Marine Corps Colonels wear embroidered insignia of grade on only one type of uniform, the Evening Dress. The “A” variation, worn at official functions and formal dinners roughly equivalent to “white-tie” events, calls for men to wear white waistcoats under the Evening Jacket and for women to wear long skirts; for the “B” variation, either a scarlet waistcoat (General Officers only) or scarlet cummerbund (all other Officers) replaces the white waistcoat, and women have the option of long or short skirt depending on how formal the occasion is.
On Evening Dress jackets, the Colonel rank insignia of silver or synthetic bullion is embroidered directly onto the shoulder straps or onto a dark blue cloth that is then stitched to the strap. We offer the insignia-on-cloth version because it better maintains the embroidery work of the insignia proper.
When attaching the embroidered Colonel insignia to the shoulder strap, orient the eagle so that its head is toward the collar and facing front; the wings should form right angles to the center line of the shoulder strap and their tips be equidistant to the front and back edges of the strap. The bottom of the insignia should be 3/4” from the armhole seam.