Selection and Maintenance of Choir Robes
Choir robes can lend beauty and dignity to your worship
services. The wise choice of style will be influenced by the nature of your
corporate worship. Robes, just like other symbols should make some kind of
statement about how we come into God's presence. An Episcopal church which has a
procession at the beginning of each service might choose full length burgundy
cassocks and overlay then with white surpluses. An AME (African American
Episcopal) church might have very bright solid colors with a pattern on a stole.
A Southern Baptist church might wear a rather conservative color, eight inches
above the floor and have satin removable V-shaped collars. Selection factors
will include length, color, solid or pattern, fabric type, monogramming,
separate collars or stoles, and sizes for spare robes as well as the amount of
money available. Choral directors and organists often have specially designed
robes to facilitate playing the organ pedals and conducting.
Quality Fabrics
The term "Quality Fabrics" is somewhat subjective. Certainly,
fabrics are available in various grades or quality levels. It should mean
fabrics which are among the top 5 to 7% available. In other words if a fabric is
available in 100 different quality levels from 1 being the lowest to 100 being
the highest, (costs varying proportionately), your supplier should purchase from
93 to 100 on that list. Some companies purchase an average quality fabric in the
seventies and eighties, and although the difference in quality may not be
readily apparent, the colorfast properties, wrinkly resistance, and durability
may vary significantly and will become apparent in the years ahead. Generally
the term "quality fabrics", as agreed by various trade associations in the choir
robe manufacturing industry, refers to fabrics that meet certain minimum
requirements for the above mentioned properties. Generally it would be the top
45 - 50 %. Most companies that are considered reputable use fabrics that are in
the top 75% and up.
Cleaning
With regard to laundering vs. dry cleaning many manufacturers
prefer dry cleaning at an establishment that uses SANI-TONE products or the
equivalent Dry cleaning will give the longest wear and maintain optimum color
fastness. If laundering is opted, use lukewarm water and mild detergent. Whether
you dry-clean or launder, ALWAYS DO ALL OF THE GOWNS AT THE SAME TIME, EVEN IF
SOME DO NOT LOOK LIKE THEY NEED CLEANING. In this way the gowns will fade at a
uniform level and will always look the same. How frequently you need to do this
varies greatly depending on the church, the temperature, the length of the
services, the humidity, etc. It seems 1 - 3 times per year is the average range.
Storage
The amount of storage space differs greatly depending on the
sizes of the gowns, the size of the hangar, the style of choir robe, the fabric,
and whether or not garment bags are used. There is no stock answer, but a rod
space of about three to four inches per robe will generally be a good estimate
for you to plan space. Be certain to provide enough space for the storage of
additional robes that you might purchase in the future.
It is recommended that the rod be placed at least a couple of
inches higher than the length of the robe for the tallest person you expect. For
safety sake (for future members that may be taller than present members) we
recommend a height of 5' 6" to 6' 0 " if space permits. In the event that the
rod is too low, a garment bag is the solution. If the bottom of the bag drags
the floor, the gown inside will still be clean.
Lifespan
Most of the fabrics that are used in our line are selected
with the hopes that they will be used for many years to come. Polycrepe has been
in used for at least the past 20 years, Visa for the past 10 - 15 and there are
some newer generation fabrics that are being introduced this year for the first
time. Before we introduce a new fabric, it is evaluated with much testing so
that robe companies can purchase what they believe to be a two-year supply. They
also want future choir members to be able to match up with previously ordered
robes as best as possible. Every time they order additional fabric in a specific
color, the color may vary from one dye lot to the next. In fact, of the more
popular fabrics manufacturers may have many different bolts of fabric in their
warehouse that differ in shade from one bolt to the next. In order to match
gowns that were ordered five years or longer in the past, they generally suggest
that you send them a sample robe for matching purposes. Hopefully they will have
a good match on hand. If not, they can always send the robe to their fabric mill
and can get a better match if available. Some colors and fabric are more
colorfast than others are. Also, how the gowns have been cleaned and/or stored
may be factors in their color change. Usually, they can get very good matches on
most colors, even on older robes, especially if the robes have been well
maintained.
The industry standard for longevity for weekly usage robes is
6 - 8 years for robes that have been dry cleaned and stored in garment bags in a
dark closet. The average for some manufacturers is estimated in the 8 - 14 year
range. There are several churches that are approaching the twenty-year mark, and
tell their manufacturer that the gowns still look great.
Organization
It is a good idea to have your robes numbered and perhaps have
the singer's name in them as well. Some people have the numbers increase with
increasing length. This enables the person in charge of the robes to quickly
select a suitable available robe when someone new joins the choir. It is also a
good idea to have one person who maintains the list of who has each robe and
which ones are available for new singers. They can also help with any problems
that might arise so that the director might not have to resolve those problems
at the last minute before a service begins. They should also be the contact for
each person in the choir to let know any repairs that might be needed and to
schedule and organize the periodic cleaning of the robes.
I owe a great deal of thanks to Mr. Steve Springer, former President of
Springer Uniforms (http://www.springerco.com)
for his help in preparing this article.