> When the church ruled the roost the important people in the church would be wearing clothes that we recognise as robes but are essentially women's clothes. F

> When the church ruled the roost the important people in the church would be wearing clothes that we recognise as robes but are essentially women's clothes. FYI, that’s because Christian vestments are descended directly from men’s clothing in the late Roman Empire, where men who weren’t clergy also wore robes. I don’t think they were “women’s clothes” unless you define all robes and dresses to be female specific.