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Military Formal Attire: Mess
Dress
In 1845 the British military
introduced evening dress intended for formal occasions held in mess
halls and elsewhere. This new concept of mess dress was later
instituted by armed forces in other Commonwealth countries and
eventually in the United States around the turn of the twentieth
century. Readers who are curious about the military
equivalents of Black Tie and White Tie around the world will find an
excellent summary of international mess dress in Wikipedia's
"Mess Dress" article.
Generally speaking, while there is a wide variety of styles used by
different military branches – and sometimes even within a given
branch – some common themes emerge across the board:
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mess dress for officers
generally includes a mess jacket, waist covering, bow tie, trousers
and dress shoes
mess jackets are
waist-length jackets that can have shawl or peak lapels or no lapels
at all (the latter are known as cavalry style mess jackets and their
upright collars require them to be worn without neckwear); unlike civilian formal jackets they usually
feature epaulettes and rank insignia
American mess jackets are
most commonly blue or white, the latter typically reserved for warm
climates or summer months
in the militaries of the
British Commonwealth red is also a popular color for mess jackets,
often with black shawl collars
bow ties are usually black,
with white generally reserved for White Tie equivalent uniforms
waistcoats and cummerbunds
come in many different colors although the white waistcoat is
generally reserved for White Tie functions
White Tie equivalents are
only for officers and even then they are optional for some junior
officers; lower ranks use a Black Tie equivalent for all formal
functions
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Surprisingly, the tailcoat
remains optional mess dress for a number of military branches even
to this day.
Specific Regulations
For further details of
national mess dress, including its historical development, see
Wikipedia's
individual articles on the uniforms of various
armed forces. For the most precise details possible, readers
should consult official regulations issued by the corresponding
military organizations. The following are online versions of
some of those regulations:
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Australian
Army Standing Orders for Dress – see various Mess Dress uniforms
Royal Australian Air Force
Insignia and Uniforms – see Mess Dress in
chapter 1 of document
Uniform Instructions for the Royal Australian Navy: ABR 81 - see
Orders of Dress and Regulations for Wear in
chapter 3 of document
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Royal Air Force officer mess jacket. Note
the link closure that is featured on many such jackets.
USMC Evening Dress
for senior NCOs (far left) and officers. The outfit with cape
is the equivalent of White Tie, the others are Black Tie.
Variations of US Marine Corps Dress Blue
uniform for officers. The blue coat versions are the standard
equivalent of Black Tie.
Australian Army Mess Dress L-R:
Mess Dress (officers, winter),
Mess Dress White Jacket,
Mess Dress White Jacket variation, Scottish Mess
Dress,
Mess Dress White Shirt
South African Navy Mess Dress for officers.
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