Whitney Houston wore one in The Preacher's Wife. Mahalia Jackson's hangs in a museum in Chicago. On Broadway, the cast of Smokey Joe's Café danced in them. In 1963, when a bomb hit their Birmingham church, four girls died while changing into theirs. And you probably have dozens hanging in your church right now.

What has had such a long and interesting history? The illustrious choir robe.

"Dignity and Order"
Why have choir robes always been such a mainstay in the church?

"They lend dignity and order to the worship service," says Stephen Fendler, president of the CM Almy Company, which has been making Christian vestments since 1892. "In many churches, the choir is a highly visible part of the liturgy. They join in the entrance procession and often are seated and perform in full view of the congregation. Properly designed robes create a dignified and uniform appearance for the choir."

Bob Walker, owner of Regency Cap and Gown, says robes give the choir an appearance of uniformity.

Vickie Hall, president of Thomas Creative Apparel, Inc., says that uniformity is important. "When the styles and colors coordinate nicely with the interior of the church, it helps the group to feel better," she says. "We like to think if they look good, they'll sound even better."

In the Beginning
To find the earliest robes, you need to go back as far as the first choir, which probably existed during the ancient Greek and Palestinian cultures. The Old Testament provides plenty of proof that organized choral singing was alive and well in ancient Israel (for example, Neh. 12:31). A piece of Greek pottery, circa 425 B.C., shows choir members singing and playing instruments. They are dressed in long flowing robes with fabric that drapes over the left shoulder. So while we don't have Polaroids of those first choirs, we do have documented evidence that robes have existed since ancient musicians began singing in groups.

The earliest robes were tunics worn by monks, and were similar to the albs worn by presbyters and bishops.

Since then, choir fashions have mimicked the fashion trends of the ordained clergy. When the cassock (a plain black, lightweight, ankle-length tunic with long sleeves) and surplice (a white, lightweight blouse-like garment with sleeves and lace trim, usually worn over the cassock) evolved as the official clerical attire in the Middle Ages, choirs adopted the look.

When the Geneva-style (think graduation gown) developed as the favored pulpit attire of Reformation clerics, choirs slowly but surely adopted robes that were similarly styled. According to Fendler, these three traditions—the tunic/alb, the cassock and surplice, and the academic gown—form the basis for almost all robe styles worn today.

A Variety of Choices
"Our Choir Tunic and Choir Alb, along with our Scapular accessory, derive from the early monastic attire," says Fendler, who also offers gowns based on the cassock and Geneva styles. The academic-type gowns can be ordered in any color desired.

"As recently as 25 years ago, choir robes primarily came in three colors—black, white and solid blue," says Regency Cap and Gown's Bob Walker, who credits African-American churches with bringing more colors to their robes and encouraging traditional churches to do the same. "Now there's a variety of colors, and you can basically get anything you want."

Walker notes that many of Regency's new designs come from customers. "They come in with a design, or they take the trim off of one robe and put it on another. If the customer puts it together, and we like it, we add it to our list."

The customer's preferences are also key at Thomas Creative Apparel, whose Choral Robe Ala Carte "allows a customer the option of picking a plain basic robe and adding available options to build a [new] robe," says Hall. "This flexibility allows [choirs] to customize a robe to fit their needs."

The Lyric Choir Gown Company also gives the customer many ways to exercise his or her preferences. With about 30 styles of robes and a variety of fabrics (poplin, crepe, and two polyesters), there is much from which to choose.

Accessorize!
If you thought accessorize was a 20th-century Madison Avenue word, think again. English boy choirs have been accessorizing their robes since the Middle Ages. Ruffled collars dating from the 16th century are still very popular among Church of England choirs and are the collar of choice for the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral Choir and the Winchester Cathedral Choir. The Westminster Cathedral Choir wears Eton collars (large starched, stiff, white collars) that are preferred by many Catholic churches in England.

If your choir is looking for something a little less traditional, CM Almy offers more contemporary choices including "stoles, hoods, scapulars, and other over-lay garments that can add color," says Fendler, whose company also offers a large collection of neck crosses.

There are many accessories that can be added to robes, adds Hall. "A large palette of colors and wide range of easy care fabrics are available," she says. "Also, unlimited embroidery on all parts of the robes creates new and unusual effects." Most robe companies can embroider robes with traditional or contemporary Christian symbols or church logos.

At Lyric, the assortment of robe accessories includes stoles, tunics and cottas, plus pulpit covers and custom designed communion table scarves.

Old Look, New Threads
While historical fashion changes in robes have been slow and incremental, there have been recent changes in the fabrics used. New fabrics are lighter weight, more stain resistant and have better drape. These changes are necessary because of the way choirs now use robes. Some choirs spend much of the day in their robes, traveling to other churches to perform. They need robes that look as good after their third performance that evening as they did during their first performance that morning. They may also want two or three sets of gowns or accessories, so if they return to the same church they can have a new look.

Fendler notes that since choirs "are made up mostly of volunteer members of the congregation, they are interested in the comfort, care and affordability of their robes." His company is seeking "to improve our existing styles by making them with fabrics that are more comfortable, while at the same time preserving the drape, easy care and durability that customers appreciate. We also expect to develop more contemporary styles, with an emphasis on comfort and simple styling."

Hall agrees that future changes will be mostly in the material. "Robes will change as new fabrics, colors and trims become available," he says.

Here to Stay
Many churches are moving away from traditional worship toward more contemporary services, meaning a change in music styles—more praise bands and fewer choirs. In an attempt to "contemporize" the service, some churches have asked choirs to wear a standard uniform such as dresses and blazers or khakis and sports shirts. With these changes, will robes still be around in the future?

Walker says yes. "I have seen it where a lot of groups get together and stay for a number of years in whatever they wear, and then a new member joins the group, and says, 'Why don't we get robes?'"

Fendler agrees: "Robes in appropriate styles and colors still offer a practical way to create uniformity and spirit in any and all worship environments."

Hall believes that robes are the best solution for the myriad of body shapes and sizes, and since they can be used by different members over the years, they can represent a better value to the church. "Choral robes are a looser fitting item, so they can fit a wider range of sizes. Dresses or blazers usually can only be used by the person they were fit for, or someone of equal size and build." Hall also notes that robes are good for unifying "the identity and solidarity of the group, as well as giving the listener a blended visual image." With the range of colors, styles, and accessories, available, Hall says churches "can dress them up or down to make them traditional or flashier."

None of the experts worry about the future of choir robes. With all of the new options to customize and accessorize, the good news is that your robes will wear out before they go out of fashion.

And that's no idle sales claim. Robes have a 2,500-year history of covering it!

Jennifer Schuchmann (jschuchmann@bellsouth.net) is a management consultant and writer in the Atlanta area.