Different types of lawyers, though, have distinctions in the style of wig. A judge's wig is similar, but more ornate. It's a full wig, from a slightly frizzed top that transitions into tight horizontal curls that range several inches below the shoulders.
Most wigs are made of white horse hair, but as a wig yellows with age, it takes on a coveted patina that conveys experience. Horse hair may not seem like a particularly precious material, but pair specialty hair with an age-old craft of styling, sewing and gluing, and the resulting wigs aren't cheap.
Wigs may have fallen out of general men's fashion over the centuries, but when wigs first made their appearance in a courtroom, they were part and parcel of being a well-dressed professional.
In the 17th century, only the elite wore powdered wigs made of horsehair. Those who couldn't afford the elite garb but wanted to look the part wore wigs made of hair from goats, spooled cotton or human corpses. There was also a steady trade that involved living people who sold their long hair for wigs, though horsehair remained the ideal.
But why did powdered wigs come on the fashion scene in the first place? Why top one's head with an itchy, sweat-inducing mass of artificial curls? Blame it on syphilis.
Wigs began to catch on in the late 16th century when an increasing number of people in Europe were contracting the STD. Without widespread treatment with antibiotics Sir Alexander Fleming didn't discover penicillin , the treatment for syphilis, until , people with syphilis were plagued by rashes, blindness, dementia, open sores and hair loss. The hair loss was particularly problematic in social circles. Long hair was all the rage, and premature balding was a dead giveaway that someone had contracted syphilis.
Wigs, when not used to cover syphilis-related hair loss, were a big help for those who had lice. After all, it was much more difficult to treat and pick through the hair on one's head than it was to sanitize a wig. During his reign from to , the Sun King disguised his prematurely balding scalp — historians believe it was caused by syphilis — by wearing a wig. In doing so, he started a trend that was widely followed by the European upper- and middle-class, including his cousin, Charles II, the King of England also rumored to have contracted syphilis , who reigned from to Although aristocrats and those who wished to remain in good social standing were quick to adopt the practice of wearing wigs, English courtrooms were slower to act.
In the early s, judicial portraits still showed a natural, no-wig look. By , however, full, shoulder-length wigs had become part of the proper court dress. Over time, wigs fell out of fashion with society as a whole. During the reign of England's King George III, from to , wigs were worn by only a few — namely bishops, coachmen and those in the legal profession. This changed in when the King of France started to lose his hair at Worried that baldness would hurt his reputation, Louis XIV started wearing wigs.
Five years later, to cover up his greying locks, King Charles II followed his cousin. Courtiers and other aristocrats followed suit and the style tricked down to the upper middle class.
Being left behind by the cool kids, English courtrooms were slower to act. In the early s judicial portraits still showed a natural no wig look, however by it had become part of the proper court dress. At first wigs were made of human hair. Seasons and the type of legal case determine the colour and style of robe British judges wear. Barrister robes of violet, green, black, and scarlet have served different purposes through the years, though the color requirements have fluctuated many times in the last few centuries.
But What About Judge Wigs? The fashion trends of the 17th century helped judge wigs work their way into courtrooms too and the headpieces were fully adopted as proper legal attire by with just as many strict rules as robes.
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