Until I began The Goddess’s Illusion, I wasn’t sure exactly what priest robes looked like because my earlier characters just noted the robe then moved on. They didn’t really care about the specifics of priest robes—however, as priest, Mel would. So I began ruminating…

First of all, the cut had to be something fitting for a Regency-like period as well as evoke the feel of priestly/scholarly pursuits. Plus, it had to be something worn over waistcoats and trousers for priests and gowns for priestesses. Eventually, I decided the cut was most like a fitted banyan from the late 18th century when they were sometimes worn outside, like the one pictured above from the mid-1700s. For priestesses, wearing one would look similar to this, rather than the rare lady’s banyans from the mid-1700s.

Although the cut of a fitted banyan was right, the typical fabric was too flamboyant for priests (plus, gentlemen’s coats in the Regency were more sober thanks to Brummell.) So priest robes are a solid color, except unrelieved black didn’t fit servants of a Goddess who controls the cycle of life. Instead, priest robes are typically a dark brown to fit nature. However, priests will sometimes wear black robes for funerals to reflect the mourners’ grief. And priests will sometimes wear white robes for Longnight since it’s the festival celebrating birth and new beginnings, and when they’re ordained or invested on Longnight, they definitely wear white.

But priest robes also needed to reflect their hierarchy as well as those with special abilities/duties, so priest robes have trim on the collar, cuffs, and hem reflecting that. When they’re ordained or invested on Longnight, their new trim is applied to their white robes as part of the service.

Novices wear no trim, while full priests have one or more types of trim. Elder priests of an area, large temple, etc. wear white trim. Each duchy has one bishop, and they wear red trim. Each kingdom has one high priest, and they wear gold trim.

Community priests wear brown trim that matches their robes to keep parishioners focused on them being priests rather than their rank/abilities. Death priests who specialize in funerals and grief counseling wear black trim. Worship priests wear purple trim. Scholar priests wear blue trim. Healer priests wear green trim in addition to their torcs. Witch priests wear ivory trim. Temple priests who tend the temple wear wear gray trim (like tin, the Goddess’s favorite metal.) And finally, warrior priests wear orange trim.

If priests fall under multiple groups, they wear multiple bands of trim. Examples: a witch healer priest would wear ivory and green trim, while a witch bishop would wear ivory and red trim. The one exception to that is high priests—they only wear gold trim to avoid detracting from their rank.