Like its parent service, the Coast Guard Auxiliary employs a system of lace stripes to display the wearer’s insignia designating his/her organizational leadership position. These stripes come in three widths—quarter-inch, half-inch, and two inches—and are worn on the sleeves of blue Dress and Service uniforms or are placed on shoulder boards that are worn on epaulettes of white uniforms.
This half-inch lace stripe is made of synthetic silver and is the most commonly used width for Coast Guard Auxiliary sleeve insignia: of the 14 possible sleeve stripe configurations, only one does not have at least one half-inch stripe. (The 14 figure does not include standard Member uniforms because they are not authorized to wear any stripes).
Lace stripes are worn on the Dinner Dress Blue Jacket and the Service Dress Blue Coat, with the lace circling the sleeve completely and terminating inside the seam on the back of the sleeve.