An epitoge is a garment worn over the left shoulder that sometimes forms part of
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
or
court dress
Court dress comprises the style of clothes and other attire prescribed for members of courts of law. Depending on the country and jurisdiction's traditions, members of the court ( judges, magistrates, and so on) may wear formal robes, gowns, ...
.
Background
The epitoge is descended from the
chaperon, a mediaeval hat that descended from a cloak with a
hood
Hood may refer to:
Covering
Apparel
* Hood (headgear), type of head covering
** Article of academic dress
** Bondage hood, sex toy
* Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt
Anatomy
* Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris
* Hood, a flap of ...
with the head tucked into the opening of the
cowl
A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks.
Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...
, so that the long tail or
liripipe
A liripipe ()Also spelled liri-, lerri-, lyri- lirry- leery- leerepoop(e)/ pope, liri-, lyri-, luri-, leripup, lirripippes, liripipy, liripipion, and liripion. is an element of clothing, the tail of a hood or cloak, or a long-tailed hood. The mode ...
and the abbreviated
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
hung at opposite sides of the head (wearer's right and wearer's left respectively). Over time, the cape portion was reduced to a small pleated flap and the cowl was curled up into a
roundel
A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...
, and it then became the practice to wear the garment over the left shoulder rather than on the head, with the narrow liripipe in front and the wider cape behind.
The garment is commonly used in French universities, where bands of ermine trimming are used to indicate the degree (one band for a bachelor, two for a master, and three for a doctor). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the garment is more commonly used to indicate diplomas rather than degrees; the Irish variant of the epitoge omits the roundel and has a plain cape rather than pleated. Versions of epitoge are also used by some orders of chivalry and on barristers' gowns in some legal systems.
Gallery
See also
*
Academic dress
*
Graduation ceremony
Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is al ...
References
Bibliography
*
{{Academic dress
Academic dress