Academic dress of King's College London describes the robes, gowns, and hoods worn by undergraduates, graduates and associates of King's College London. After being vested the power to award its own degrees from the University of London in 2006, [1] graduates began wearing King's College London academic dress in 2008.
Prior to 2008, the Academic dress of King's was similar to that of the University of London's which, like most academic dress, is based on medieval attire. Graduates of the University of London have been formally presented to the Chancellor of the university since 1849, and the first public presentation of the university was held at King's Great Hall in 1850. [2] From 1903 to 1992 this university ceremony was continued in the Royal Albert Hall, and King's first held its own ceremony in 1989. [2] In 1995, the University of London granted some of its constituent colleges the power to confer degrees on behalf of the university. [2]
In 2007, in line with the evolution of the university's constituent colleges, King's successfully petitioned the Privy Council for its degree-awarding powers in its own right; these powers were first used in 2008. [2] Such development in securing its own degree-awarding powers brought the need for King's to design its own academic dress. During the transition phase, global fashion icon Dame Vivienne Westwood was approached by Patricia Rawlings, Baroness Rawlings, then Chairperson of King's College London, to design an academic gown of the institution. [3] Working with Ede & Ravenscroft, the producers of the academic dress, the Westwood-designed academic dresses for King's College London have been unveiled in 2008. On the gowns, Vivienne Westwood commented: "Through my reworking of the traditional robe I tried to link the past, the present and the future. We are what we know." [3]
The 'new' academic gowns were showcased at the first graduation of summer 2008, where Westwood and former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lord Smith of Finsbury were among those wearing the gowns as they received their King's College London Honorary Fellowships. [3]
Westwood-designed academic dress features two long (4') stole-like streamers which serve as gown facings. There is no neckband. [4] Westwood's unique but unifying style for King's academic dress is the King's College London lion gold button on each shoulder. [5] Influenced by University of London's tradition, being the first university in the world to devise a system of academic dress based on faculty colours, [6] the gowns and hoods have been designed with colours that reflect the university's faculties/schools/institutes of study and the level of the degree. [5] Owing to its unique shape, the hood cannot be folded flat. [4] The hood may be made with a neckband but this is strictly for use by clergy who require to wear the hood over a surplice and are not to be used for university ceremonies.
The scheme does not provide for a hat, though mortarboards may be hired for the day or provided for photography (they are not allowed to be worn during graduation ceremonies).
The King's gowns and hoods have been designed with colours to reflect the academic faculties or schools. [3]
All hoods and gowns for first degrees are black, lined with a certain colour. Graduates are distinguished by the colour lining of the hood and stole, which denotes the respective Faculty, School or Institute. [7]
Postgraduate master's level graduates wear black gowns with hood, lined with a certain colour. A colour lining is also present on the sleeves. As with first degree recipients, the Faculty/School/Institute is denoted by the colour. [7]
For Master of Philosophy (MPhil), graduates wear a black gown, and a black hood attached to the gown on each shoulder with a King's lion button; the sleeve vents, cape and cowl are bound in blue with the binding extending over the shoulders. [2]
For research degree [i.e., PhD/MD (Res)] graduates wear a dark red gown, and a dark red hood attached to the gown on each shoulder with a King's lion button; the sleeve vents, cape and cowl are bound in blue with the binding extending over the shoulders. [2] Using the Groves classification system, such research graduates wear a King's Full [f12] shape gown of deep red cloth, with stole of purple silk. The sleeves are held back by purple linings and gold buttons. The hood is lined with fully lined with purple silk.
Specialist doctors (EdD/DClinPsy/DHC/DrPS/DthMin) graduates wear a blue gown, and a blue hood attached to the gown on each shoulder with a King's lion button. The sleeve vents, cape and cowl are bound in dark red with the binding extending over the shoulders; a King's Full [f12] shape gown of deep blue cloth, with stole of red silk. The hood is fully lined with red silk.
Students graduating who have also completed the tradition of Associateship of King's College (AKC), will wear as part of their academic gown a black epitoge with a golden embroidery of the university's lion 'Reggie', buttoned to the left shoulder.
The epitoge is a short streamer of black fabric that matches the fabric of King's gowns. [8]
PG certificate and diploma recipients wear black gowns with King's Simple hood [s12]. [4]
The various officers of King's wear their official robes, while members of the academe wear the academic dress of the university from which they graduated; such would include that of other universities in the UK as well as around the world. [2]
Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree, or hold a status that entitles them to assume them. It is also known as academical dress, academicals, and, in the United States, as academic regalia.
The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, which continues to the present day.
The academic dress of Durham University has many similarities with that of other older British universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Most colleges of Durham University insist on gowns being worn on formal occasions, including matriculation and formal halls (dinners); exceptions are Van Mildert, St Cuthbert's Society, Collingwood, Stephenson, St Aidans, and The College of St Hild and St Bede. Some colleges also insist on their being worn to Junior Common Room meetings, and they are often seen in college chapels. At formal halls, only gowns are worn and doctors normally wear their undress gowns; for more ceremonial occasions full-dress gowns and hoods are worn by graduates. Until 1990, the General Regulations of university 'recommended' the wearing of gowns by members of the university when attending divine service at the Cathedral – but this is now left to individual choice apart from at certain services. Gowns are also customarily worn to meetings of the university Senate by members of that body.
The academic dress of the former University of Wales was designed for the first graduations in 1893, and has as its main identifying feature a faculty colour scheme involving 'shot silks'.
The University of Cambridge has a long tradition of academic dress, which it traditionally refers to as academical dress. Almost every degree which is awarded by the University has its own distinct gown in addition to having its own hood. Undergraduates wear college gowns, which are all subtly different; these differences enable the wearer's college to be determined. Academic dress is worn quite often in Cambridge on formal, and sometimes informal, occasions, and there are a number of rules and customs governing when and how it is worn. Black gowns (undress) are worn at less formal events, while on special occasions full academical dress is worn, consisting of gown, hood and headdress with Doctors in festal dress. The University's officials also have ancient forms of academic dress, unique to the University.
The academic dress prescribed by the University of Bristol is a mixture of that prescribed by Cambridge and Oxford. Bristol has chosen, for graduates, to mainly specify Oxford-style gowns and Cambridge-style hoods. Unlike many British universities, the hood itself is to be "University red", lined with a specified colour. University red is defined to be Pantone 187. Bristol also specifies that undergraduates are to wear gowns "of the approved pattern" in certain circumstances, although the pattern itself is not specified. This is not too important since, in practice, undergraduates are only required to be gowned when graduating or at dinner as a member of Wills Hall.
Academic dress at the University of St Andrews involves students wearing distinctive academic gowns whilst studying at the University of St Andrews. Undergraduate gowns in Scotland were once common at all the ancient universities of Scotland, with each having its own distinctive style. St Andrews undergraduates wear either a scarlet gown if they are part of the United College and studying in the Faculties of Arts, Medicine and Science, or a black gown if they are part of St Mary's College and studying in the Faculty of Divinity.
The academic and official dress of the University of Warwick dates originally from the mid-1960s, shortly after the university's foundation. Despite persistent offers from Charles Franklyn the theatrical costume designer Anthony Powell was commissioned to design robes for officials and graduates of the university. Due to pressure of other work, and some apparent differences of opinion, Powell withdrew from the project, and the robes for graduates subsequently designed in consultation with J. Wippell and Company of Exeter, with Ede and Ravenscroft designing and making the robes for officials.
Academic dress of the University of London describes the robes, gowns and hoods which are prescribed by the university for its graduates and undergraduates.
There are a number of universities in Queensland, Australia, all with distinct academic dress.
Undergraduate gowns are a notable feature of academic dress for students at the ancient universities in Scotland.
The University of Leeds, like other universities in the United Kingdom and many other countries throughout the world, has its own unique system of academic and ceremonial dress for undergraduates, graduates and senior officials. As at most other universities, graduands will wear the gown, hood and hat appropriate to the degree they are about to receive. All of the graduates' hoods incorporate one or more shades of green, and the Doctors of Philosophy, Education and Clinical Psychology are unique in the UK in having a green full-dress gown.
Academic dress at the University of Edinburgh is compulsory at official ceremonial occasions, such as graduation and the installations of Rector and Chancellor, and otherwise optional, usually only worn for events.
Academic dress prescribed at the Trinity College Dublin follows a relatively complex protocol which, nonetheless, shares some particular characteristics with other universities in Ireland and with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Academic dress of the University of Manchester describes the gowns, hoods and headwear which are prescribed by the university for its graduates and officers.
Graduates and associates of Imperial College London wear its academic dress. After gaining its independence from the University of London in 2007, graduates began wearing Imperial academic dress in 2008. The unifying colour for Imperial's academic dress is purple after the work by William Henry Perkin.
The academic dress of the United Kingdom and Ireland has a long history and has influenced the academic dress of America and beyond. The academic square cap was invented in the UK as well as the hood which developed from the lay dress of the medieval period.
The academic dress of McGill University describes the caps, gowns and hoods which are prescribed by the university for its degree candidates/holders. Until the mid-20th century, McGill also prescribed academic dress for its matriculating or enrolled students as well as its faculty. Founded in 1821, McGill University is consistently ranked as one of Canada's preeminent universities, and among the top 20 universities in the world.
An epitoge is a garment worn over the left shoulder that sometimes forms part of academic or court dress.
The academic dress of the University of Tasmania describes the formal attire of robes, gowns and hoods prescribed by the ordinance of academic dress of the University of Tasmania. The ordinance prescribes the Oxford style for the gowns and hoods for both undergraduate and postgraduate academic dress.
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