General appearance
Our intention is to look formal, smart and professional. We are a choir of individuals, but we need a cohesive appearance, hence a dress code.
The following may seem a bit didactic, but comments from choir members and audience members have helped us identify important issues.
Women
- All black. Floor length skirt or dress, or black trousers (not too tight-fitting, like leggings or skinny jeans). No short or calf length skirts or dresses please, however lovely your legs are.
- Tops also black – individuals can choose their own style but sleeves should be at least elbow length. They may be lacy, but not revealing or low cut (i.e. no cleavage).
- Please bear in mind that some materials fade in the wash – we want a good strong black colour.
- Jewellery – discretionary – discreet earrings, necklace, rings, bracelets, brooches – silver, gold or black.
- Shoes and tights or socks – black. Please don’t show bare legs or ankles.
- A small black handbag may be carried on to the stage if required.
- Splash of colour – ribbon(s), scarf, corsage, headband or similar. The colours of the splash will be decided in advance of each concert and announced to members. The splash should be big enough to be seen from the back of the hall, but should not be too big or detract from the overall black effect. Suggested sizes are 13 x 137 cm for scarves; 5-8 cm for brooches; necklaces, earrings and hair ornaments big enough to be seen from a distance. It should blend with the choir image and look smart.
Men
Standard Concert Dress
- Black trousers
- Black shirt
- Black shoes and socks
- No tie or bow tie
Formal – we will communicate in advance when formal concert wear is required
- Dinner suit with white shirt
- Black shoes and socks
- Black bow tie
Occasional performances
There will be concerts when we have a different dress code according to the occasion e.g. Christmas. We will let choir members know in good time.
For community performances, we usually wear informal black and white. This means all black, or any combination of black and white including patterns, flowers, stripes, spots etc – but men shouldn’t wear black bow ties on white shirts as it looks too formal). Black should be black (not grey or navy blue) and white should be white (not cream or off-white).
Folders
Every member of the choir must have a BFCS folder for every performance. These can be purchased from the library team.
