To buy or not to buy (regalia)?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by chrisjm18, Feb 12, 2023.

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Custom Regalia?

  1. Buy it (it's worth it)

  2. Don't buy it (commencement is optional)

  3. I am not sure

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I am contemplating buying my Liberty custom regalia for $944.45 before tax/shipping ($1,058.44 total). I wonder if it's worth it since I would only wear it once a year. The university has two commencement services per year (May and December). However, I don't think it's mandatory. I did not attend in December. The truth is, I love to attend commencement. I love to dress up in my regalia, LOL!

    But do I want to spend 1k?! What would you do?
     
    Dustin likes this.
  2. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    For a PhD student, I would say rent. For a professor, I would say buy. Each commencement you attend, the less expensive the fee is per use.

    Plus there's likely to be a lot of positive sentimentality associated with it.
     
    Rich Douglas and chrisjm18 like this.
  3. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    What I did. We still rented good regalia when I received my J.D. I never even considered buying it. Nowadays, you have to buy the most awful, disgusting, use once and throw away plastic garbage. Bad as that sounds, a new District Judge here dug his out because his Court purchased robe wasn't ready yet.

    On the subject of robes...the Court bought me mine eight years ago and it seemed so flimsy I thought they had decided to cut corners on me. Wrong. I wore that robe every business day for years and it was comfortable and looked good. I still have it for pro tem assignments.
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  4. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I rented when I graduated in 2021. Now, I can't because they have to verify that you're graduating in May.
     
  5. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I know for sure the Liberty custom academic regalia is high quality. It takes about 6 weeks to manufacture unlike the rental ones that are made. I know some schools don't have a custom regalia with the school color, crest, etc. So, luckily for those people, they can get a black doctoral regalia for 200 bucks (if that much).
     
  6. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    20230212_141845.jpg

    I think Liberty's regalia is cute :)
     
    Suss, MasterChief and Johann like this.
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Once, I wouldn't buy it. Once a year, I would buy it.
     
    Maniac Craniac and chrisjm18 like this.
  8. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    I think part of my attitude comes from all the politics surrounding J.D. regalia. When I graduated (shortly after the Spanish American War) the time honored LLB had been replaced about 20 years before by the stupid J.D. The real doctors were opposed to giving J.D.s doctoral gowns. So the University faculty somehow extracted some concessions. We wore purple tassels instead of gold, mortarboards instead of whatever tam or beefeater looking hat the PhDs and EdDs sported, and our gowns were faced in black velvet with black sleeve stripes instead of cherry red. The whole idea was to signify our inferiority to the real doctors.

    UNM actually fought about this foolishness! They are still fighting about it.

    I'm repelled by anyone or any institution fighting for their own honorifics. Better, I think, to live and work in a way that brings honor and recognition from others. The LLB might have rated a bachelor's gown (which is what Judges wear more or less) but the purple hood entirely signifies the dignity of the degree holder.

    End of rant.
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    This.

    Of the degrees I've earned, I went to commencement only twice. USNY Regents in 1980 (the dress was business) and Union (traditional garb). I rented, not anticipating I would ever need it again. (I didn't.) I regret not going to the one at Leicester, but I just couldn't fit it in.
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    There's no reason they couldn't do whatever they do for other first professional doctorates--medical, dental, etc.--with design, then use traditional law colors for the hood.

    My core professor at Union was a UNM PhD graduate. Best-looking color of rusty red I'd ever seen, trimmed in yellow. Wow....
     
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    They did, more or less. In those days the M.D. was the only other non dissertation doctoral degree and they too were made to wear all black gowns with olive tassels. Nowadays with the explosion of professional doctorates everyone wears the same gown with a gold tassel. Ah, but the real doctors get shiny gold whilst the inferior doctors were "antique" gold. Oh, and the real doctors wear a tam I think.
     
  12. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Speaking of regalia, that new Space Force dress uniform looks...um. sci-fi comics.
     
  13. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    And I though it looked like someone who would bring me more butter.
     
    nosborne48 likes this.
  14. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    So do I. :)

    The fashion guy says:

    (1) Skip the Doctorate

    (2) Buy the regalia.

    (3) Wear it shopping. :)
     
    Rachel83az and chrisjm18 like this.
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    More specifically, they look like the ones for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    The above one was the prototype. They made some changes to the final version (eg collar)

    upload_2023-2-12_18-8-9.png
     
  17. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Beam me up, Snotty.
     
    Johann likes this.
  18. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Isn't it:

    "Beam me up, Scotty, and
    "Beat me up, Snotty?" :confused:
     
  19. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    "Snotty" is a very traditional Royal Navy pejorative for a midshipman.
     
  20. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Pejorative? Then if you call him that, he should beat you up! :) Right after Rum Ration. (I know, I know ... long gone.)
     

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