Roman Catholic Vestments

• Roman Catholic priests, by the 18th century, wore a chasuble over an alb, which was in turn worn over the cassock. The chasuble, the outermost garment, is highly decorative; made of brocade, silk or velvet; and heavily embroidered, sometimes with gold thread. It is a sleeveless garment, slit on the sides, that fits over the priest's head and reaches near the feet. The alb is made of white linen and is full length with full sleeves, often frilled. The cassock is the plain black vestment, also generally full in length.
  
  

The Geneva Gown

• The Geneva gown, a cassock sometimes called a pulpit gown or preaching robe, first came into use during the Protestant Reformation. Followers of the doctrines of John Calvin, in particular, retained certain practices of the Roman Catholic Church, from which they previously split due to theological differences. Calvinistic congregations retained the solemnness and focus on the holiness of God in their church services. And although Calvinists rejected the highly decorative robes of the Catholic priests, they adopted a simpler pulpit garment, worn by the minister or preacher to take the congregations' focus off of the minister, while setting him apart as "one who is in God's service."
  
  

Description of the Geneva Gown

• Designed to promote simplicity and humility, the Geneva gown of the 18th century was a single-breasted robe with full-length sleeves and 39 buttons down the front. The 39 buttons are said to represent the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, those statements that set the Anglican churches apart from the Roman Catholic Church. The color of the Geneva gown was usually black, but other colors were also used. For instance, in Scotland the ministers often wore blue because it was the symbolic color of Scotland. The Geneva gown is worn with a white neck band.
  
  

Anabaptist Pulpit Dress

• Preachers of the Anabaptist faith, notably Baptist and Methodist, chose to forgo special pulpit gowns and chose instead to wear a black suit in the style of the day, along with a white neckband. Preachers also typically wore a black hat, although the hat was removed during the church service.