U.S. ARMY MALE BLUE MESS DRESS JACKET

Also referred to as the Blue Mess Dress, the Male Blue Mess/Evening Mess Uniform is worn at black-tie/white-tie functions. The Army equivalent of a civilian’s tuxedo, it’s considered to be the most formal attire worn by Army personnel.

The Blue Mess Jacket is cut on the lines of an evening dress coat, descending to the point of the hips and slight curving to a peak in front and back. Two 25-ligne buttons that are linked by a roughly 1.5-inch-long gold (or gold-colored) chain are worn in the upper buttonholes. Officers of all grades wear shoulder knots, which are secured by shoulder-strap clips (included when you purchase shoulder knots from The Salute Uniforms).

A noticeable feature of Blue Mess Jackets are its lapels, made with a satin face in colors that reflect  rank and/or branch of service. General Officers and Enlisted personnel wear dark blue lapels, Chaplains black, and all other Officers the color (or first-named color) of their basic branch of service. Use the Selection box to the right to select the appropriate lapel color.

Sleeve braids and ornamentation also vary depending upon rank. Generals wear a a 4-inch-wide cuff of black velvet braid, while Commissioned and Warrant Officers wear the same same sleeve braid as worn on the blue Army Service Uniform, with an ornamental design called a trefoil attached above it (the soutache used for the trefoil is included when you purchase a Blue Mess Jacket). Enlisted personnel wear the same sleeve braid as on the Army Service uniform, a 1/8-inch-wide soutache braid placed three inches above the bottom of each sleeve.