Tales of tails
Before Tailoring for Women there was The Concert Store. Making concert platform garments for busy professional musicians and singers was in many ways a dream occupation for me. The tailoring craft in the service of superb musical experiences thanks to star clients such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Tamas Vasary, Seiji Ozawa, Steven Isserlis, Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, the King’s Singers – and even Lou Reed!
Many remain good friends and clients, not least Martyn Brabbins (pictured with me, below), one of the earliest and most constant of my many musician customers. So I simply had to get along to the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s South Bank at the weekend (July 17) to experience Martyn in full flow, conducting the Salomon Orchestra in all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies. Yes, all of them. In a single day. Starting at 11 in the morning and ending with the massive Ninth, complete with London Symphony Chorus and soloists at 7.30 in the evening. I managed to get there for the last three and it sounded as though the players were just beginning to warm up after an appetiser of the first six. Martyn of course looked like he could go on to tackle a complete Mahler cycle the day after.
Everyone was dressed casually – probably a sensible decision and certainly not an unusual one nowadays. In spite of my expertise with tail coats and extravagant dresses I always felt it was rather odd that male classical musicians should insist on wearing apparel originally created for practical horse riding. The tails of tail coats having been neatly crafted to fall either side of a horse’s rump of course, have since given rise to numerous more or less theatrical gestures as pianists and others flounce them behind a piano stool.
However, if you still insist on appearing in public in riding gear, then I’m more than happy to oblige!
Dancing violinist photo: madamesaucy (photobucket)
Tags: Beethoven symphonies, Brabbins, concert dress, concert wear, tailcoats, tails, white tie
