What We Wear Wednesday, 1: white tie and tails

In a further attempt to pretend I have control over the world, I'm initiating another weekly segment: What We Wear Wednesdays.  Conductor attire is an issue, and though it's not the most meaningful thing I'll write about, it does have roots in history and impact on what the ensemble sees (and therefore how they respond to us).

So.

As I've posted again and again, the image of a conductor in the public consciousness is of an old, white man with crazy grey hair holding a baton, wearing white tie and tails.  So let's talk about white tie and tails.

I'll break this up into a couple of sub-topics to be discussed in a series so no one has to read one long, rambling, ranting post.  Today, just the broad strokes, but this and all following attire posts come under the following disclaimer:

These are all social customs, which means they mean different things to different people in different places.  So,what follows is my own adamant argument in favor of a traditional approach to dressing, an argument against using the tuxedo as a uniform or costume.  I argue it with passion and conviction, but full awareness that other people's points of view are valid.

My view comes from the geeky pleasure I take in these kinds of rules.  It's a James Bondian thrill of adhering to tradition to my own best advantage.  The snob appeal of doing it "just so."  And not just that.  On my Facebook page, under "Favorite Movies," it says "Fred and Ginger movies."  I grew up watching them, and my mind grew around it, like vines around a lattice.  In adolescence, I rebelled and tried grunge, but even in my flannel shirts, I couldn't let go of my lipstick.  So the desire for--if not expectation of--that kind of elegance is ingrained more deeply than my times tables.

Arright.  On to the question at hand: Why do conductors wear white tie and tails?  

The rule of thumb I've always heard is that the performers dress one level of formality above their audience, and the conductor dresses one step up from the performers.  This is a little rough to handle, historically, and I don't have any resources to cite that this is accurate, it's just what "they" say.  And it does explain why conductors dress in the most formal attire available, white tie.  Plus, I've heard many male conductors laud the virtues of the tails jacket for its ease of movement.  

Formality can be determined by--among other things--fabric, construction, tailoring, and (for women) hem length.  Of course, these are all shades and grey, and there is overlap.  There is a problem for women that formalwear is often sleeveless if not strapless, and sexy goes along with dressy.  That is, the more formal an outfit is, the more feminine it is likely to be, speaking in terms of what is available in stores.  Balancing formality and attractiveness with professionalism and authority is a trick.

"White tie" is most formal category of formal attire.  It is the most formal level of dress, with clearly spelled-out traditional pieces to the outfit: a tails jacket, white tie and vest, pique front shirt, and tux pants with a satin stripe over the side seam.  Below it are:

• Black tie: a tuxedo with a dinner jacket, to be worn after 6 p.m. (for dinner!)
• Cocktail: tux or suit for men, cocktail dress for women
• Business: a suit
• Causal: anything else you wear in public

I have conducted on programs with men conductors who insist on wearing white tie and tails at a 3 p.m. concert, which is technically inappropriate and irritates me a bit.  They are using the outfit as a uniform, as a costume rather than actual evening wear.  That's valid.  I just don't like it. 

It is their work uniform if they wear it every time they perform.  I know a conductor who buys a new (to him) rental tux every year.  That's treating it like a work uniform or costume, where quality doesn't matter; it just has to look right from stage every night.  And heaven knows I own polyester gowns purchased as choir uniforms that I would never wear socially.  But when I had to stand next to a man wearing white tie and tails, damned if I was going to do it in a uniform or a costume.  I bought a gown, floor-length silk lined in silk.  Looked good, too.

We are in a profession that celebrates tradition, perpetually resurrecting music written hundreds of years ago, so it is too much to ask that we keep in touch with the traditions of what we wear to perform?  However, like a bride, a conductor should be able to wear whatever makes him happy.  (More on my choices as a bride and as a conductor in later posts.)  

I've had conversations with conductors about attire that have ranged from "I just don't worry about it" to "I think pearls are inappropriate on women under forty."  And I've landed in this place: dress for performance like it's real life.