A simple look I go with is all black, top and bottom for both men and woman. Tart the look up with a sprig of holly at Christmas if you wish.

It is a classy and simple solution. On stage is looks very smart.

N

It can look quite classy having men and women dressed alike, but if you like something different, black jackets for both, black shirts with bright ties for the men and shells for the women that match the mens ties, and black pants for the men and long skirts for the women is usually something everyone can manage. While white shirts photograph well, they can look terrible on stage where the lights either pick up every seam and fold of the underclothes beneath them (or lack thereof in some cases, which is worse) or reflect off the white, making that the most visible thing on stage, and masking the singers faces for all but the front few rows of audience. I never like the all black look, as it can be a bit dour, especially for young people, but sometimes that is just the simplest, cheapest option.

Small world! The recent choir picture is of a group at the sister high school to the one I attended. And one thing I learned from the high school choirs there--do not try to order the girls' clothing from a department store catalog! The sizes were not as advertised and the company ran out of the blouses and substituted others in a very different color.

 

That said, my suggestion would be to pick either white or black and an accent color and have the girls wear what they like within those guidelines and any others you set (e.g. only dresses and skirts, no pants; must have sleeves). I suggested this for MUSE, the Cincinnati women's chorus, when we began in the 1980s, and they are still wearing their "swimming pool" outfits (turquoise and white). MUSE's winter outfit, which they may not be using any more, was black bottom, white top, and a touch of red). Similarly, Encore Vocal Arts in Indianapolis has the women wearing dressy black and white outfits of their choice. This has the advantage of allowing everyone to purchase something that flatters her, is within her family's price range, and that will not gather dust in her closet after graduation while providing a uniform look. With a group as small as yours, the young women might even want to go shopping together.

For my small community chorus, where funds are similarly limited, we go with "long black" on the bottom (women can choose pants or skirt), and long sleeve "jewel tones" or plain dark color on top, for both men & women. No prints, no sequins, no T-shirts. Men wear a (subdued) tie but no jacket. Dark hose & shoes (for high schoolers you might need to specify this!)

 

The result is a melange of navy, green, burgundy, teal, etc., cohesive enough but more interesting than solid black. Nearly everyone has SOME nice-ish shirt or sweater that can work, & that is individually flattering.