Tuesday, April 04, 2006
British barristers bitch about their wigs. I know a couple of barristers, and I have to admit that the wigs look a little like dead cats, but I still think it would be a mistake for them to abandon the look. I would gladly don a wig if it meant that we got to wear robes-- court dress is an equalizer, and for that reason alone is a good idea. As it stands today the navy or charcoal suit, white shirt and tie amount to a sort of lawyer garb-- almost nobody else wears it on a daily basis, but that's not really the same. You know, of course, why judicial robes are black? It's because Queen Anne died. Used to be that judges wore red robes, except after the death of the monarch, when they wore black as a symbol of mourning. When Queen Anne went, black-- which is slimming, and goes with everything, stayed. In the US black was pretty much always the fashion, but I'd be fine with red, or with the robe and hood of my law school, which are black and purple. I've only had occasion to wear the outfit once since I graduated myself, although I am tempted every year at commencement. I've even threatened to rent the get-up for EGA's graduation next year-- it's that or a straw boater, I think.
// posted by Bill @ 9:05 AM 
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