How I got started

After going through enough commencement and graduation ceremonies in a rented gown, hood, and cap & hating the cheesy quality (like wearing a glorified dry cleaner bag), I started to think that I’d like to have my own, in decent quality fabric. After finding it costs circa $1000 for a decent set, I decided to investigate what it would take to make a set of my own (as a diversion as well a cost-saving/quality enhancing exercise).

At first I thought about the gown, and learned a lot from a blogger who constructed her own PhD robe (not cap and hood) in 2008.  Starting with a Butterick pattern 5626 (church/choir robe) and altering it (single pleat in front instead of gathers, adding velvet collar and trim around front opening, and adjusting sleeves to puff around a shorter lining, cartridge pleating instead of gathering) as well as adding chevrons and piping per her alma mater’s design, she ended up with a very impressive reproduction of her school’s official robes, in a lovely fabric that it would be a pleasure to wear to the annual festivities.

I thought about going down the same route, but also considered some alternatives, since I didn’t feel the need to duplicate my PhD school’s official robes precisely, and a little research shows considerable variation in the style of robes worn today (note the much slimmer silhouette of the red and blue gown in the center of this photo). Since I received my doctorate years ago and am unlikely to be in an academic procession entirely of PhDs from my alma mater, I’m not concerned about standing out as a misfit, and since commencement is a day or two of pageantry, why not come up with a dramatic outfit that is within the spirit of the occasion and accords with the symbolism and history of the various elements?  These are:  

Robe
Hood
Cap

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Hood

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At first I thought I’d just purchase the hood, since I found it hard to identify the principles of construction for this dangling-strangling-slipping contraption.   But I’ve done some research and think this is a doable project.   The basic idea is that the academic hood is a stylized version of a medieval robin-hood type hood .      Here’s a sketch of the  pattern  for the ordinary hood.  The main parts are the COWL (opening around face), CAPE/GORGET (the part that sits around the neck) and LIRIPIPE (the point at the peak, back of head). In the stylized academic hood, the cowl and cape are extremely elongated, with all kinds of variation on the shape and length of the liripipe.   Via Wikipedia, I found an extremely useful chart of basic shapes of different doctoral hoods, including the pattern for each!   I determined, from looking at photos online, that the pattern than best fits my alma mater’s doctoral hood is of the Aberdeen style, and the closest matches
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Robe

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Detail of illustration from   Gardner Cottrell Leonard, The Cap and Gown in America , (Albany, 1896), p. 15.    Since the academic gown is a version of a medieval robe, I considered starting with a costume for a medieval dress (less unisex, but who cares?). Perhaps a version of McCalls 4492 with great bell sleeves (minus the over-bodice, and without the upper arm puffing, maybe with enlarged arm holes, and cartridge pleating attaching the sleeve to bodice). Or perhaps McCalls5155 (minus the sash, and swapping in the bell sleeves from McCalls 4492).   One drawback: the pattern is for a dress not an overgarment, and so unless I made it several sizes larger, it would not be something to wear over regular clothes (as per usual academic gown).   This isn’t necessarily a problem, since it is often very hot here in mid May for commencement.   Still, in some years it is cool enough for the extra layer.   Another drawback:   there is no feature of the gown suitable for attaching and anch
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