MARCHING SAXON UNIFORMS

​

WEAR & CARE GUIDE

​

Click the gold "Marching Band Uniform" button to print these Wear & Care Guidelines.

Students are fitted for their uniforms in August during marching band camp. Bibbers may be taken home for length alteration but otherwise remain in the band's locked uniform closet. In order for the Marching Saxons to look our best, it is important to follow certain standards of appearance. These standards also help us take good care of the Marching Saxons uniforms and help them last as long as possible. To look sharp and ensure proper care of your uniform, please follow these wear and care guidelines.

Undergarments
Wear:  Show shirts and show shorts should be worn under your uniform to protect the uniform from perspiration.

Care:  Undergarments should be washed, as needed.

Jacket
Wear:  Uniform jackets should be zipped and fastened.

Care:  Jackets should be handled with care when on your body or on a hanger (see photos below). If you notice stains or other damage to your jacket, please inform a uniform parent or one of the band directors. ( Jackets are dry-cleaned once a year at the end of marching season.)

Bibbers (Pants)
Wear:  Bibbers should be zipped.

Care:
General: Bibbers should be hung up properly when not being worn. Hang the bibbers so they are evenly balanced and folded with the creases of the pants to avoid wrinkling (see photos below).

Altering: Some bibbers have snaps that can be used to adjust the length. If that isn’t sufficient, parents/guardians are responsible for hemming bibbers to the proper length. Bibbers may NOT be cut! To adjust the leg length, take the hem completely down and then hem or baste the pants to the proper length.

Proper Length of Bibbers: The pant leg length should be adjusted only after the straps have been adjusted. The pant leg should touch the shoe lightly enough so that the crease line in the leg does not buckle or bend. To adjust the length of the pants, first adjust the torso length from the shoulder to the crotch of the bibber by adjusting the suspender straps, high and tight. Then, adjust the length of the pant leg to just reach the top of the shoe.

Washing: Bibbers are machine washable in warm water with like colors. Use low heat to dry and hang immediately.


Socks  
Wear:  Solid black socks (that are at least mid-calf length) should be worn for each performance.

Care:  Black socks should be washed, as needed.

Shoes  
Wear:  Black marching shoes. Shoes are ordered for new marchers. Interested in a gently-used pair of shoes instead? We have a limited inventory of marching band shoes donated from band members who have graduated.

Care:  Shoes should be wiped clean, as needed.

Shako (Hat)
Wear:  Hats are worn straight, with a “two fingers” space between the bridge of your nose and the hat-bill. The hat should have a comfortable fit to your head (not too tight, but not so loose that the hat may fall). You can adjust the string inside of the hat for a tighter or looser fit.

Care:  Hats should be stored right-side up in the hat box (to prevent damaging the top of the hat).  The hat boxes are fragile, so please handle them with care.

Plume
Wear:  Plumes will be properly affixed to the hats before the show and removed from hats after the show by uniform volunteers (wearing gloves). While wearing plumes, please do not touch them.

Hair
Wear:  Hair should be worn above the collar and behind the ear. This applies to band members wearing hats, as well as those wearing berets and in the pit.


Student Responsibilities

All uniforms, once fitted and assigned, will be kept in the LHS band closet.

Remember your uniform number. This number matches your garment bag, the tag in your jacket, and the sticker on your hat box.

Report for games and competitions with your show shirt, show shorts, black socks and black shoes. These items should be cleaned as needed.

After each performance, ensure that your jacket and bibber are hanging properly on the hanger provided with your garment bag.

Wash your bibbers at the end of marching season. (See bibber section above for washing instructions.) If your bibbers require cleaning before the end of marching season, notify your section leader and the uniform coordinator that you will be taking them home to wash them. Bring them back prior to the next marching band event.


Section Leader Responsibilities

Section leaders will review all section members for proper uniform appearance before each performance. This includes hat (if required), jacket, bibber, black socks, and black shoes. If any items are in need of cleaning, section members will be notified and expected to make necessary modifications.