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The unspoken dilemma among
female choir directors...
by Sarah Gilbertson, R&S Chair for Women's Choirs, guest article from Star
of the North, Minnesota's ACDA newsletter, Kari Douma, Editor (used
by permission)
 Preparation for a performance
not only includes music and logistics, but also the appropriate attire.
For our male counterparts this decision is easy – suit or tux. For a
female choir director this decision is almost as difficult as selecting
your literature. Pants or skirt? Did I wear this at the last concert?
How does this outfit look from the back? Ah yes, the questions are endless.
This article is an attempt to gather input from other
female conductors with varying lengths of experience and age to help
demystify this dilemma. Hopefully after reading this article you will
have gained some additional insight that will allow you to conduct with
confidence knowing that your choir sounds beautiful and you look fabulous.
The following are the questions and the responses
I received. I think you will see how passionate we women feel about
this topic.
- Where do you shop for your conducting outfits?
#1 response:
High-end
department stores (look for deals after or around the holidays)
- Dillards
- Macy’s
- Lilly Rubin
- Nieman Marcus
- Nordstrom
#2: Specialty
Stores
- Ann Taylor Loft
- Limited
- Chicos
- Eddie bauer (black velvet, washable dress)
- Coldwater Creek
- J. Jill
- Express
- J. Longs in Mankato
#3 other
responses
- JCPenney
- They tend to “leap off the rack” and I have just “found” them.
- Borrow from other female conductors
- Barrie Pace (on-line)
- Tadashi (on-line)
- Bloomingdales (on-line)
- Do you ever decide to not wear black and
if so, for what type of performance?
#1 response:
Colors
are fine, but have with a black ensemble or long black skirt/pants
- Red or green blouse for a holiday concert
- Put a color under a black jacket for visual interest – white is safe!
- Muted gold
- Long black skirt with silver in it – special concerts
- Non-black upper garment or one with colorful trim.
#2 Colors
(examples given)
- navy blue dress with a beautiful flower pattern
- All winter white pant outfit
- Dark red velvet dress
- Navy or brown for more “academic” performances or younger choirs
who give concerts on a different night.
- Black Chinese jacket that is bright blue on the inside and reversible
- School colors – red and black were the colors
- Occasional navy or emerald green
Quote
to remember from one of the woman:
“If you wear something other than black, still bound
by the rules of appropriate length, fit of dress from the back, shoes
you can comfortably conduct in, no bare arms, etc.”
- Do you choose to wear pants or skirts/dresses?
#1 response:
Both
- Pants with a fancy top for an evening concert with a chamber choir
in a smaller venue.
- Pants need to flow and be the right material
- Big auditorium with a concert choir – usually a long dress.
Quotes from the
women:
- “I have no problem wearing “the pants”. : )
- “I personally am more comfortable in pants, so I wear them whenever
I have a really long performance day. On concert nights I tend to
go with skirts/dresses.”
- “I am a pants person and my favorite all time outfit was pants with
a long tunic over them. It’s outdated now, because the shoulders of
the tunic are so heavily padded. I should get it restructured because
it’s a great look…….”
- “It depends on what size I am. If I am thinner, I wear a dress more
often.”
- Suit for tours – one that covers the “tush”
- “I do prefer long dresses, long skirts/tops – dresses make me feel
more feminine and that is important for me. I will never wear something
that clings to my “tush” and I am very aware of panty lines!! I always
make sure my outfit looks good from behind!”
- Are you concerned with the length of skirt
if you choose to wear a skirt?
#1 response:
Always
wear a longer skirt (below the knee – tea length or to the floor)
- Black cocktail length dress for an afternoon music camp or honor
choir concert.
- Be very picky about the length. The skirt needs to be tea length
or floor length. The knee length skirt on stage is not a good look
– it’s too matronly looking. If you don’t wear black hose, it is not
very attractive.
- Be aware of where the slit lies. Nobody wants to see your legs showing
while you conduct.
- “I would never wear a short skirt…or any skirt, I guess. But I don’t
wear skirts in any other part of my life.”
- “I wear what I purchase in several venues. You never know what the
stage set-up is going to be, how close people will be to you, how high
up you are, so I want something that will be safe pretty much anywhere.”
- If you have longer hair do you put it up
or leave it down?
#1 response:
Keep
your hair out of your face
- Definitely wear it up
- Shoulder length hair – curl is so it looks more formal and has body.
- It should not be distracting
- half back
- “I require my singers to wear their hair up or back and I think
it is important that I do the same.”
- Up or down make sure it’s out of your face!
- Any other comments/rules you follow about
performance attire for yourself as a female conductor?
- Long dresses and skirts are the way to go. If the choir is wearing
tuxes and long dress, this is a must. If the choir is wearing robes,
it is a different matter. Black hose, not tan, and black shoes are
also good.
- Be picky about material of the attire. Never wear traveling knit
or any material that is clingy or “hangs”.
- Cover the rear with a jacket.
- Clothes need to be up to date – it’s never good to keep wearing your
outfits from 1970.
- It is nice to see a conductor have a little bit of “personality”
on the front of her outfit (scarf, pin, color) but when she turns and
faces the choir, the conductor need to almost disappear.
- Women should NEVER conduct without sleeves-regardless of time of
year. Sleeves should be at least ¾ lengths.
- Women should NEVER conduct in a backless dress.
- All blouses, shirts, jackets, etc. should have a more conservative
neckline.
- Conducting clothes should never be tight or “molded” to the body.
- Don’t forget to save your receipts and use performance attire as
a tax “write-off”.
- “Does my butt look good (because that is what the audience sees.)”
- “Do I look classy yet sassy?”
- Long sleeves only. You would never see a male conductor wearing
short sleeves.
- Stay away from dresses that are “fancy” in the back or have a low
back.
- “I used to want to make my arms look substantial so I always wore
a blazer instead of a fitted sleeve. I wanted my gesture to look strong,
not quite so feminine. I don’t worry about that any more because I’ve
worked on my conducting technique. My outfit of choice right now is
a black suit or a velvet blazer with flowing pants – both with “substantial”
sleeves. I do worry about the view of my backside…and make sure that
the pants fit properly!”
- Try to get skirts or pants that are lined – they look nicer from
the stage and lay flatter.
- “My rule of thumb is to look classy. I also want the students to
know that I take the performance seriously. I even wore fancy black
dresses with an up-do as a middle school teacher.”
- “I personally prefer that women wear a jacket, coat or tunic-style
top to cover their rear ends whether they wear skirts or pants. Any
item of clothing that calls attention to the body of the conductor
takes the focus off the choir.”
- Avoid satin on stage – especially pants!
- “I prefer looking like a woman. I do have a couple wonderful suits
that I think are feminine looking. I definitely prefer long skirts
with a top that has ¾ length sleeves or longer. I would not wear anything
that resembles a man’s tux!”
- Shoes are an issue – fashionable doesn’t always equal great comfort
or mobility, both important on busy concert evenings or afternoons.
- “I always look more conservative than the students, and I usually
go to the side of overdressed than under-dressed.”
- “It’s a nice tradition for me to try to purchase something new each
year for our Christmas concert. Then I wear it several times during
the rest of the year, or wear whatever I bought the previous year or
two. You always have a few things to pick from.”
- Aerosoles are a really comfortable brand for shoes
A lot of information to digest-if you didn’t learn
anything else, remember to avoid satin pants with short jackets and definitely
never wear a backless dress! |
