Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit. It frequently consists of a mess jacket and trousers worn with a formal shirt and other formal accessories, though the exact form varies depending on the uniform regulations for each service.
This style of military dress is largely restricted to the British, Commonwealth of Nations and United States armed forces, though it is also sometimes worn by members of civilian uniformed services and members of a Royal Household. The French, Imperial German, and other navies adopted their own versions of mess dress during the late nineteenth century, influenced by the Royal Navy.
Read more about Mess Dress: Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Pakistan, United States, Germany, Israel, Sweden
Famous quotes containing the words mess and/or dress:
“Hollow of cheek as though it drank the wind
And took a mess of shadows for its meat?”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“If we confine ourselves to one life role, no matter how pleasant it seems at first, we starve emotionally and psychologically. We need a change and balance in our daily lives. We need sometimes to dress up and sometimes to lie around in torn jeans. . . . Even a grimy factory can afford some relief from a grimy kitchen and vice versa.”
—Faye J. Crosby (20th century)