Take this measurement over the garments that will be worn under the item being ordered. Measure completely around the body at the fullest part of the bust, keeping tape under the arms and around the back. The tape should be parallel to the floor and snug but not too tight.

If individual is extremely full busted, or has very narrow shoulders, also provide shoulder width across the back from tip to tip of shoulders. Do not provide bra size.



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Take this measurement over the garments that will be worn under the item being ordered. With arms relaxed, measure around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms and across the shoulder blades in the back. The tape should be snug but not too tight. Keep tape parallel to the floor.

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The Floor Clearance is the distance from the bottom of a robe to the floor. When measuring for a choir, the same measurement should be used for the entire choir to enhance the group's appearance. We recommend a floor clearance of no less than 4" to avoid tripping when climbing steps.

Use a ruler or tape measure and measure up from the floor to where you want the robes to end. Write this number on the Order Form under Floor clearance or height of hem from floor.

 

Fasten a measuring chart or tape to the wall and have the person being measured stand up straight against the wall chart, with their "Sunday" shoes on, and heels against the wall. The back of the head should touch the chart.

Place a ruler on top of the head, parallel to the floor. Record this measurement in feet and inches (for example, 5'6") on the Order Form under Height in Shoes.

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Some choirs prefer to use a robe numbering system. Your Murphy dealer can provide you with a copy of your robe order, with the names of each choir member and his/her measurements. If you ask that the robes be labeled by number, and assign the same number to the individual member, you can reassign the robe when there is a change in membership. Or, if you prefer, we can label each robe with the individual choir member's name inside. Having one's "own robe" goes a long way towards making a person feel like he or she "belongs" to the choir.
 

Robes or accessories with high necklines or standing collars require neck measurements for the best possible fit.

Take this measurement over the garments that will be worn under the item being ordered. Wrap a tape measure around the base of the neck allowing enough room for comfortable singing, preaching, or normal head and neck movement.

This measurement should correspond to a shirt collar size, (for example 15, or 16). Round this measurement up to the nearest full inch. Do not round down.

Record this measurement on the Order Form in the Neck column or provide it to your Murphy dealer.

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If your original order was for Murphy robes, we can most likely match your original order. We recommend sending in one of your old robes to "shade with", so we can minimize dye lot differences between old and new robes. Even if your old robes are black or white, dye lot variations occur, as well as some color changes over time. We can't guarantee a perfect match, but we'll do our best.

Murphy offers hundreds of color combinations to choose from, and we will tailor any style robe you select in the colors of your choice.
The Robe Wizard's Tip: When you are ordering new robes to coordinate with a sanctuary decor, you might consider contrasting, rather than blending in with the pew upholstery fabrics. It's good for the choir to be seen as well as heard!

Measure across the top of the shoulders at the back from the tip of your shoulder to the opposite tip. Use this measurement when comparing your size to a Custom Cassock Sizing Chart. If your shoulder width does not conform to a size on these charts, (i.e. your shoulders are too wide or too narrow), you may wish to have your cassock specially tailored. There will be an additional charge for this service. Ask your dealer for a cost estimate.

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Shirt sleeve lengths are required for all pulpit robes, clergy jackets, and clergy cassocks. If you know your exact shirt sleeve length, you may use this size, however today many shirts are tailored to a 34"-35" length, which is not adequate for custom tailoring.

To measure sleeve length, bend the arm at the elbow and hold arm out in front, parallel to the floor as if looking at a watch. Then, measure from the center back of the neck at the base of the neck, over the top of the shoulder, around the extended elbow, and down to the wristbone. Record this sleeve size on the Order Form, rounded up to the nearest full inch. Do not round down.

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While some manufacturers tailor only 6 or seven sizes expecting everyone to fit into those sizes, Murphy tailors each custom robe to the exact measurements of each choir member. Larger sizes are no problem, and we will specially adapt our robes for handicapped members wherever possible. Just let us know what you want- we like to help.

Your local Murphy dealer has choir robe and accessory samples in the store for you to look at and try on, along with catalogs and swatched fabric selectors. We offer so many different fabrics, styles, and color combinations, however, that it is impossible for any dealer to have a sample made up in every single combination - it would take a huge warehouse! Therefore we offer a sample service through our dealers. You can ask for a sample in the style or styles you are considering, plus larger swatches in the exact colors and fabrics you want - just ask. If that's not enough, you can order a custom sample made up in exactly the style, fabric and color combination you like. Ask your dealer for more information. Back

During the times your robes are being worn, don't wear jewelry that has rough edges that might snag your robe. Watch out for hymnals or pews that have ragged corners or splinters. Be sure to keep any Velcro cuffs closed as well. All of these things can snag or pill robe fabrics.
Suggest to your choir members that heavy perfumes and shaving lotions be avoided - these odors can penetrate fabric, as well as cause problems for allergic choir members. Use care to keep makeup off the necklines of robes and stoles. Makeup bases contain oils that can stain fabric. Avoid spraying hairspray while wearing your choir robe for the same reason. Do not eat or drink anything other than water while wearing your robe to avoid food or beverage stains.
Between wearings, we recommend hanging your choir robes on our contoured Robe Hanger #122 which is designed to preserve the yoke shape while storing. Using a contoured robe hanger will prevent rust stains sometimes caused by wire hangers, as well as avoid crease lines caused by thin wire hangers. Be sure to close any Velcro closures such as cuffs, so they won't snag adjacent robes.
Don't wait until your choir robes or stoles show significant soiling or heavy makeup stains to clean. Schedule the cleaning or laundering of your robes on a regular basis, at least once a year, more often if your robes feature high necklines or cuffs.
Plain robes tailored in one color without embroidery or corded piping are generally machine washable. We recommend washing no more than two robes at a time, using a cold water, gentle or permanent press cycle wash, followed by machine dry, delicate cycle, low heat until the robes are "damp dry", then hang on a plastic hanger to complete the drying, and smooth out any wrinkles by hand while the robes are still damp. Any touch up ironing required should be lightly steamed out with a hand steamer or steam iron on polyester setting. Choir robes tailored in two or more colors, and robes which feature trims such as corded piping or key trim, require dry cleaning.

We know that budget conscious parents would prefer to order extra long robes for children's choirs, almost touching the floor, thinking that the children will "grow into" the robes. The problem with that is two-fold. First, kids' arms grow too! By the time the child grows into the robe length, the sleeves may be too short! Secondly, children are active - and very likely to trip over robes with a short floor clearance. We recommend at least a 4"-6" floor clearance for children robes to minimize the likelihood of tripping when the children step up to sing. We don't want the kids to be hurt or embarrassed.

Normally, we do not require sleeve lengths on a choir robe order, because our sleeve lengths are graded to the average arm length of the average person of a given height, based on tables provided by the U.S. Bureau of Standards, as well as our own experience of many years. However, if your choir has a member or members with unusually long or short arms, please provide shirt sleeve lengths for these individuals.

We would like to speed up our production cycle - and occasionally we can, however, the length of time it takes to get a custom order depends on several factors: seasonal demand, complexity of style, and completeness of information provided. Notice we did not include order size in that list. A small order can take almost as long to get through production as a large order, because it has to go through the same production steps. A single robe may go through 60 production steps before it is shipped - and an order of 100 identical robes will go through the same 60 steps. Some manufacturers take shortcuts and are able to produce robes in less time - but those robes may not have the quality of a Murphy robe. On average, an order takes 4 to 5 weeks production time, whether it is large or small. But if you need an order in a hurry, it doesn't hurt to ask - sometimes, we can speed things up.