It's true. I didn't have to listen to the Templars, but...I would rather not get myself in trouble. I didn't have to wear the robes, but I'd rather not traipse around the Tower nude. I don't mind. The robes are comfortable. And they mean something. I know rank might seem arbitrary to outsiders, but the colors are an easy way to identify the skill level of a mage.
Does it? I...don't think I ever really had that kind of choice before. The robes were much nicer than anything my parents could afford when I was a child. I used to wear hand-me-downs from my sister.