In medieval Europe, men and women in towns wore robes. Cold halls and drafty buildings force people to wear robes that reach the floor and are connected to hoods (hoods, also called vests). The raw materials and colors of these robes and headscarves are determined by their wealth and social status. Because scholars in early universities were missionaries, their clothes should be consistent with their status in monasteries, wearing khaki robes and headscarves to protect their heads. As a result, this monk's black robe and headscarf has evolved into a popular costume in universities today, which should be worn not only at school graduation ceremonies, but also at other major celebrations.
Later, robes and headscarves began to use brighter colors, and different degrees of dresses gradually became somewhat different. The differences of dressing styles among bachelor, master and doctor mainly appear in headscarves. After a period of time, the headscarf is no longer connected with the robe, but becomes an item alone, and people wear it on their heads. In the 15th century, hats became popular, and headscarves almost became decorations. When people put them on, they put them down from the top of their heads along their necks, hung them on their shoulders and hung them on their backs. Therefore, the school cap came into being. The original school hat shape originated from the symbol of master's degree. There are several different shapes, some are round, some are square, and some have a cluster of ornaments in the center of the hat. Today's tassels are developed on this basis, only more refined. Oxford University first adopted a flat-topped and low-square hat, but the folk suggested that the school hat should be made into the shape of a book by scholars, which would better reflect its academic significance and be more bookish.
In the United States, Harvard University took the lead in putting on school uniforms, and then universities used them one after another, but the styles were different from those still in use in Europe, and there were differences among schools. 1895, representatives of various schools met to formulate uniform clothing styles, 1903 produced the uniform standard system of American university dresses, and 1936 and 1960 were revised twice. Therefore, today's popular dress codes in American universities are the same, but they are slightly different in some details such as colors.
The author attended a graduation ceremony of Purdue University as a parent in the United States and witnessed the elegance of Purdue students wearing university dresses. The dress consists of three parts: robe, square hat and headscarf.
The robes of doctors and masters are black, and the robes of associate students are gray. Bachelor's robe, pointed sleeves, and the front is not open; The owner's robes, square sleeves and cuffs are curved; The doctor's robe, flared sleeves and chest buttons are lined with velvet welts with a width of 5 inches, and three parallel velvet welts are sewn horizontally on the sleeves. The color is black or other colors, which is the symbol of subject category.
The hat is a square "Oxford hat", which can be worn by people of all educational backgrounds. There is a beautiful tassel hanging on the left side of the hat. The color of the tassel indicates the department where the degree is awarded.
The headscarf can best reflect the degree level. Its size and shape vary according to the degree. The higher the degree, the larger the size and the more exquisite the workmanship. The outer layer of the headscarf is matched with the black material of the robe, and the inner lining is folded outward, using the representative colors of Purdue University-gold and black. The color of velvet welt indicates the theme category. Purdue University bachelor does not wear headscarves.
Purdue University holds three graduation ceremonies every year. People attending the ceremony should put on their dresses, line up around the main road of the campus for a week under the leadership of the ceremony officer, and then enter the venue. After the traditional ceremony, starting with the doctor, every graduate has to go on stage to accept the diploma issued by the principal. The doctor wants the dean to wear a headscarf on his shoulder. Thousands of parents or relatives came to Wan Li, and many compatriots like the author crossed the ocean to celebrate their children or relatives' completion of their studies. Many students will win warm applause and cheers from relatives and friends as soon as they take the stage. Such a grand occasion is amazing! And thousands of students have worked hard to put on this square hat and robe which symbolizes boarding the academic hall one day!