Legal Tales | Heady history of wigs in court: the case for Hong Kong lawyers to keep them on

If one were to picture a high-stakes courtroom drama on late-night television, one would likely see a distinctive image: figures clad in flowing black robes, white collars neatly pressed, and most importantly, the iconic wigs perched solemnly atop their heads.

It may come as a surprise that this curious relic of fashion, born in the late 17th century, still holds a place in courts. Yet despite recent debates in the United Kingdom, the wig remains one of the most enduring symbols of the legal profession, upheld across multiple common law jurisdictions as an emblem of both tradition and authority.

Contrary to popular belief, wigs were not always worn by barristers and judges in courts – in fact, until the 1600s, lawyers simply followed contemporary civilian hair fashions, typically clean, short hair, with a beard, rather than wearing wigs or distinctive gowns.

The fashion for wearing wigs originated with Louis XIV of France. The word “wig” itself has French roots – it is a shortened form of “periwig”, which derives from the French word perruque. Wig-wearing became fashionable in the mid-17th century, when a balding scalp was often associated with patients suffering from syphilis.

Wigs eventually made their first appearance in a courtroom in or around the mid-1600s, not as a prescribed uniform, but simply because they were fashionable in broader society at the time. By 1685, however, the wearing of wigs in court had become almost universal, reflecting both the fashions of the upper and middle classes and the social expectations of the period.

By 1844, the common law formally recognised and enforced the requirement that barristers appear in court wearing wigs and gowns.