Lol just spat my tea out!!! Pretty sure you would get some sort of law suit from the pc mums if you had to use a mankini as a sling! Would love to see the look on their faces though.
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To be frank, I can't see most examiners taking it that way. In my opinion they are more likely to view it as merely a quaint tradition than anything to do with students' respect (or lack of respect) towards them. The examiners are more likely to take umbrage at poor English in essays, which could be taken as disrespect towards academic ideals, than adherence to a practice which is, after all, prescribed by the University. If gown wearing was voluntary, I think that support for it would quickly wane, not due to lack of respect but because it is more convenient to eschew subfusc. When I was a student, many years ago, respect was shown by how one addressed dons, by one's demeanour and how seriously one took the subject, not by one's choice of clothing.
Actually Cambridge doesn't do the gown-in-exams thing. Gowns must be worn at formal occasions like graduation, and when students eat in Hall (as opposed to the Buttery). Otherwise, they are optional.
As I said, I don't have strong feelings on the matter. Turning up for a BHS exam in jeans and hoody would show a lack of sense for safety and function worthy of significant mark deduction or even failure. I personally think that one should look smart (as well as dressing sensibly) for such exams. I'm less sure that not conforming 100% to a specific dress code should be a reason to fail a student.
Loved getting dressed up, as I still do for dressage
I know it doesn't - I'm a Cambridge girl myself (went to Pembroke) but my BF was at Oxford so I spent a lot of time there too. But we still had to wear gowns for college dinners, formal hall, meetings with the Dean or Senior Tutor or Proctor, going to Chapel or singing in the choir, and ofc graduation and matriculation, so would have to wear it several times a week. (Different colleges have different rules, some require gown wearing more than others, Trinity being one of the most strict).
St. Johns may have been one of the less strict ones - I remember having to wear my gown only a few times in a year, for formal hall (though I ate in the Buttery as a rule). I only went to Chapel twice during my whole time there - to give a reading (which all students had to do at least once) and for a carol service. And once each at Matriculation and Graduation, of course. I formally met The Master ("You will obey me!") only once and I don't recall having to wear my gown to see my Tutor, but that only happened once a year anyway.
we spent a lot of time in and out of our own and various other college's formal halls - plus society dinners, subject dinners, boat club dinners, I did dinners with alums to help with fundraising, black tie drinks evenings, Chapel (had friends in the choir and who did readings/music so we often went), various meetings and ofc matric and grad so we did wear ours several times a week. Pembroke probably is quite traditional but we all loved it, so I do feel fairly strongly about it. (Although didn't feel that strictly traditional compared to visiting the BF over in Oxford...)