Gowns
A gown, from medieval Latin gunna, is a usually loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, gown was applied to any full-length woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt. A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th century as an informal coat.
The gowns worn today by academics, judges, and some clergy derive directly from the everyday garments worn by their medieval predecessors, formalized into a uniform in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Read more about Gowns: Formal Gown
Famous quotes containing the word gowns:
“And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tomb-stones where flowers should be;
And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys and desires.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“My gowns were gorgeous, always low-cut, very décolleté. I wore hardly any makeup, just some lipsticks, that’s all. No lights. Just a baby spot. I wouldn’t have any entrance. They’d play the intro in the dark, and a spot would come on, and there I’d be.”
—Richard Brooks (1912–1992)