Wearing a uniform every day may seem like a daunting task. On the one hand, students don’t have to worry about choosing an outfit every morning, but on the other hand, staying within the dress code is a daily concern.
Xavier’s uniform mainly consists of a plaid skirt, a blue or white polo shirt and a Xavier sweatshirt, with the trademark symbol on the cuff of the sleeve. Students can wear closed-back and closed-toed shoes and black, blue, gray, and white unlabeled socks, or any socks sold in Gator Gear.
The dress code for jewelry consists of one bracelet, one ring on each hand, one necklace, and two piercings on each ear in the lobe.
The uniforms have not always looked this way. Head of alumnae relations and alum, Polly Fitz-Gerald, says, “It started as a white blouse, navy straight skirt, a navy jacket with white piping and a beanie that said XHS (Xavier High School).”
Although the uniforms have been modified since then; blue has always been Xavier’s color, being that it is the color of Mary. In 1965, the navy straight skirt developed into the pleated plaid skirt students wear today.
The most important thing about the Xavier uniform is that it sets you apart. Everyone knows when someone is a Xavier student when they go out and rep the plaid.
Fitz-Gerald adds, “Xavier has uniforms because it makes everyone equal in a certain respect and limits distractions.”
Denise Macrina, dean of students, says, “What I love about the uniforms is that you don’t know anything about the student’s background. All you know is the plaid skirt, polo and sweatshirt, so we have girls from all walks of life and all cultures, but they all wear plaid.”
Macrina is the final arbiter of the dress code. Xavier expects its students to follow uniform regulations to avoid violations that lead to minor or major consequences.
