Reading the Regalia: A Visual Guide to UVA’s Final Exercises
Every May, thousands of students walk the Lawn in processions filled with black gowns, colorful tassels and deep slashes of rich velvet. Beyond that official regalia, students also express themselves by way of decorative cords around their necks and artistic works atop their mortarboards. (See some of our favorites from the recent past at uvamag.com/caps.)
Indeed, every part of every outfit tells a story. Here is Virginia Magazine’s guide to “reading” the vibrant regalia ahead of Final Exercises—with a few examples of the more than 1,000 possible combinations.
Only master’s and doctoral candidates wear the hood—with a velvet band whose color indicates the discipline studied, and a satin lining that indicates UVA as alma mater.
Faculty members often wear more elaborate gowns and hats, representing the universities where they earned their highest degrees.
