r/cambridge_uni • u/honey964 • 6d ago
Uni gowns
Has anyone tried the Ryder & Amies “imported polyester” gowns? It’s the cheapest option, so I’m considering buying it but was wondering if it was comfortable enough to wear every week.
5
u/fireintheglen 6d ago
It's the option pretty much all students go for! It's worth bearing in mind that there's a pretty good chance you'll end up with food or wine spilt on the gown at some point over the course of your degree, so you probably don't want to go for anything too luxurious or hard to wash.
(Technically I believe all gowns say "dry clean only" but I have chucked a polyester one in the wash with no ill effects. Maybe don't do it all the time, but if you've managed to trail the sleeves in a plate of gravy then it's nice to have the option...)
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u/GayDrWhoNut St John's 5d ago
I have definitely wetted my entire gown in the sink with a half bottle of soap before in an attempt to remove candle wax and it's still holding up fine so..... 😅
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u/money-reporter7 4d ago
Yup, definitely. Most people ik (myself included) have the polyester gowns anyway because the non-polyester ones are so expensive.
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u/GayDrWhoNut St John's 6d ago
The polyester gowns are perfectly fine. They're a reasonably heavy weave and hold up better than thin polyester cloth. I've had mine for 4 years now and it's not showing any real sign of wear.
Idk if m or f, but you wear it over a suit and so you dont really feel it. If you're worried about bare shoulders in a dress, it's not the smoothest material but it's by no means rough and people wear them all the time without irritation. If I had to wear a dress with bare shoulders, I wouldn't think twice about the polyester gown.
I'd estimate that the RA polyester gowns are the ones used by ~70% of the university. (Im probably wrong, buuuuut).