What is the difference between a sash and a stole

There are several elements to a school graduation outfit in addition to the traditional matching robes and mortar-board hats. Some students are distinguished by a tassel , rope, or medal that represents a specific quality or achievement.

More noticeable however, are those donned in banner-like fabrics, either a stoleor a slash, worn over their gowns. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there are differences between stoles and sashes, who wears which, and why. In contrast, graduation stoles are considered official academic attire and are worn during commencement ceremonies. Stoles are draped over the neck with both banner ends falling symmetrically down either the front or back of the gown, depending on the style of the stole.

Caps and gowns were required for graduation beginning in the late s, and the tradition continued even after students and professors no longer gowned up for everyday classes. In the late s, universities got together to mandate what graduation robes and other academic regalia should look like.

They determined that master's degree hoods should show off both the color of the school issuing the degree as well as assigning colors to various fields of study.

One of the primary reasons for establishing what amounted to a dress code for graduation was to make a statement about equality. The idea was that a wealthy graduate and a scholarship student who couldn't afford to attend college without financial help should all be honored equally at graduation.

Rules for academic regalia, including stoles for graduation, were further refined over the years, with a standing committee created to keep rules clarified in While robes are still generally black, universities have the option to use their school colors instead.

Many schools opt for black robes and use school colors in graduation stoles to add a dash of color and zest to the proceedings. Graduation stoles are sometimes called graduation sashes, and you can use the two terms interchangeably. Typically you can only wear one stole, though a master's or doctoral candidate usually pairs a stole with their hood, as do professors wearing academic regalia. Graduation cords are something else altogether. Typically, these are bestowed on graduates for academic awards or achievements, such as a 4.

While any graduate can choose to wear a graduation stole — and most do — an honor cord is granted by the university. A graduation cord is typically a silk rope that has tassels on either end. Graduates earning many honors can wear multiple cords, with different colors indicating different types of honors. For example, at some school, a single cord indicates cum laude , a doubled cord is for magna cum laude , and summa cum laude graduates wear a triple cord.

Create your own custom graduation stole. Log in Welcome - Login. Log in. Remember Me Forgot your password? Your Cart : 0 item. Graduation stoles are sashes worn draped over the shoulders at a commencement ceremony to denote achievement in academics or extracurriculars.

Stoles for graduation usually taper to a max width of five inches, and include custom text or images. Worn normally, stoles reach near the bottom of your gown's sleeves.

Our experienced customization staff will recommend embroidery, screen printing, or vinyl press after reviewing your design to create the highest quality final product. Vinyl press is usually best for simple or single color designs, while embroidery is used most often with multi-color logos or images.

You will always receive a digital mockup of the custom stole for confirmation before the stole is made. Outside of spring graduation, custom stoles have same week turnaround. Lead time increases during this busy time of year, so make sure to order early!