Obtainment and Use
Doctoral hats are handmade, with the owner's head measured using a device called a conformateur. The hat should rest on the top of the head. The typical price for the doctoral hat is around 500 euros.
A doctoral hat is always worn with the white tie style of formal dress in lieu of a top hat. In practice, the hat is mostly worn on academic occasions, such as opening ceremonies, commencement, and disputations. In the disputations, the supervising professor and the opponent carry their hats, but do not wear them. During disputations, the hats rest on the table, with the university emblems towards the audience.
A doctoral hat is personal and is usually not lent to others. Along with the doctoral sword (found in Finland only, and not in all faculties), doctoral tailcoat facings (in certain universities), doctoral Bibles (in theological faculties), and doctoral rings (in Sweden), it forms part of the doctoral academic regalia.
The hat is usually stored in a specially made storage box.
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