London Philharmonic Orchestra's High-Tech Fashion

Have you ever been at a Classical Music concert and noticed how the members of the orchestra seem to get pretty overheated during the course of the night? I have often thought that I wouldn't want to be under those lights in a full tuxedo playing the intense music that they do. It seems that the London Philharmonic Orchestra has found a solution. The Independent Online reports that they have partnered with Marks and Spencer in the testing of their new dinner jackets made from CoolMax material. CoolMax is a special lightweight fiber that wicks moisture away from the body. First violinist of the LPO, Bob St. John Wright, swears by the new threads saying, "We do nearly 70 performances a year in the pit during Glyndebourne and it gets incredibly hot. Even with air-conditioning in the theatre, the audience were in shirt-sleeves this summer and we were in dinner suits, slaving away playing Verdi. But this suit feels half the weight of what we usually wear. It's a real bonus." To make a great deal even better, the tux is even machine-washable! A very convenient feature indeed for performers who wear the outfit almost every night of the week. The CoolMax suit is an exclusive Marks and Spencer product and can now be found in 130 of their stores. [From The Independent]