Three Canadian officers in shawl or rolled collar jacket and waistcoat style mess dress or mess kit. Miniature medals and other accoutrements are also worn.
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Western dress codes and corresponding attires
Formal (full dress)
White tie
Morning dress
Full dress uniform
Frock coat
Evening gown
Ball gown
Semi-formal (half dress)
Black tie
Black lounge suit
Mess dress uniform
Evening gown
Cocktail dress
Informal (undress, "dress clothes")
Suit
Service dress uniform
Cocktail dress
Pantsuit
Casual (anything not above)
Business casual
Casual Friday
Combat uniform
Smart casual
Workwear
Streetwear
Sportswear known as Sportswear (fashion) and Athleisure
Undress
Supplementary alternatives
Ceremonial dress
law courts
royal courts
diplomatic
academic, etc.
Religious clothing
cassock, habit, etc.
Folk costume
Distinctions
Orders
medals, etc.
Legend:
= Day (before 6 p.m.) = Evening (after 6 p.m.) = Bow tie colour = Ladies = Gentlemen
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Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of evening-wear uniform used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white dress shirt and a black bow tie, along with orders and medals insignia. Design may depend on regiment or service branch, e.g. army, navy, air force, marines, etc. In modern Western dress codes, mess dress uniform is the supplementary alternative equivalent to the civilian black tie for evening wear. Mess dress uniforms are typically less formal than full dress uniform, but more formal than service dress uniform.
Prior to World War II, this style of military uniform was largely restricted to the British and United States Armed Forces, although the French, German, Swedish and other navies had adopted their own versions of mess dress during the late 19th century, influenced by the British Royal Navy.[1]
While mess dress uniform is predominantly worn at occasions by commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers, it may also be worn as an optional uniform by some senior enlisted personnel. It is also sometimes worn by members of royal courts or certain civilian uniformed services.
^Knötel, Knötel & Sieg (1980), pp. 442–445.
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