Robes and Cloaks

Awenydd Robe with pointed hat

Magister of Bardic Arts robe with tam

View of hood and tassel

At Avalon Center, robes are not just for graduation ceremonies.

In the physical campus setting, robes are encouraged any time students are engaged in meditative or ceremonial work, and are considered appropriate dress for all other times as well.

Obviously, in the cyber-campus robes are not required, but it may be that you will desire to purchase a college robe reflecting your program of study as a particular mark of honor.

Nowadays few people want to wear a robe all the time and it is certainly not advisable to wear them when going shopping or any place that such old-fashioned attire might alarm the uninitiated. If you live in a place where your neighbors might be at all frightened by magic or Druidry, you are well-advised to be discreet. Robes are also singularly ill-suited to hikes through the woods.

However, in the privacy of your own home and your own grove, and in public gatherings properly arranged with the community, or where you are certain no one will get frightened, a robe is a way to indicate that you are an Awenydd, a Bard, Ovate, or Druid.

Traditionally in British revival Druidry the colors for the grades or roles of bard, ovate, and druid are, respectively, blue, green, and white.

Our Awenydd program robe (pictured above) is black because that color is traditional in both magical circles and scholarly gowns. Black signifies openness to the unknown, the darkness out of which we all strive for the light of understanding.

Bardic blue signifies the realm of Sky and the element of Air, traditionally associated with communication, words, learning, and creative inspiration.

Ovate green signifies the vegetative world and the Ovate's work with trees and herbs and the generative powers of life and death.

Druid white for the Ollamh doctoral program signifies spirit and Light. We will be including photos of the Ollamh robes soon.

These robes may be worn next to the skin or with clothes underneath for warmth, according to climate and the wearer's preference. They are comfortable either way and breathe well.

Magister of Ovate Studies Robe sans hat

Twin Roses Designs, a well-established costumer, is the maker of our official collegiate robes.

On this page you will see pictures of the black, blue, and green robes given to the Awenydd program, the Magister of Bardic Arts program, and the Magister of Ovate Studies program.

Each of these robes is made of sturdy yet lightweight cotton twill.

The sleeves and hood are lined in a contrasting color and the sleeves may be rolled back when one is engaged in work where a bell sleeve might be an encumbrance.

The robes are soft and comfortable with a closed front and button and tab at the neck and a tassel on the point of the hood.

Each robe also comes with two side-seam pockets for complete freedom from trouser tyranny (to borrow a phrase from the Utilikilt company).

Pointy Hats and Tams

For those who enjoy hats, traditional pointed hats will be available in wool felt or velvet. These latter are not traditional for practitioners of Druidry, of course, but are traditional among wizards since the middle ages and harken back to the Phrygian cap of Mithras.

In addition a flat tam will also be available for those who prefer a non-pointy look. The tam is both a style found in Scotland and is well-known in Academia as an alternative to the mortar-board. Our hats are all sturdily made for long wear, not just ceremonial use. The tam offered is black velvet lined in blue, with a gold tassel.

It is worth noting that the pointed hat of wizard and witch has a long history coming down to us from the medieval period when practically everyone wore headgear and pointed hats were a fashion beyond the wizarding world.

There are many theories about the point of these kinds of hats. One of the best is that the cone shape imitates the cone of power generated by magical actions.

Pointing upward to the heavens, the hat might be considered a nod to the old helio-phallic cultus that some nineteenth-century scholars thought was the inspiration and core of all religions.

There is also something of a kinship between the wizard hat and the dunce cap. The implication seems to be that the shape of the hat draws down the cosmic wisdom from on high, for those who wish to cultivate it, or for those whose need a bit of a boost. The pointed hat is the proverbial thinking cap.

These days, apart from costume parties and Renaissance Faires, it is hard to find a place to carry off the pointed hat of wizard or witch, but it is our hope that the Avalon Center's physical campus will be among the special venues where such haberdashery is embraced -- or at any rate tolerated with a wink.

For sugarloaf hats or a more medieval traditional scholar's hat (in black would be keeping with the school color scheme), we recommend Custom Heraldic Designs, which in addition to coats of arms, makes some very fine hats. Click on the photos at right to take you to CHD's web site for ordering.

Avalon's black tam

The Chancellor's thinking cap

Duns Scottus modelling a rounded
mediaeval "sugarloaf" hat and
demonstrating eensie-weensie spider

The medieval scholar's cap, grandfather to
the modern mortar board style.
Very comfortable and keeps the ears warm.
Click on this picture to take you to CHD's hats page
then select the Scholar (SCC01)

To Order Official Avalon Robes and Hats

You do not need to be an Avalon student to order these robes. If you like them, please feel free to order them. If you are an Avalon scholar, you are not required to buy robes, of course, but we think that wearing your Avalon Center robes is the next best thing to being here in person with the Faculty at a physical campus. You can at least imagine yourself to be part of this proud collegium of seekers until such time as you can afford to actually drop in for a visit and a cup of tea in the Chancellor's garden.

To order go to the Twin Roses Designs Custom Order Page.

Give Andrea and Garry all your measurements and specify which Avalon Center robe you want - Awenydd (black), Bard (blue), Ovate (green), or Ollamh (white). Or which style hat you want - pointed with cuff in black velvet or tam in black velvet.

Each robe costs $160 US. plus shipping to your home.

Hats are each $40 US plus shipping.

Official Avalon Center Cloak

Finally, if you are in a cooler climate and need a wool cloak, we are planning to offer bard and ovate cloaks in green and blue to coordinate with the robes. However, the official overall cloak approved for all scholars and members of the Faculty is the Gray Lady of the Mists Cashmere cloak from Twin Roses Designs.

The Lady of the Mists cloak is made from heathered gray cashmere wool cut in our standard style. This unlined cloak is embellished around the oversized hood and front opening with your choice of trims or untrimmed. It features a pewter clasp (see the "Epona" clasp below). The wool to cashmere content in this cloak is 75/25.

Gray Lady of the Mists Cashmere Wool Cloak
Price: $182.00