Dressed to The Nine: The Verdict on Supreme Court Robes
It's Fashion Week, and we would be remiss in neglecting to connect the glamour and frivolity that is consuming our RSS feed with our nine favorite jurists.
Now that the days of former Chief Justice William Rehnquist and everyone's favorite first female, Sandra Day O'Connor, are firmly behind us, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the only Supreme Court justice who dresses for court with any pizzazz.
It makes us sad.
Gone - save Ginsburg - are the days of Gilbert and Sullivan gold-striped-sleeves and lacey-lady-cravats. Instead, The Nine are back to solid, black Supreme Court robes with shirts and ties for the men and white dickies for the women, lest anyone entertain the notion that the jurists have no clothes underneath their robes.
Following Justice Elena Kagan's first in-robe appearance last year, Washington Post Fashion Editor Robin Givhan wrote, "The justices' unadorned black robes carry with them an air of tradition, dignity, gravitas, as well as humility. It doesn't matter if a justice is wearing a custom-made Turnbull & Asser shirt, a Chanel suit or a tie from Charvet. All of that finery is hidden under their look-alike robes."
Those look-alike Supreme Court robes can be deceiving in their simplicity. Eight of The Nine wear custom-crafted Bentley and Simon style J-71 robes, made in Salem, Va.
The J-71 is considered the "Lamborghini of judicial gowns;" even Judge Judy wears one, according to Politico. Bentley and Simon can customize the robe in lightweight summer options, heavier winter varieties, and even in camouflage for judges hunting for justice. It comes with a lifetime refurbishing guarantee, and sells for about $400.
Perhaps you won't conclude your career as a Supreme Court Justice, but that doesn't have to stop you from dressing like one.
And if you do end up on the Supreme Court, get the Bentley and Simon camouflage robe. Please.
Related Resources:
- Five Things to Know About Living Like a Supreme Court Justice (FindLaw's Supreme Court blog)
- Justice Kagan Talks Cameras in the Supreme Court, Collegiality (FindLaw's Supreme Court blog)
- £140,000 Bill for Supreme Court Robes Judges Will Hardly Wear (Daily Mail)
- How Would You Redesign a Supreme Court Robe? (Vanity Fair)
- Designer to Appeal Louboutin YSL Red-Soled Shoes Decision (FindLaw's Second Circuit blog)