The Score | Fashion Forward

Maybe it’s those hot Texas summers, but a move is afoot to rethink stage attire for orchestra musicians in Dallas and San Antonio. Kevin Yu, a businessman and avocational violinist based in Dallas, had long complained that performing in standard concert attire was unbearably hot, so he went to work designing a stretchy, breathable tuxedo shirt based on athletic wear. Yu gave prototypes of the shirt—dubbed the Gershwin Tuxedo Shirt—to professional musicians such as Nathan Olson, co-concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony, for feedback. He then opened an online store, Coregami, which promptly sold out and has generated media coverage. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Symphony partnered with a local women’s apparel boutique, Niche, which created a collection of outfi ts—also designed to be more comfortable to play in—and donated them to the orchestra’s female musicians. Musicians received the new clothing on November 12 at a party at Niche’s San Antonio store, and debuted them onstage at the Tobin Center two days later.