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Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades,
ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secula ...
, and receptions, including private ones such as marriages and funerals. Full dress uniforms typically include full-size
orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
and medals insignia. Styles tend to trace back to uniforms used during the 19th century, although the 20th century saw the adoption of mess dress-styled full-dress uniforms. Designs may depend on
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
or service branch (e.g.
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, navy, air force, marines). In Western dress codes, full dress uniform is a permitted supplementary alternative equivalent to the civilian white tie for evening wear or morning dress for day wear – sometimes collectively called ''
full dress Western dress codes are a set of dress codes detailing what clothes are worn for what occasion. Conversely, since most cultures have intuitively applied some level equivalent to the more formal Western dress code traditions, these dress codes a ...
'' – although military uniforms are the same for day and evening wear. As such, full dress uniform is the most formal uniform, followed by the
mess dress uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
. Although full dress uniforms are often brightly coloured and ornamented with gold epaulettes, braids,
lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lo ...
s, lampasses, etc., most originated as practical uniforms that, with the adoption of even more practical uniforms, were relegated to ceremonial functions. Before
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, most armed forces of the world retained uniforms of this type that were usually more colourful and elaborate than the ordinary duty (known as '' undress''), or the active service dress uniform. While full 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 senior enlisted personnel. It is also sometimes worn by members of royal courts, orders of chivalry or certain civilian uniformed services, although some of these may border to court uniforms.


Name

The phrase "full dress uniform" is often applied in order to distinguish from semi-formal
mess dress uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
s, as well as informal service dress uniforms. Yet, a full dress uniform is sometimes simply called a ''dress uniform''. Although many services use the term ''dress'' generically for uniforms, allowing it to refer to more modern service dress ("combat") uniforms with suitable modifiers (e.g. the British Army's obsolete Battle Dress; and the U.S. Army's obsolete Battle Dress Uniform). Therefore, the term ''dress uniform'' without prefix typically refers to full dress uniform as described in this article.


History

During the 19th century a divison developed in most armies between the uniform worn for parade and ceremony ("full dress"), active service ("field dress") and daily working ("barrack" or "fatigue" dress). The
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and United States armies were dependent upon voluntary recruiting and found that a smart uniform served to attract recruits and improve morale amongst those already serving. The British
regimental system A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
fostered numerous distinctions amongst different units. However, this was not limited to volunteer armies, with
conscript Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
armies of continental Europe retaining many of the colourful features that had evolved during the nineteenth century, for reasons of national and unit pride. Thus, in 1913 most French soldiers wore red trousers and
kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...
s as part of their full dress, the majority of British foot regiments retained the scarlet tunics for
parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...
and off duty ("walking out"), the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
was characterised by
Prussian blue Prussian blue (also known as Berlin blue, Brandenburg blue or, in painting, Parisian or Paris blue) is a dark blue pigment produced by oxidation of ferrous ferrocyanide salts. It has the chemical formula Fe CN)">Cyanide.html" ;"title="e(Cyani ...
, the Russian by dark green, and the Austro-Hungary Army by a wide range of differing facing colours dating back to the 18th century. There were usually exceptions to each of these rules, often distinguishing unique units. This included the German
cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adop ...
s, who wore white full dress; British
rifle regiment A rifle regiment is a military unit consisting of a regiment of infantry troops armed with rifles and known as riflemen. While all infantry units in modern armies are typically armed with rifled weapons the term is still used to denote regiments t ...
s, who wore
rifle green Shades of chartreuse are listed below. Historically, many of these colors have gone under the name of either yellow or green, as the specifics of their color composition was not known until later. Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel In a ...
; and French mountain troops who wore large
beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...
s and light blue trousers. The U.S. Army with its "dress blues" was an exception, with
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
,
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...
and
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
being distinguished only by the different branch colours. After World War I most full dress uniforms disappeared. Many of the royal or imperial regimes that had taken a particular pride in the retention of colourful traditional uniforms had been overthrown and their
republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
an,
fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
, or
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
successors had little incentive to retain old glories. Elsewhere cost and disillusion with the "peacock" aspects of old-fashioned soldiering had a similar effect, except for ceremonial guard units and such limited exceptions as
officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...
' evening or off-duty uniforms. Modern armies are characterised by simple and drably coloured dress even for ceremonial occasion, with the exceptions noted above. However a general trend towards replacing conscript armies with long-serving professionals has had, as a side effect, a reversion to dress uniforms that combine smartness with some traditional features. Thus the U.S. Army announced in 2006 that uniforms of modern cut but in the traditional dark and light blue colours would become universal issue, replacing the previous grey/green service dress. This measure however proved a short lived one, being phased out after 2019. The French Army has, with the abolition of conscription, reintroduced kepis, fringed epaulettes and sashes in traditional colours to wear with
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
"trellis" or light beige parade dress. The British Army with its strong regimental traditions has retained a wide range of special features and dress items to distinguish individual units, in spite of recent amalgamations. Although there still exist official patterns for full dress uniforms for each regiment or corps within the British Army, this uniform is seldom issued at public expense, except for units which are often on
public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...
, such as the
Guards Division The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division is responsible for providing two b ...
, Regimental Bands and
Corps of Drums A Corps of Drums, also sometimes known as a Fife and Drum Corps, Fifes and Drums or simply Drums is a unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers. The major historical distin ...
, which are bought from the Regiment's allowance.


Full dress uniform by country


Argentina

In the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, the
Argentine Federal Police The Argentine Federal Police ( es, Policía Federal Argentina or PFA) is the national civil police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country. Until January 1, 2017, it also acted as the local la ...
, Argentine National Gendarmerie and Naval Prefecture, dress uniforms are worn during military and civil occasions, especially for the
military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...
s and colour guards. They are a reminder of the military and law enforcement history of Argentina, especially during the early years of nationhood and the wars of independence that the country was a part. The
Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the comman ...
's modern dress uniform is green with a visor peaked cap, epaulettes, sword set and scabbard (for officers), long green pants, a black belt, and black shoes or boots. However, several regiments within the Argentine Army are authorized ceremonial full dress uniforms which date from the 19th century, including the Regiment of Patricians, the
Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers The Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers ( es, Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo) is the name of two Argentine Army regiments of two different time periods: a historic regiment that operated from 1812 to 1826, and a modern cavalry unit that was organiz ...
, and the 1st Artillery Regiment in the Buenos Aires Garrison. The
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with th ...
dress uniform is a
navy blue Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color ...
rig with a visor cap for officers and senior ratings and sailor caps for junior ratings, epaulettes and sleeve rank marks (for all offers), a sword set and scabbard for officers, blue long pants (skirts for female personnel), a belt and black leather shoes or boots. Marines wear
peaked cap The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. I ...
s with the dress uniform. Epaulettes are only worn with the dress uniform. For the
Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkl ...
, a similar uniform to one used by the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom, however the used the colour used is much brighter. Regardless of service branch military police personnel wear helmets with their dress uniforms, plus armbands to identify service branch.


Australia

The
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...
has several orders of ceremonial uniforms. The
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...
also have a few different ceremonial dress uniforms for its commissioned officers, senior sailors, and junior sailors. Members of the Australian armed forces wear these uniforms for ceremonial occasions, commemorative events and special occasions.


Canada


Canadian Armed Forces

The
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
's universal full dress uniforms includes a scarlet
tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Ro ...
, midnight blue trousers with a scarlet trouser stripe, and a Wolseley helmet. However, some regiments in the Canadian Army maintain authorized regimental differences from the Army's universal full dress, including several armoured units, Canadian-Scottish regiments, foot guards, and Voltigeur/rifle regiments. Full dress uniforms for the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
(RCAF) consists of a blue plume, where the headdress allows, an air force light blue tunic, trousers and facings. The RCAF pipe band's full dress uniform is modelled after the uniforms used by Scottish Highland regiments. It includes a feather bonnet; air force blue doublet, facings, and pipings; RCAF
tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...
kilt A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...
; and blue garters. The full dress uniform for the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...
includes a dark navy blue tunic, trousers, and white facings. However, full dress in the Royal Canadian Navy is no longer issued. Regulations for the wear of full dress are contained in the Canadian Forces publication ''Canadian Forces Dress Instructions'', under No. 1B Ceremonial Dress. Amendments to dress regulations are issued through the office of the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS), initially in the form of a CANFORGEN (Canadian Forces General) message, which is placed in the dress manual until an official publication amendment can be promulgated. Dress regulations may also be amplified, interpreted, or amended by the commanders of formations and units (depending on the commander's authority) through the issuing of Standing Orders (SOs), Ship's Standing Orders (SSO), Routine Orders (ROs), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This may include amplification where the regulations are unclear or are not mandatory; amendments or reversal of some existing regulations for special occasions or events; or the promulgation of regulations regarding the wear of traditional regimental articles (such as kilts).


=Royal Military College of Canada

= The full dress uniform for an officer cadet of the
Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...
is similar to the universal full dress uniform of the Canadian Army, with minor variation. The full dress uniform used by the Royal Military College has remained essentially the same since the institution's founding in 1876, although the pillbox hat has replaced the
shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...
. The
pith helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native '' salako ...
remains in use for ceremonial parade positions only.


Non-military organisations


=Canadian Cadet Organisations

= The youth cadet programs in Canada, the
Royal Canadian Army Cadets The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC; french: Cadets royaux de l’Armée canadienne) is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National ...
,
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC; french: links=no, Cadets de la Marine royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, t ...
and the
Royal Canadian Air Cadets The Royal Canadian Air Cadets (french: Cadets de l'Aviation royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program for young individuals aged 12 to 18. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by the Canadian F ...
each maintain their own dress uniforms. Youth-based Canadian cadet organisations are sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces, with uniforms provided free of charge and funded by the
Department of National Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
. Full dress uniforms worn by cadets are modeled after the organisation's sponsoring service branch.


=Royal Canadian Mounted Police

= The modern dress uniform of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
is closely based on the everyday uniforms used by the predecessor
North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territo ...
in the late nineteenth century. It features the
Red Serge The Red Serge refers to the jacket of the dress uniform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It consists of a scarlet British-style military pattern tunic, complete with a high-neck collar and blue breeches with yellow stripe identifying a ca ...
, a scarlet British-style military pattern tunic, complete with a high-neck collar and dark blue
breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's c ...
with yellow stripes derived from British and Canadian cavalry uniforms of the same era, and usually a
campaign hat A campaign hat, sometimes called campaign cover, is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners. The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company ...
(or " stetson") and brown
riding boots A riding boot is a boot made to be used for horse riding. The classic boot comes high enough up the leg to prevent the leathers of the saddle from pinching the leg of the rider, has a sturdy toe to protect the rider's foot when on the ground and ...
.


Chile


Chilean Air Force

The full dress uniform of the
Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...
since 2001 has been a medium-blue tunic and trousers, worn with a peaked visor cap. For parade dress, officers additionally wear a sword belt.


Chilean Army

The usual full dress uniform of the
Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and ...
is based on twentieth-century German ''
feldgrau ''Feldgrau'' (English: field-grey) is a grayish green color. It was the official basic color of military uniforms of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 (West Germany) or 1989 (East Germany). Armed forces of other co ...
'' uniforms; however, several units wear more colorful full dress uniforms. Cadets of the military academy "Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme" wear a
Prussian blue Prussian blue (also known as Berlin blue, Brandenburg blue or, in painting, Parisian or Paris blue) is a dark blue pigment produced by oxidation of ferrous ferrocyanide salts. It has the chemical formula Fe CN)">Cyanide.html" ;"title="e(Cyani ...
uniform with ''
Pickelhaube The ( pl. ; from german: Pickel, lit=point' or 'pickaxe, and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military officers, firefighters and police. Althoug ...
'', based on the uniform worn by the
Wilhelmine The Wilhelmine Period () comprises the period of German history between 1890 and 1918, embracing the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the German Empire from the resignation of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck until the end of World War I and Wilhelm' ...
foot guard regiments. Some military units, including the Chacabuco and Rancagua regiments, wear a blue uniform from the War of the Pacific during parades as full dress, with
kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...
s as headdress. The Buin regiment (2nd Army division in the Santiago Metropolitan region) has reintroduced the infantry regimental uniform of the Chilean War of Independence, having been formed in December 1810 as the 1st Infantry Regiment "Chilean Grenadiers", the original unit of the Chilean Army. The 1st Cavalry Regiment and the Krupp Artillery Battery of the 1st Artillery Regiment, both ceremonial units of the Army, have since 2012 worn the early twentieth-century Prussian-style full dress uniforms of the Army's cavalry and artillery branches.


Chilean Navy

The Chilean naval officer's dress uniform is navy-blue with a peaked hat, sword strap (for petty officers, colour escorts and cadets, only during parades and ceremonies), navy-blue trousers, and black boots. The enlisted uniform (for sailors) evinces a mix of Prussian and British influences, having a sailor cap with the dress) while the Marine enlisted and NCO uniform is a dark-blue naval rig with trousers and a belt plus a peaked cap. The dress uniform of the naval academy "Arturo Prat" is also blue with trousers, but with headdress similar to that worn by Prat and the crew of the ''Esmeralda'' during the
Battle of Iquique The Battle of Iquique was a naval engagement that occurred between a Chilean corvette under the command of Arturo Prat Chacón and a Peruvian ironclad under Miguel Grau Seminario on 21 May 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacifi ...
in 1879. The headdress worn is the peaked cap.


France

As with many European countries, the French military used in the 19th and early 20th centuries many traditional and heavily decorated dress uniforms. Since
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, they are not in common use and are usually restricted to special units in the
French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...
and
National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Mini ...
. The
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
and the
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
do not issue dress uniforms, but on special ceremonies, such as changes of command, military personnel should add swords or daggers and full medals to their service uniform.


French Army

In the Army, only the
Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wi ...
plus certain bands and military academies have a complete full dress (''grande tenue'') uniform issued to all personnel. Units of the
Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...
,
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...
,
Troupes de Marine The (TDM, ) is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals). Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibi ...
,
1st Spahi Regiment The 1st Spahi Regiment (french: 1er Régiment de Spahis) is an armored regiment of the modern French Army, previously called the 1st Moroccan Spahi Regiment (french: 1er Régiment de Spahis Marocains). It was established in 1914 as a mounted cava ...
and
Tirailleurs A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French ...
are permitted to wear, on special circumstances such as
military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...
s, a variant of the service or combat uniform which includes items of historic ceremonial dress such as headresses, fringed epaulettes, cloaks, waist sashes etc. This is called "Tradition Uniform". Bands of the French Army are permitted to wear special uniforms depending on circumstances. On representation duty, they often use a 19th c.-style full dress uniform dating from either the Napoleonic or Third Republic eras.


=Military schools

= Military schools of the French Army, including
école spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto i ...
,
école militaire interarmes The ''Combined Arms School'' or ''Joint military school'', known as École Militaire Interarmes or EMIA, is a military school of the French Army intended to train officers who have risen from the ranks. It was founded in 1942 and based in a rural ...
and école nationale des sous-officiers d'active, use full dress uniforms dating back to the 19th century worn by both students and staff. The ESMSC wears the shako while the two other schools wear the kepi. In addition to the military schools,
École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
also maintains 19th century military-styled full dress uniforms. Founded as a
military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
, the institution was transformed into a state-sponsored civilian post-secondary school in 1970, although still operated by the French
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
. It wears the
bicorne The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...
as headdress.


National Gendarmerie

The
Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wi ...
of the National Gendarmerie is the last unit to wear dress uniform as service uniform, as
guard of honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...
detachments are required to wear it while on duty. The cavalry regiment wear a 19th-century
dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...
uniform, with metal helmet and white riding trousers, while the infantry regiments use a high-collared traditional gendarmerie uniform with the shako. The officer cadets and the staff of école des officiers de la gendarmerie nationale also use uniforms whose styling dates back to the 19th century.


Indonesia

The
Indonesian National Armed Forces , founded = as the ('People's Security Forces') , current_form = , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta , website = , commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo , ...
,
Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...
, and other uniformed institutions of the country have their own types of Dress uniforms known as "PDU", an abbreviation from ''Pakaian Dinas Upacara'' literally meaning "ceremonial uniform" in Indonesian; worn during formal occasions and when attending ceremonies. The Dress uniform (PDU) of the National Armed Forces consists of several categories which are: *PDU I - (
Service medal A service medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also Campaign medals. Examples of s ...
s and brevets attached) *PDU IA - ( Order decorations attached and honorary sash worn over for those who are entitled to wear it) *PDU II - (
Mess dress uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
) *PDU IIA - (Mess dress uniform with order decorations attached) *PDU III - (
Service ribbons A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...
attached) *PDU IV - (Short sleeved, with no
necktie A necktie, or simply a tie, is a piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat, and often draped down the chest. Variants include the ascot, bow, bolo, zipper tie, crav ...
worn). Each uniform category is worn for different purposes and for certain occasions. The "PDU I" and "PDU IA" are regarded as "full dress uniforms" which are worn for formal state occasions and when attending ceremonial events of high significance. The headdress worn for this uniform is a peaked cap for men and a crusher cap for women, and for officers from special forces, as well as the Military Police, may wear their respective berets. MPs are also entitled to helmets when in full dress. When wearing the Mess dress uniform, no headdress is worn. The "PDU III" uniform is worn during receptions and/or during the welcoming ceremony of a visiting high ranking foreign guest (
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
or head of government). While the "PDU IV" uniform is worn for occasions such as:
Change of Command A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to ...
ceremonies, attending a
passing out parade Passing out is the completion of a course by military or other service personnel or the graduation from a college, largely in Commonwealth nations. Soldiers sometimes take part in a passing out parade upon completion of a basic training course. T ...
, and worn by military judges in the court. The mess dress uniform is basically the same for the three branches of the armed forces. For male
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol ...
officers wearing the full dress uniform ("PDUs" I and IA), will always carry his dress
sabre A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as t ...
wherever he goes, female personnel and officers in the other hand would carry her issued dress uniform purse except for those in command posts which are also entitled to sabres. Enlisted ratings of the Indonesian Navy (except those in the Marine Corps and Denjaka, which wears the purple beret and special forces operators of KOPASKA that wear the maroon beret) wear Japanese style dixie caps with the full dress, until 2022 the US design was worn. The new styled cap is modeled after the Japanese custom in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, in turn the design used by many European navies. For ceremonial parades, a variant known as ''Pakaian Dinas Parade'' (PDP, Parade Full Dress) is worn by parade commanders. However PDP can also be a variant of the combat dress uniform pattern. The parade commander wears a M1 or PASGT helmet instead of the normal peaked cap.


Israel

Each arm of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF)
ground forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
and
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
has its own dress uniform, with separate versions for summer and winter. These are similar in style to civilian business dress suits, or to the service dress uniforms worn by the British forces. The dress uniform includes a blazer-type jacket, worn with a white shirt, and a tie. The ground forces uniform is dark green, with a single-breasted, three-buttoned jacket and tie of the same colour. Headgear worn is the beret. The air force uniform is of the same design, but medium blue. The naval uniform has a darker blue, double-breasted, six-buttoned jacket, with gold-coloured rank insignia on the cuffs, worn with the peaked cap. In 2016, the IDF Chief of General Staff Gadi Eizenkot announced that all officers ranked
Tat Aluf ''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...
(
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
) as well as certain lower ranked officers would wear the ''Madei Srad'' dress uniforms in official ceremonies on Yom HaShoah, Yom Hazikaron and
Yom Ha'atzmaut Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonie ...
. Because of the small number of uniforms required they are tailor made for the specific officer. Prior to 2016, the dress uniform, the ''Madei Srad'' was only worn abroad, either by a
military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...
or by senior officers on official
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
s.


Russia

The uniforms of the
Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
were inherited from the
Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and t ...
and modified throughout the years. Some features of modern full dress uniform worn by both army and navy personnel date from those of the final Czarist period, prior to 1917. Most notably these include the blue-green shade of the modern army officer's parade and walking out uniform; the dark blue and white dress uniform still worn by sailors; and the ceremonial dress of the Kremlin Regiment.


Sweden

Various forms of full dress uniforms were used by all regiments of the
Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...
for ceremonial purposes until the 1960s, when they were generally discontinued, with the exception of the Svea Life Guards and the Life Guard Dragoons still retaining colourful full dress uniforms of 19th century origin for ceremonial use. The remaining parts of the branches tend to apply a variant of the
mess dress uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
called "full mess uniform" for formal wear purposes. White spats and belts may also be added to their service dress uniforms for parades or certain ceremonial purposes.


Swedish Army

There are three versions of full dress uniforms in use in the
Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav ...
as of the present day, all belonging to the
Life Guards Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy transf ...
. The infantry wears the dark blue uniform of the Svea Life Guards (1st Life Guards) with yellow collar, cuffs and piping which dates back to 1886. The Swedish Army Band wears the uniform of Göta Life Guards (2nd Life Guards), with red collar, cuffs and piping. The headdress of the infantry is mainly the pickelhaube typed helmet in black leather from 1887. On state ceremonies, a white buffalo hair plume is added.
Bearskin hat A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Bearskins should not be co ...
s dating from 1823 are still in use on special occasions. The cavalry, including the Swedish Cavalry Band, wear the
royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The '' Oxford E ...
uniform of the Life Guard Dragoons (1st Cavalry) from 1895. Officers have a somewhat lighter colour on their full dress uniform compared to the troopers. The pickelhaube type helmet is made of nickel-plated steel with
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...
details and dates back to 1879. Changes were made in 1900 which transformed the helmet into a cuirassier style helmet. In 1928 with the amalgamation of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments, a helm wreath was added, together with a golden laurel wreath. Officers' gold chin straps with lion "mascarons" from the Life Regiment Dragoons (2nd Cavalry) were also authorised for the new composite regiment. On modern state occasions officers wear white buffalo hair plume while troopers wear a horse hair plumes of the same colour.


Swedish Navy

In the
Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...
, only one ceremonial uniform is still in use. It is restricted to naval officers serving on the royal barge "Vasaorden" (Order of Vasa); a ship used only on rare ceremonial occasions. The uniform dates back to 1878. The two officers serving wear the tricorne.


United Kingdom


British Army

Most of the various uniforms worn by the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
today originate in former combat uniforms. At the start of the 19th century, British Army Regiments of Foot, trained to fight in the manner dictated by a weapon (the
musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually di ...
) which demanded close proximity to the target, were not concerned with camouflage, and wore red coats (scarlet for officers and sergeants). Rifle regiments, fighting as skirmishers, and equipped with
rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s, were more concerned with concealment however, and wore dark green uniforms.
Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often foug ...
regiments were also trained as skirmishers but wore red uniforms with green shakos. Whereas the infantry generally wore polished brass
button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...
s and white carrying equipment, the Rifles wore black. Prior to the outbreak of World War I full dress uniforms were universal issue for all regiments of the British Army when on "home service" in Britain itself. Line infantry and Foot Guards, dragoons, Life Guards and
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...
all wore scarlet tunics. The
Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
,
hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
s, all but one
lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...
regiment, and all support corps wore dark blue uniforms. Only Rifle regiments wore green. Full dress varied greatly in detail, according to the arm of service or in many cases the individual regiment.
Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...
units were for the most part distinguished by having silver (rather than gold-coloured) lace, buttons and accoutrements in full dress. From the
Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
on, a narrow red stripe (piping) down the outside of each trouser leg was common to all red coated infantry units. Cavalry however wore stripes of regimental colour (white, yellow, blue/grey etc.) on their riding breeches. Scottish Highland regiments did not wear trousers, favouring the kilt, and Scottish Lowland regiments adopted tartan trews. All
Scottish regiment A Scottish regiment is any regiment (or similar military unit) that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress. These regiments were created after the Act ...
s wore doublets of distinctive cut instead of the tunics of English, Irish and Welsh units. Full dress headwear varied (both from regiment to regiment, and over time as influenced by military fashion): bearskins were worn by the Foot Guards, the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and (in a different form) by Fusiliers. Plumed helmets were worn by the Dragoons (except 2nd), Dragoon Guards and the Household Cavalry. Hussars wore their distinctive busby, which also came to be adopted by the Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers and certain other Corps; it was also worn in a different form by Rifle regiments. The Lancers had their chapka. Infantry of the line often wore shakos (later supplanted by the 'home service helmet'), as did others; though Scots and Irish regiments tended to have their own distinctive full-dress headwear. General officers and staff officers usually wore plumed
cocked hat The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...
s in full dress, as did regimental staff officers and those of some support services. In hotter climates, for all of the above, a white
pith helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native '' salako ...
was often substituted. Beginning with the
Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...
of 1878, the British Army began adopting light
khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
uniforms for
Tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
service that was first introduced in 1848 with the Corps of Guides in India. This innovation arose from experience fighting irregular forces in India, for example on the Indian North-West Frontier and during the
Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
, and in Africa during the
Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...
, as well as the invention of smokeless gunpowder and the increasing effectiveness and usage of rifles. In 1902 a darker shade of '' Service Dress'' (SD) was adopted for field and ordinary use in Britain itself. The scarlet, blue and rifle green uniforms were retained for wear as full dress on parade and "walking-out dress" when off duty and out of barracks. As worn between 1902 and 1914 by all non-commissioned ranks, walking-out dress was essentially the same as review order, except that a peaked cap or glengarry was worn instead of the full dress headdress and overalls (strapped trousers) were substituted for cavalry breeches. When khaki web carrying equipment was introduced, the earlier, white or black leather carrying equipment was retained for wear with the dress uniform. As with the earlier uniforms, the officers' uniforms differed in quality and detail from those worn by the Other Ranks. Officers purchased their own dress uniforms from regimentally approved
tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
s while other ranks were issued all orders of dress from government stocks. With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 all full dress and other coloured uniforms ceased to be worn by the British Army. After 1919 they were restored to the
Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...
and Foot Guard for ceremonial purposes but not to the bulk of the army. Officers were authorised to wear full dress for certain special occasions such as Court levees (formal presentations to the Monarch) and it was customary to wear these uniforms at social functions such as weddings. By 1928 bands were wearing full dress on occasions where they were not parading with the remainder of the regiment (who had only khaki service dress). The pre-1914 dress uniforms were still held in store and occasionally reappeared for historic displays. However, there was no serious attempt to make them general issue again, primarily for reasons of expense. When (khaki) Battle Dress (BD) uniforms, which had a short ''blouse'' instead of a tunic, were adopted immediately before the Second World War, the older khaki Service Dress became a smart uniform for wear on the streets, and on moderately formal occasions. After World War II the coloured, full dress uniforms were again reintroduced for ceremonial occasions by the
Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administering the guards regiments. After the Second Wor ...
and to a limited extent by regimental bands. Officers (and later senior non-commissioned officers) resumed wearing
mess uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
s in traditional colours from about 1956 on. These are still worn, although regimental amalgamations have led to numerous changes from the pre-war models. With limited exceptions, the unique regimental full dress uniforms finally disappeared after 1939; today they are only generally worn, on ceremonial occasions, by the Bands and
Corps of Drums A Corps of Drums, also sometimes known as a Fife and Drum Corps, Fifes and Drums or simply Drums is a unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers. The major historical distin ...
, by certain representatives on parade (e.g. some regimental Pioneers, or those forming a guard of honour) and by the regiments of the
Household Division Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country's most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly wit ...
. In most regiments they were replaced by a generic dark blue uniform known as No 1 Dress. This dated back to plain "patrol" uniforms worn by officers before 1914 as an informal "undress" uniform. An early version had been worn by some units in the 1937
coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May ...
but had not been made general issue at the time. In the form adopted after World War II, most regiments were distinguished only by coloured piping on the shoulder straps, coloured hat bands, buttons and badges. However Scottish regiments retained their kilts or trews as well as the distinctive doublets (in "piper green" or dark blue) of the former scarlet uniform. Rifles regiments had dark green uniforms and cavalry retained a number of special features such as the crimson trousers of the
11th Hussars The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Princ ...
or the quartered caps of lancer regiments. A white, lightweight tunic (No 3 Dress) was also authorised for use in the
tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also refer ...
, or during the summer months in warmer temperate climates (such as
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
). The blue "home service" helmets were not worn as part of the No 1 dress uniform, except by members of some bands or corps of drums which retained their old full dress uniforms, at regimental expense. English Rifle regiments were amalgamated into the
Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
, which continued to wear a dark green dress uniform, and black buttons and belts. Changes have brought the
Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
and
The Light Infantry The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Brig ...
together into a single regiment
The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...
, which continues to wear dark green. Berets were introduced initially into the
Royal Tank Corps The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as t ...
in the First World War and their use became more widespread in the British Army during and after the Second World War to replace side caps for wear with combat uniforms when protective headgear was not being worn. Originally, khaki was the standard colour for all units, but specialist units adopted coloured berets to distinguish themselves. For example,
airborne forces Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in a ...
adopted a
maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are vari ...
. This has since been adopted by many other parachute units around the world. The
Commandos Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
adopted a
green beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF wh ...
. The
Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-te ...
(SAS) initially adopted a white beret quickly changing this to a beige or sand coloured one. From 1944 they wore the Maroon airborne forces beret but the beige beret was re-adopted following the re-formation of the Regular SAS in Malaya. Dark blue berets are worn by those units not authorised to use a distinctively coloured beret or other headdress. A peaked cap, with a coloured hat band, is intended to be worn with the No 1 Dress uniform, berets are the most common form of headdress seen with other orders of dress and are worn in No1 and 2 dress by some Regiments and Corps. The blue or green No 1 Dress was not universally adopted after its initial introduction in 1947, khaki No 2 dress being the most usual order of dress for parades and formal occasions. The reason was mainly one of economy, although it was sometimes criticised as being too similar to police and other civilian uniforms. As noted above, the practice of issuing other ranks in line regiments with full sets of both service dress and dress uniforms effectively ended in 1914 and was never completely returned to. Today, with the exceptions noted above, full dress or No 1 Dress uniforms are only held in limited quantities as common stock, and issued only to detachments on occasional special ceremonial occasions. Practices do however vary between units and historic items of uniform are more likely to appear where tradition is particularly strong. As an example, the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town o ...
wore scarlet and blue "review order" uniforms until World War I, substituted khaki service dress for parade from 1919 to 1939 and now holds dark blue No 1 dress uniforms for the use of its cadets. The
Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...
retain the latter order of dress for general issue.


Royal Air Force

Historically, the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
regulations permitted the wearing of a full dress uniform in both home and warm-weather variants. Although the home wear version of full dress is no longer worn (except in a modified form by RAF bandsmen), the tropical full ceremonial dress continues to be authorised. The temperate full dress uniform was introduced in April 1920. It consisted of a single-breasted jacket in blue-grey with a stand-up collar. Rank was indicated in gold braid on the lower sleeve and white gloves were worn. As with the British Army after 1914, full dress was not general issue during the inter-War period, but was authorized for wear by specific categories such as bandsmen and commissioned officers. The latter generally wore full dress only for infrequent occasions such as attendance at court
levees A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastli ...
and social functions such as weddings. Military attaches and royal aides de camp were amongst the few serving officers who might have regular occasions to wear full dress. Initially the full dress uniform was worn with the service dress cap. However, in 1921 a new form of head-dress was introduced. It was designed to resemble the original flying helmet and it consisted of a leather skull cap trimmed with black rabbit fur. The helmet also featured an ostrich feather plume which was connected to an RAF badge. This helmet was never popular and junior officers were eventually permitted to wear the service dress hat on full dress occasions.
Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
the Duke of York (later
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
) wore RAF full dress at his wedding to Lady
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the ...
in 1923. The Duke wore or carried the full dress headgear rather than the service dress cap. Today the blue-grey full dress uniform is only worn by RAF bandsmen. It is referred to as Number 9 Service Dress.


Royal Navy

Since the mid-eighteenth century, when naval uniforms were introduced, flag officers had different full-dress and undress versions, the latter being worn from day to day, the former only for formal occasions. By the late nineteenth century, an officer's full dress uniform consisted of a navy double-breasted tailcoat with white facings edged in gold (on the collar and cuff-slashes), gold lace (indicating rank) on the cuffs, epaulettes, sword and sword-belt, worn with gold-laced trousers (except for
sublieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...
s and warrant officers) and a cocked hat. This order of uniform lasted through the first half of the twentieth century, being placed 'in abeyance' at the onset of the Second World War, and was worn by Prince Philip at the Coronation of Elizabeth II. In 1960, full dress uniform was reintroduced in the form of Ceremonial Day Dress. Worn only by limited categories of senior officers this is very similar to the old full dress, but without fringed epaulettes or cuff slashes, and worn with a peaked cap. In tropical climates, a single-breasted white tunic, with two patch pockets, five buttons down the front, worn with the peaked cap, white trousers, white shoes, shoulderboards and sword and sword belt is worn by commissioned officers. Before 1939, this was worn with a white tropical helmet; abolished in 1949, for full dress purposes. Since 1995 this is only regularly issued to officers of the rank of captain and above, all other officers being issued a white
bush jacket A safari jacket or bush jacket also known as a “shacket” is a garment originally designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush. When paired with trousers or shorts, it becomes a safari suit. A safari jacket is commonly a lig ...
, but are issued this uniform from stores if ordered to by command. There is also a version for wear by warrant officers and senior ratings (i.e. Chief Petty Officers and Petty Officers), it is similar to that worn by commissioned officers and is worn with the same cap, trousers and shoes, but the tunic has only four buttons down the front, substantive rate badges, and no shoulderboards. When armed with rifle, this is worn with anklets and white web belt and black boots. This is only worn on extremely formal occasions, usually by guards of honour, at the order of command. Warrant officers first class wear the appropriate sword and sword belt as well.


=Royal Marines

= In the
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...
, Number 1A dress or "blues" is generally worn by units undertaking ceremonial duties. The Number 1 Full Dress is nowadays only worn by the
Royal Marines Band Service The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy and an independent element of the Royal Marines. It currently consists of five bands plus a training wing – the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS ''Nelson'' – and its ...
. The Full Dress dates from 1923, when the
Royal Marine Light Infantry The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...
and the
Royal Marine Artillery The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...
merged into what became the Corps of Royal Marines and consists of a royal blue single-breasted tunic with red facings (with gold piping) and yellow cuff slashes. It is worn with royal blue trousers with a scarlet stripe and the Wolseley helmet with a golden ball ornament on top of the helmet, inherited from the Royal Marine Artillery. Band officers (Directors of Music) wear gold shoulder cords with silver-embroidered rank badges as well as a crimson waist sash, similarly to the waist sash worn by the British Army. The uniform of the drum major features
hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
style braiding across the front of the tunic. Buglers wear dress cords, which were first introduced to the buglers branch in 1935 for London duties.


Civilian organisations

The formal uniforms used by police forces were until the late 20th century mostly the same as the uniforms worn on ordinary duties but sometimes with various embellishments. The introduction of newer uniforms deliberately designed as workwear has left the older styles mainly used for ceremonial or formal purposes. The general formal style is a black jacket and trousers with a white shirt and a custodian helmet or peaked cap. A particular variation is that used by mounted police in Merseyside which can be observed when they escort the winner of the annual
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...
horse race at Aintree; this consists of the traditional ''Custodian helmet'' with an added white plume and silvered chinstrap; along with the style of tunic it bears more resemblance to a late 19th/early 20th century police uniform.


United States


U.S. Air Force

In the mid-1980s, "ceremonial blue" uniform and "ceremonial white" uniform were introduced in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
. The ceremonial uniforms were discontinued by 1 August 1994 and 1 March 1993 respectively. However, the United States Air Force Honor Guard are authorized to wear a ceremonial variant of the Air Force's service uniform.


U.S. Army

Prior to the 20th century, the uniforms of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
were primarily made out of a combination of dark blue wool (for tunics or coats) and light blue (for trousers and breeches). After the adoption of olive drab and khaki uniforms in 1902, the US Army retained blue uniforms as its full dress until 1917.A modernised and simplified blue dress uniform was introduced in 1937. The blue full dress ceremonial overcoat was reintroduced in January 1929, and saw alterations to its design in 1936 and 1937, before it was suspended from use in 1943. The overcoat was reauthorized for use by officers in 1947, although it seldom sees use. The ceremonial overcoat with a white scarf is presently listed as an optional purchase item in the Army's uniform regulations, with general officers, aides-de-camp, and command sergeants major being authorized to wear it in formal ceremonial occasions during cold-weather conditions. In 1956, the Army introduced a blue service dress uniform, based on the full dress blue uniform. Presently, the Class A
Army Service Uniform The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform worn by United States Army personnel in situations where formal dress is called for. It can be worn at most public and official functions. Over history, a number of different non-combat servi ...
serves as the U.S. Army's equivalent to full dress. In November 2018, the U.S. Army announced the dress blue service uniform would be replaced by Army Green service uniforms. The U.S. Army intends to maintain the dress blue uniforms for ceremonial use. The U.S. Army's uniform regulations also define a class of "special ceremonial units," that are authorized to wear distinct ceremonial regimental uniforms for ceremonies and public duties. They include select U.S. Army band and guard units, including the
3rd Infantry Regiment The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is ' ...
's Commander-in-Chief's Guard, the
First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...
, and some National Guard. Additionally, cadets at the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
wear a cadet grey swallow-tailed blouse with white trousers and black shako for parades and drills.


U.S. Marine Corps

The most formal of a Marine's uniforms outside of the elaborate evening dress uniforms of officers and senior enlisted, it is often referred to as "Dress Blues", due to its color (as distinguished from the green and khaki service uniforms), and can be worn in many forms. It is the only uniform of the United States military to use all of the colors of the nation's flag and incorporates button designs which are the oldest military insignia still in use in the United States Armed Forces to this day. The various designations used in Dress Blue include: * Dress Blue "A" has a long sleeve choker-collar midnight blue outer blouse, white barracks cover, with all
medals A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
and service ribbons. Enlisted coats have a red trim and more buttons down the middle of the coat than officers. * Dress Blue "B" is the same as "A", but service ribbons and marksmanship
badges A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...
are worn instead of medals. Dress Blue "A" (with medals worn) is strictly reserved for official ceremonies, while Dress Blue "B" may be worn on leave or liberty. * Dress Blue "C" is the dress blue uniform worn with the long sleeve khaki shirt (without coat). Service ribbons and badges may be worn. * Dress Blue "D" is the dress blue uniform worn with the short sleeve khaki shirt (without coat). Service ribbons and badges may be worn All the blue uniforms have the same trousers, cover, and black shoes, with the exception of general officers who wear dark blue trousers in the same color as the coat. Officers,
Staff Noncommissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s, and
Noncommissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s wear
blood stripe A blood stripe is a scarlet stripe worn down the outside leg seams of trousers on the dress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. This red stripe is for general officers, for other officers, and for enlisted staff noncommissioned officer ...
s on their trousers. Blood stripes are 1.25" in width for NCOs and SNCOs, 1.5" for officers, and 2" for general officers. A sword may be worn when the individual is in command of troops in formation—the Mameluke sword for officers, the NCO sword for NCOs and SNCOs. When wearing the sword and Dress Blue coat, officers wear the
Sam Browne belt The Sam Browne is a leather belt with a supporting strap that passes over the right shoulder, worn by military and police officers. It is named after Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824–1901), the British Indian Army general who invented it. Origi ...
. For enlisted, the sword is worn with a white waistbelt and brass buckle when wearing the Dress Blue coat. The Marine Corps is the only branch of the United States military which regularly allows NCOs to carry a sword. For enlisted Marines, they earn the right to carry the NCO sword and wear the scarlet blood stripe on their blue trousers when they achieve the rank of Corporal. Members of the United States Marine Corps Band, and the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps are authorized different dress uniforms, known as Red-Dress (a scarlet blouse with a blue trim). Before 1998, certain ceremonial Marine units, such as the
Silent Drill Platoon The United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon is a 24-man rifle platoon led by a Captain and Platoon Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Often referred to as The Marching Twenty-Four, the unit performs a unique silent precisi ...
, wore a blue/white dress uniform in which white trousers were substituted for blue while performing ceremonial functions. The blue/white version is now an authorized summer uniform for officers, SNCOs, and on certain functions, NCOs. The Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard currently wears the blue dress coat with white riding breeches and polished black knee-high riding boots although in the past they have worn blue riding breeches with the red blood stripe. Another uniform, the obsolete Dress White uniform, was a white version of the standard dress coat and trousers, was authorized only for officers and SNCOs. It resembled the Navy's Officer/CPO dress whites. No blood stripes were authorized, and white shoes were worn. This uniform was superseded by the Blue/White Dress uniform in 2000.


U.S. Navy

The Dress White uniform consists of a stand-collar white tunic, white trousers, and white dress shoes. Rank for officers is displayed on shoulder marks for males and on the sleeve cuffs for females, while CPO rank insignia is worn on the collar for both sexes. Service dress white includes service ribbons, whereas full dress white includes service ribbons and medals. This uniform is informally called "Chokers", due to the stand-collar. The Dress Blue uniform consists of black shoes, navy blue (black in appearance) coat and trousers, a white shirt and either a
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
or formal bowtie. As with the white uniforms, only service ribbons are worn with Service Dress Blue, while service ribbons and medals are worn with Full Dress Blue. Depending on the occasion, officers may also wear
sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
s with either Full Dress White or Blue. Both the white and blue uniforms are worn with the distinctive peaked cap with white cover. Naval enlisted personnel ranked Petty Officer First Class, E-6, and below also have seasonal uniforms. The dress white and blue uniforms are both of the traditional "
sailor suit A sailor suit is a uniform traditionally worn by enlisted seamen in a navy or other governmental sea services. It later developed into a popular clothing style for children, especially as dress clothes. Origins and history In the Royal Navy, t ...
" or crackerjack type. It consists of a pullover shirt, called a
jumper Jumper or Jumpers may refer to: Clothing *Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater **A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the Uniforms of the United State ...
, with a V-neck going to a square collar flap, a black neckerchief, and bell-bottomed trousers. The white uniform is worn with a white belt and silver buckle, while the blue uniform features thirteen decorative buttons.


U.S. Coast Guard

Before 1972, U.S. Coast Guard personnel generally wore the same uniforms as the U.S. Navy but with distinctive Coast Guard insignia, primarily distinctive cap devices for officers and chief petty officers, incorporation of the Coast Guard shield in lieu of line or staff corps insignia for officers, and differentiated uniform buttons on dress uniforms. Presently, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains two full dress uniforms, full dress blue, and full dress white. Full dress blue is worn during change of command ceremonies, parades, and reviews when special honours are being paid, including state visits. The full dress blue uniforms are similar to the U.S. Coast Guard's service dress blue "Alpha," except that it is worn with a full-size medals instead of ribbons. Additionally, a sword may be prescribed for officers, and a white belt and glove may be required. Full Dress White is worn for similar occasions by officers of the U.S. Coast Guard during the summer, or when in tropical environments. The Dress White uniform is slightly different depending on the gender; with men wearing a high stand-collared white tunic, white trousers, and white shoes, while women wear a uniform similar to the dress blue uniform but with a white coat and skirt or trousers. Both genders wear shoulder boards rather than sleeve stripes, as well as medals, combination cover, and sword. The uniform is nearly identical to the U.S. Navy's Full Dress Whites, but the buttons and combination cover device are Coast Guard specific. The
United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast G ...
maintains two different styles of parade dress uniforms. Both variants include a black blouse, with banded collars and double row of buttons, and a white peaked hat. However, Full Dress Blue A, uses white trousers, whereas Full Dress Blue B uses black trousers.


Venezuela

Within the
National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela The National Bolivarian Armed Forces ( es, Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana - FANB) of Venezuela are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy, and air force the ...
dress uniforms are commonplace within its services. The Presidential Honor Guard Brigade wears dress uniforms similar to those used by the Hussar troop raised by Simon Bolivar in 1816. It is of a red tunic with gold buttons and black pants, belt and a black (formerly brown) busby hat, plus epaulettes worn by officers. The Caracas Battalion of the Ministry of Defence wears a light blue uniform with white buttons, black pants, a belt, boots or black shoes and the red beret while the Daniel O'Leary Battalion of the Army Headquarters wears an identical uniform but with the dark blue beret. The
Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army The Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army (in Spanish ''Academia Militar del Ejército Bolivariano''), historically known as the Military Academy of Venezuela, is an academy to train members of the officer corps of the National Army of the Boli ...
wears a 19th century-styled Prussian bright blue uniform as the full dress of the Corps of Cadets, with a
pickelhaube The ( pl. ; from german: Pickel, lit=point' or 'pickaxe, and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military officers, firefighters and police. Althoug ...
or peaked cap depending on the year level. The former is worn by all officers and the senior and junior year cadets.


Full dress uniform by non-directly military organisations


St John Ambulance

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...
is a volunteer group of affiliated organisations in 42 countries, which aims to teach and provide
first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial i ...
, and
emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
. The organisation uses a number of uniforms, including a ceremonial one. The affiliated national organisations do not share a standardized ceremonial uniform, known as formal uniform or dress uniform depending on the country. The uniform of St John Ambulance in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
was derived from the uniforms of London's
Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
; using similar jackets and trousers with different buttons, badges, and a cap with a white band and belt-mounted items relevant to first-aid work. Conversely, the ceremonial uniform for St John Ambulance in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, and St John Singapore uses a white tunic and black trousers; derived from the British Army's warm weather ceremonial uniform. Generally, the organisation's ceremonial uniform is not used for daily medical and first-aid work, with the various national St John Ambulance organisations issuing a variety of occupational uniforms.


See also

* Military uniform **
Mess dress uniform Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
** Service dress uniform **
Combat uniform A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress ...
*
Formal wear Formal wear or full dress is the Western dress code category applicable for the most formal occasions, such as weddings, christenings, confirmations, funerals, Easter and Christmas traditions, in addition to certain state dinners, audie ...
**
Morning dress Morning dress, also known as formal day dress, is the formal Western dress code for day attire, consisting chiefly of, for men, a morning coat, waistcoat, and formal trousers, and an appropriate gown for women. Men may also wear a popular va ...
**
White tie White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal in traditional evening western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a wh ...
** Ceremonial dress ** Religious clothing **
Folk costume A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dress Uniform Military uniforms Formal wear Uniforms