Stay updated with breaking news from Rights gone wrong. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Why do barristers wear wigs? Dress Codes explores fashion and the law
Ask any attorney about the most outlandish clothing they ve seen worn in a courtroom, and most will have a colorful story. But what determines the appropriateness of any outfit? In Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History, Stanford Law School professor Richard Thompson Ford looks at why we wear what we wear, how that has changed over the centuries, and the laws that were codified around what could be worn and in what situations. For example, in the legal profession, fashion is generally quite conservative compared to some other industries. But why are wigs worn by judges and barristers in the United Kingdom but not in the United States? Why is it a power move in Silicon Valley to wear a T-shirt and jeans? How can your fashion choices wind up getting you charged for murder or acquitted of those charges? ....