Concertable Adaptive Clothing

As hard as it is to find concertable clothing, adaptive clothing in concertable styles is even harder to find. Disabled musicians should look as fluteiful and professional as the rest of the ensemble, but that is very difficult with the limited availability of concertable adaptive clothing. I have never seen any adaptive concert attire, so I figured I'd do a quick scour for concertable adaptive clothing. After a quick scour of IZ, I have only found one concertable dress shirt for men and one concertable dress shirt for women. Some of the pants appear to be concertable as well. There are no concertable skirts for women. Tommy Hilfiger's line of adaptive youth clothing includes one concertable piece, which is good for elementary and middle school boys. None of the girls' clothing was even remotely concertable.

I searched "adaptive concert attire" and I did not see the three words together in any of the results. Both concert attire and adaptive clothing are niche markets, but not as much as lolita would be. I am surprised that no one has brought up any access issues regarding concert attire. The concert dress I have is absolutely lovely. However, it zips in the back with a tiny zipper. This poses no impedance to me personally, but it poses impedances to even other able-bodied girls. Therefore, someone with fine motor skill difficulties or no friend to zip their dress may have to settle for something less attractive and that disheartens me. Professional appearance is a big part of being a musician, so, if anyone is forced to be less fluteiful, that is detrimental to their musicianship and to the group's appearance as a whole.

If you have experienced any clothing impedances as a musician, let me know. If you manufacture concert attire, consider releasing an adaptive concert attire line.

A Solo and Ensemble Makeup Tutorial

Want to get my makeup look? Watch my video!

Products:

• Foundation: Maybelline Dream Wonder 
• Blush: Maybelline Bouncy Blush
• Eyeshadow: Estee Lauder (I got the palette in an Estee Lauder bag. It is not available for individual sale.)
• Shades: 60 (Sugar Biscuit), 04 (Wild Sable), and 38 (Chocolate Bliss)

•  Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara (This also came in the bag.)

• "Nose Shadow": Maybelline Autumn Coppers (440), Liner shade
• Highlights: e.l.f. shimmering facial whip (I don't know which shade.)
• Lipstain: Benefit Benetint

Concertable Women's Clothing and Appearance

 

I am the one in the front with the twin braids.

Song: Fanfare for the Third Planet:

Composer: Richard Saucedo

Ensemble: LVYO Symphonic Band 

Open-ended concert attire can leave the women looking sloppy and at a loss for what to wear as stated by this cellist's blog post. However, there are few guidelines for women as to what makes clothing concertable.

As a rule, as pointed out in the original post, sweatshirts, jeans , and T-shirts are not concertable. However, cotton can be concertable as long as it is done well. I own a long, black skirt made of cotton that I use for concerts with open-ended dress codes. Even with open-ended dress codes, men have to adhere to strict guidelines as to what is concertable.

Generally, when I look for concertable clothing, I look for white, collared shirts and long, black skirts. When it comes to shirts, I look for a symmetrical collar and some degree of arm covering. Short sleeves are generally acceptable to me, but they might not be to your director. Longer sleeves give a more professional appearance, but they tend to be an issue in a concert hall that tends to be too hot. I feel faint and short of breath if I am too hot, which is an impedance to my flute-playing ability.

For skirts, I look for long, black, and relatively plain skirts that fit at the waist. Concertable skirts are neither voluminous nor body-conscious and fall at the ankles or to the floor. However, there should be no excess fabric dragging as this poses a tripping hazard. (Use hemming tape, some sort of sewing method or the services of a seamstress to remedy this problem.) They should ideally have only one or two layers, but some three-layered skirts are concertable.

As for makeup, I don't think ensemble musicians should all wear makeup. Some musicians are concerned about make up rubbing off on their instrument and others are allergic to makeup, don't know how to apply it well if at all, find wearing something on their face to be an impedance to their playing, and some just don't like it. These are all valid reasons not to wear makeup in an ensemble setting. The same goes for hair. Different people have different types of hair and not everyone wants to straighten it out to where it is stick-straight with absolutely no strays and then put it up in an immaculate bun. Wearing a bun can also impede playing by giving the musician a headache, which is distracting from the primary focus (the music).

Women in ensembles deserve to look as fluteiful as the men. I wear a specific uniform in my band. It is a black empire waisted dress with a sweetheart neckline, lace-ish cap sleeves, and sparkly details on the bodice. It is an absolutely beautiful dress and it is very flattering. (It's this one.) However, I have been in ensembles with open-ended dress codes and have not had a problem with the way females dress yet. 

What do you think makes clothing concertable? Do you agree or disagree with what I have said or have any new points to bring up? Have I addressed your concerns or brought up new ones? Let me know when you comment.

Concertable: Clothing that resembles concert attire, but is not marketed as such, like "loliable" in lolita

 

How to Deal With Open-Ended Concert Attire

1. Go to Target, Macy's and other common stores. They will sell concertable clothing at low prices and a decent quality. Their clothing items are more often than not comfortable, easy to maintain, and look good. 
2. Look in department stores. If you want to make a larger investment, go to a department store. Their clothing items look better, but are more expensive and harder to maintain. However, your increase in professionalism may very well be worth the cost.
3. Go to Ross, Stein Mart, and other overstock or wholesale stores. Overstock and wholesale stores sell designer and department store clothes, but without the brand name. These stores will occasionally sell concertable items and tend to be very hit-or-miss. In my experience, I have not found concertable clothing at these stores.
4. Look online. If you do not like what is locally available and you have the time, look online for whatever you need. Double-check the sizing and read the reviews so you do not end up getting ripped off. I found my American Rag blouse online and love it. 
• If you are a lolita, you're in luck. Lolita blouses are generally very concertable.
5. Piece together your outfit. Just because you have two good pieces does not mean they will look good together. Coordinate your outfit to flatter your body type and personality. One of the benefits of open-ended concert attire is the ability to individualize your appearance to a greater extent than a specific uniform allows.

Concertable: Resembling what is typically worn as concert attire without being marketed as such, much like "loliable" among lolitas.

Fluteiful Lifehacks

Clothing

• Target will frequently sell long, plain black skirts that are perfect for concerts. They are about $8-10 each, VERY comfortable, and they are machine washable. This is good for anyone who has to deal with open-ended concert attire, particularly college students. This lifehack can also benefit middle and high school students whose parents do not want to spend a lot on concert clothes.
• For assigned concert attire, wear a small accessory (if your director allows it) to personalize your look. My favorite is a gold flute necklace. 

Makeup

• Benetint is how I get red lips that don't rub off on my flute. It also makes a good red blush and it is made of rose petals. You can apply more coats to get redder lips.
• I use brown eyeshadow to contour my nose to create a more sculpted look. This strategy is good for high school students (and even some middle school students) whose parents don't allow them to get much makeup and for college students who don't want to waste their money on nose shadow.

 In General

• Dress like your piece. Adding a visual element to your music makes you seem more professional. The only "Don't" I have regarding this "Don't wear a beehive updo in an ensemble setting." 

How to Dress for Solo and Ensemble

I get it. A lot of people are confused when it comes to what to wear or solo and ensemble, so I wanted to share tips. These are guidelines, not set-in-stone rules. These guidelines are in place assuming your director or teacher doesn't have something specific in mind regarding appearance.

1. At minimum, please be hygienic. This means brushing your hair, wearing deodorant, washing your face, and wearing clothes that don't have any noticeable stains or holes. You will seem more professional if you at least make an effort to clean yourself up. 
2. Take your instrument into account. You wouldn't want to wear something floor-length if your instrument comes in a rolling case. Wind musicians should not wear very restrictive clothing. If your instrument has multiple large parts (Percussionists, I'm looking at you.), wear clothes that allow for the movement required to unload large instruments.
3. Take the nature of solo and ensemble into account. You will be (under the assumption that you are ambulatory), on your feet more than you think. If you wear shoes, make sure you can spend about two hours straight in them while being fairly active. 
4. Keep it simply simple. While an accessory can elevate an outfit, your adjudicator is here to listen to your music. With that said, solo and ensemble is not the best time or place for a full-on Decora coordinate. Wear black and white and go for conservatively-styled clothing. In other words, something similar to concert attire makes a good solo and ensemble look.
5. It's not that kind of festival. This mainly applies to high school age females because this is where I see it the most. Please make sure that your dress or skirt is at least fingertip length and that your chest is covered to some degree. If you need to keep adjusting your dress so you don't show your undergarments, it's probably not a good idea to wear it. In the case of wearing white shirts, keep in mind that white shirts tend to be kind of transparent. Wear a camisole underneath if you feel it is necessary.
6. Do not show up in a T-shirt and jeans. I get that not everyone wants to get dressed to the nines to perform their piece, but do not show up in a T-shirt and jeans. This is very unprofessional. At least wear dress slacks or a nice skirt. I have seen some semi-casually dressed people at solo and ensemble and they still looked professional. 
7. Be comfortable. Go for it if you feel like dressing to the nines. If you don't, wear your concert clothes. If you want an example, here you go:

 

Want the look?

1. Blouse: American Rag
2. Jacket: Old Navy
3. Skirt: Merona 
4. Shoes: Merona