Set phasers to adjudicate

[khaosworks]

Thanks to kampongchicken for the heads up.

Judges abandon wigs for 'Star Trek' look
May 14, 2008 - 6:00AM

British judges abandoned a 300-year-old tradition of wearing horsehair wigs to a chorus of mockery from fashion critics and traditionalists, who say the new robes have turned them into Star Trek look-a-likes.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, felt the old-style wig and gown look was out of touch with the 21st century and thought it was time to go bare-headed.

So from October, judges hearing civil and family cases in England and Wales will don a new robe designed by Betty Jackson, who also makes "funky British clothes for aspiring funky British girls".

They will wear simple black gowns fastened with poppers (snap fasteners) and decorated with gold, red or lilac bands depending on their seniority.

"We've tried to keep a link with tradition. The idea of collar bands is retained in the coloured bands. It's quite a big thing after 300 years of history," Jackson told the Times.

Critics say the itchy, hot and old-fashioned wigs made judges look out-of-touch and outdated.

But not everyone is happy with abandoning what is seen as a worldwide emblem of the legal profession.

Phillips said: "Quite a lot of judges are not in favour of change because it is a break with tradition."

And he failed to convince judges hearing criminal cases - they argue that wigs add to the dignity of the occasion and also offer anonymity - villains find it harder to recognise them out of court.

A majority of barristers, sounded out about the change, also wanted to stick with the wigs.

More than 800 of the new robes are being made at a one-off cost of 450,000 pounds ($A930,000).

Guardian fashion correspondent Hadley Freeman was not impressed with the new attire. "Lord Phillips now just looks like the man who sells you tickets for the Star Trek Experience at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas," he said.

"Judges throw away 300 years of tradition and reveal their new bare-headed Star Trek look," The Daily Mail declared alongside "contrast and compare" pictures of Phillips and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

But Times fashion writer Alice Olins sprang to the defence of the new look, saying it "ticks all the fashion boxes but remains cerebral enough to invoke respect in the courtroom".

Comments

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

And he failed to convince judges hearing criminal cases - they argue that wigs add to the dignity of the occasion

Not to this Anglophile's eye -- quite the opposite, in fact. The more so since the prevailing esthetic seems to demand that the wig fits badly and covers no more than 2/3 of the wearer's natural hair.

[querldox.livejournal.com]

Um, the Star Trek Experience (which is likely to close at the end of this year) is at the Las Vegas Hilton, not Caesar's Palace (well, except for that one exhibit about that Roman like planet from classic Trek : -)).

Slightly more seriously, I look forward in a few years to the study showing the higher death rate among the "redband" judges.

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

I've seen the exhibit. Unfortunately, they jammed every plot element into the history, which made it more than a little silly.

[terriwells.livejournal.com]

And you say that like it's a bad thing! You're talking about the exhibit at the Star Trek Experience, right? Totally enjoyed that when I went, but then I majored in history in college and it probably did something to my brain.

[hrrunka]

I was rather disappointed that the Guardian also went the Star Trek route when looking for a disparaging comparison. They even added a Jean Luc Picard photo, which only served to emphasise how lame the comparison was.