What is an Oxford Hood?
An Oxford hood is a special hood worn over the shoulders of a university graduate. Although such hoods were originally practical in nature and designed to protect the head, today the hood is purely ornamental, with the graduate using a mortarboard, tam, bonnet, or another form of headcovering. The Oxford hood is also sometimes known as a “simple hood,” in a reference to the fact that it lacks a cape or the ornamental draping known as a tippet.
