Clerical Clothing 101: A Brief History

Most of the time, it’s easy to know what a person does for a living just by looking at his or her clothes. 

It’s also possible to distinguish vocation through a person’s attire. You can single out a priest from the congregation, all thanks to a clerical collar—a small white rectangle peeking under a black tab collar shirt. 

However, a clerical collar wasn’t the norm until 1215. Black was the norm at first. Then churches added other colors to designate religious offices. In time, women were officially recognized as part of the clergy and adopted clerical clothing as well.      

Clerical Clothing 

Clerical clothing refers to the type of clothes worn by priests, deacons, and other clergy members when they don’t perform religious ceremonies. Though treated as daily wear, these garments are part of their commitment to the holy vocation.

This article discusses clerical clothing history with Christian denominations: Anglican, Methodist, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Roman Catholic churches. It also shows clerical clothing’s evolution from being a primarily masculine attire to accommodate women serving in ecclesiastical functions.  

Brief History 

Here’s a brief history of clerical clothing and how it serves as a humble expression of one’s dedication to a sacred vocation.

• From Common Wear to Long Robes

In the early times, priests wore the same clothes as other people. Leaders discouraged them from wearing anything that would make them stand out. A Trullan Council order to clergy in Asia in 691 A.D. compelled them to wear long robes. If they did not, they were excommunicated for a week. 

The wearing of long garments was further emphasized with a German Council of Ratisbon’s proclamation in 742 A.D. The lengthy garb is a chasuble, a piece of circular cloth with an opening for the head and sometimes included a hood.

• Councils and Cassocks

The Canon law of the 8^th century established clerical clothing standards. In 875, Pope John VIII admonished the Archbishops of York and Canterbury regarding ecclesiastical attire. The Schism of 1054 led the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches to denounce their common origin of clerical clothing patterns derived from the late Roman empire. It also started the distinction of clerical attire between the two denominations.

In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council mandated using specific dress to set apart clergy from their respective congregations.  They prescribed the wearing of a cassock as everyday wear for priests. It’s a full-length black garment made of wool or semi-wool with 33 buttons representing the years of Jesus Christ’s mortality.   

• Clerical Collar and Clerical Shirts

Aside from the cassock, the clerical collar is also mandated as clerical wear. This standard dress shirt with a collar allows a white insert made from cloth or plastic or a detachable neckband.  

The clergy shirt serves as an alternative to the long cassock. It was invented by Rev. Dr. Donald Mcleod of Scotland and continues up to the present as a symbol of consecration to a lifetime of Christian service. 

In the 19^th century, Anglican priests used the clerical collar backward to create a ‘dog collar.’ Their clergy wore it together with the cassock, while Bishops and archdeacons wore a shortened version called an apron. They used it together with gaiters buttoned from the side and covered the leg up to the knees. This religious ensemble continued until the 1960s.

• Women’s Clerical Clothing

Churches started ordaining women into the clergy in the early twentieth century. However, they did not have clerical garments of their own. Instead, they adopted the clerical shirt and collar with black pants fitted at the waist for their daily religious attire. 

It was primarily black and was initially ill-fitted to women’s bodies. Women had to find private tailors or make alterations to make it more suitable and comfortable. 

Now, clergywomen don’t need to go through so much to obtain clerical clothing. They can visit sacredstitches.com and mychoirrobes.com to find a variety of modern women’s clerical garments. Women’s clerical clothing now includes clerical collars, clerical dresses in black or white, neckbands, and clerical shirts (sleeveless, short-sleeved, and long-sleeved) that feature warm or neutral colors.

• Modern Clerical Wear

Various religious denominations use the cassock or clerical shirt and clerical collar as standard non-ceremonial clothing. However, there are slight variations regarding the color that clergymen use to denote their designation. 

Black is commonly used for cassocks and clerical shirts, although Roman Catholic clergy in Rome are allowed to wear grey or blue. For U.S. Methodist clergy, they use black or blue clerical shirts, while bishops wear purple. 

Lutheran clerical clothing features the cassock with the addition of a pectoral cross in Scandinavia and Germany.  

In Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholicism, clerical clothing includes an inner and outer cassock, either a stiff hat (Kamilavka) or a soft-sided hat (Skufia) as a clergy’s mark of honor. 

Clerical clothing refers to the everyday wear of priests, deacons, bishops, and women who serve in the various Christian denominations. An ankle-length cassock serves as daily garments with the clergy shirt and clerical collar as alternatives. The color black is often preferred as a symbol of simplicity and service, while others are permitted to wear blue, grey, or purple depending on their priestly office.

Historically, men use clerical clothing. However, the ordination of women to these roles compels the need for accommodation. Now, women have their array of clerical shirts, collars, and dresses to reflect their lifetime devotion to Christian service.