Campus as catwalk: what do you wear under your gown?

Harriët Schelhaas, Professor of Private Law and Dean of the Erasmus School of Law, has a hint of red on her black shoes. Precisely the red of the Faculty of Law. “This certainly isn’t a coincidence”, says Schelhaas about her fashion choice. The colours of each faculty have a special significance for the members of that faculty. “Everyone is wearing smart shoes. According to the rules, men have to wear a tie, so I always wear a necklace”, she adds, pointing to her rainbow-coloured necklace.

That morning, Moniek Buijzen, Professor of Communication and Behavioural Change at the ESSB and now also Erasmus Professor, was still having doubts about sneakers. One time, she wore a pair of sneakers at a doctorate conferral and someone commented on them. So this time, she decided on a pair of Dr Martens Adrians. “So I am actually wearing black shoes – not out of respect for protocol, but out of respect for the person taking the role of beadle.” And the jeans she’s wearing under her gown? “Oh yes, but I’ve never heard anything about these being forbidden.”

“These shoes aren’t actually allowed”, says Steven Lamberts, former Rector Magnificus (2004-2009). “These were the hip shoes back in my day.” The black leather shoes have a pattern on them, and according to Lamberts are not really suitable for official occasions. They should be plain black. Then, he has to laugh when he sees that the shoes of his colleague former Rector Huib Pols don’t have laces but a buckle instead. “Ha, then my shoes are actually the most appropriate here. They have laces, and that’s a requirement.”

The shoes worn by Pols, who is also a former Rector (2013-2018), are smart and plain black. “I wore shoes similar to those (pointing to Lamberts’ patterned shoes) for my inaugural lecture, and someone commented on them. The shoes were supposed to be plain black.” Pols says these are not his smartest shoes, but they are pretty comfortable. “And that’s worth a lot, too.”

Karin Arts, Professor of International Law and Development and a member of the International Institute of Social Studies, has gone for dark-blue heels. “I do make sure that the shoes match the gown”, she says. But the faculty colour for the ISS is beige/champagne, and so the stole of the gown has the same colour. “At the ISS, we’re not as strict as they are here”, says Arts with regard to the dress code at official occasions. But slippers really would be beyond the pale, because the shoes still have to be smart.