Mess dress uniform
Mess dress uniform is the most formal type of evening-wear uniform used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white dress shirt and a black bow tie, along with orders, medals, and insignia. Design may depend on regiment or service branch, e.g. army, navy, air force, marines, etc. In modern Western dress codes, mess dress uniform is the supplementary alternative equivalent to the civilian black tie for evening wear. Mess dress uniforms are typically less formal than full dress uniform, but more formal than service dress uniform. The term mess is the area where military personnel dine and socialize, and thus "mess dress uniform" corresponds etymologically to " dinner dress", as in the civilian dinner jacket.
Prior to World War II, this style of military uniform was largely restricted to the British and United States Armed Forces, although the French, German, Swedish and other navies had adopted their own versions of mess dress during the late 19th century, influenced by the British Royal Navy.
While mess dress uniform is predominantly worn at occasions by commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers, it may also be worn as an optional uniform by some enlisted personnel especially on duty involving officers, such as General's Enlisted Aide. It is also sometimes worn by members of royal courts or certain civilian uniformed services.
Australia
The Australian Army has separate mess kits to be worn as the occasion requires. 'Mess Dress': this order of dress includes a jacket and waistcoat in Corps colours, worn by officers with blue trousers for males, and blue slacks or blue skirt for females. 'Mess Dress Senior Officer' is similar however worn by Officers of the rank Colonel and higher. 'Mess Dress White Jacket': is a separate order of dress including a white mess jacket, worn with blue trousers for males, and blue slacks or blue skirt for females, and cummerbund by officers, WOs and SNCOs. Both orders of dress are worn with a bow tie and white shirt. Mess Dress is sometimes referred to as ‘Mess Dress Winter’ and Mess Dress White Jacket as ‘Mess Dress Summer’ but this terminology is incorrect. Mess Dress may be worn throughout the year according to the occasion and climatic conditions. WOs and SNCOs have no alternative to Mess Dress White Jacket.The Royal Australian Air Force has different mess uniforms for summer and winter. The summer mess kit is marked out by a white jacket while the winter jacket is dark blue.
Belgium
The official name of the Belgian Armed Forces mess dress is "Tenue 1C" or "Spencer". It is worn only after 18:00 hours, at ceremonies in the presence of the King, a member of the royal family or a foreign head of state. It can also be worn when civilians are in white or black tie.It consists of a dark-blue jacket with two golden buttons linked by a chain closure, dark-blue trousers and a low-cut marcella waistcoat. The waistcoat is of the regimental or corps colour. Regimental colours also figure on the edge of the shoulder straps. This is matched by a white dress shirt and a black bow tie. The ranks are embroidered onto the shoulder straps of the jacket, except for the Navy, where the rank curls are placed at the bottom of the sleeves.
The spencer dress is allowed for all ranks. Generals and cavalry, horse artillery or logistical officers may wear spurs.
Women wear similar dress, with a long dark blue skirt, and black lace instead of the bow tie.
It is distinct from 1A Dress or 1B Dress, which resembles the British Army N°1 Blue Dress. These orders are worn for weddings, military ceremonies and repas de corps.
An oversea version with a white jacket is available to Navy personnel.
Canada
Mess dress is worn as formal evening attire for mess dinners. Uniforms range from full mess dress to service dress worn with a bow tie for individuals not required to own mess dress. Mess dress is not provided at public expense. All commissioned officers of the Regular Force are required to own mess dress within six months of being commissioned.The winter mess dress for the Royal Canadian Navy consists of a navy blue jacket with gold laced rank insignia worn on the sleeve, gold-laced navy blue trousers worn by all commissioned officers, white shirt with soft or wing collar, and a white waistcoat. Officers of the rank of Captain and above wear a tailcoat instead of the standard jacket. NCMs trousers are the same pattern, but without gold lace down the seam. Miniatures of medals earned are worn on the left lapel; regular size qualification badges earned are worn on the left sleeve, above the rank insignia. Summer mess dress is similar except that a white jacket with rank insignia on navy blue shoulder boards is worn, with either a waistcoat or cummerbund.
The winter standard pattern mess dress for the Canadian Army consists of a scarlet jacket with rank insignia worn on soft shoulder loops, scarlet-laced dark blue trousers, white shirt with soft or wing collar and dark blue waistcoat. The details of regimental distinctions vary by regiments and are defined in detail in the Canadian Forces Dress Instructions. Miniature medals are worn on the left breast below miniatures of qualification badges earned. The summer standard pattern mess dress is similar except that a white jacket with rank insignia worn on black shoulder boards, and cummerbund, is worn. Army reserve regiments are authorized to wear mess dress that is distinctive to the regiment and which can consist of jackets of different cuts and colours, rather than the standard pattern mess dress. Authorized summer dress, consisting of the white jacket in lieu of scarlet, varies from regiment to regiment, but typically is not authorized for NCMs below the rank of Warrant Officer.
File:Lt Gen Pierre St Amand at a Canadian Mess Dinner.jpg|thumb|upright|Lieutenant General Pierre St-Amand of the Royal Canadian Air Force in winter mess dress, 2016.
The winter mess dress of the Royal Canadian Air Force consists of a midnight blue jacket with gold rank insignia worn on the sleeve, black-laced midnight blue trousers, white shirt with soft collar, and a cummerbund in the colours of the Royal Canadian Air Force tartan. Miniature medals are worn on the left breast above miniatures of qualification badges earned. The summer mess dress is similar except that a white jacket with rank insignia worn on midnight blue shoulder boards is worn, and is authorized as an optional order for RCAF officers only.
No. 2B is authorized as an alternative for Regular Force officers who have not yet purchased mess uniform, and for Reserve Force officers and all NCMs as they are not required to purchase mess uniform. It applies to all three elements and consists of the standard service dress uniform appropriate to the element, a white long-sleeved shirt and a black bow tie. Undress ribbons and nametag are worn.
No. 2C is a relaxed, ship-board only order of mess uniform, worn by members of all elements when dining formally onboard HMC Ships at sea. It consists of the service short sleeve shirt and service dress trousers appropriate to the element, and a cummerbund in black or authorized regimental colours. Name tag, medals/ribbons are not worn.
No. 2D is the CF standard pattern mess dress, now superseded, which was authorized for wear prior to the reversion to separate environmental uniforms for Army, Navy and Air Force. It is identical to Air Force No. 2 dress, except that buttons and other accoutrements reflect the unified CF uniform prevalent from 1968 to circa 1987. It is authorized for wear by personnel who had joined "and acquired their mess uniform" before the re-establishment of distinctive environmental uniforms.
France
Until World War II officers of the French Army wore their full dress uniforms for evening as well as daytime formal and ceremonial occasions. Naval officers however had a special mess uniform similar in style to that of the Royal Navy.Since the 1950s, officers of all service branches of the French Armed Forces, including joint services such as the Health Service, have a mess dress known as Tenue 1A.
It consists of a night blue jacket with ornamented shoulder straps with rank insignia, night blue trousers, a white shirt, a black bow tie, a night blue cummerbund, black polished shoes and black socks.
Women wear a similar uniform, with a night blue long skirt, a white satiny shirt and a white satiny bow tie.
Headdress, a night blue cloak and white gloves may be worn outside only.
Fourragères and aiguillettes are not worn, with the exception of the aiguillette obtained for individual merits.
Miniature medals are worn for most decorations, only the recipients of
national orders above the rank of Commandeur may wear the collar and sash.
An overseas version with a white jacket is available.
Germany
Mess uniforms were worn by officers of the Imperial German Navy, though not by army officers. During the 1930s in Nazi Germany, officers of the Schutzstaffel had the option of purchasing mess dress uniforms. SS mess dress resembled a double-breasted dinner jacket, with collar tabs and white piping.In modern Germany, mess dress is a permitted uniform for officers and non-commissioned officers of the Bundeswehr attending white or black tie festive social occasions. Female soldiers wear a long dark-blue skirt and a white blouse with the Bundesadler on the right collar. This is combined with a long scarf across the chest and a dark blue short velvet jacket. A variant with a short white silk jacket combined with a blue blouse is also permitted. Purses and other accessories may be carried.
The basic mess dress for men consists of a jacket with a chain closure, trousers with black silk trim strips, and either a cummerbund or a Torerobund. These sashes or cummerbunds are of black fabric for the army and dark blue for the air force and navy. The chain is gold for the navy and for army and air force generals; others wear a silver chain. This is matched by a white dress shirt and a black bow tie and black or black patent leather shoes.
As a variation, a black smoking jacket with black silk collar and black silk-covered passant may be worn instead. The ranks are embroidered onto the epaulettes. The jacket is worn without cuff titles, collar patches, or any other coloured insignia. In the navy, rank insignia is placed on the sleeves. Activity, proficiency, or specialist badges are often included in the embroidered portion. Miniature versions of any orders and decorations are worn from ribbons.