, that's rather fine. Thank you Kathy! My mother asks about it EVERY time we drive past...

#40: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:26 pm
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Kathy_S wrote:

This matches what I've been told about normal schools over here:

Quote:

The American Heritage Dictionary

Well, I knew it was something to do with schools training teachers!

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