January 2017 marked the arrival of this version of the Female Officer Service Dress White Uniform (SDW) in Navy Exchange, one of several changes implemented in an effort to make male and female uniforms more similar in appearance. The major change for the Female SDW was the coat—a single-breasted, fully lined garment with a standing Mandarin collar and six sewn-on, 35-ligne U.S. Navy eagle gilt buttons, as opposed to the five buttons on the Male SDW coat. The only other significant difference in the male and female SDW coats are the two breast pockets with button-down flaps on the male coat; the female version replaces the pockets with princess seams.
The Female Officer SDW is a Summer uniform that may be prescribed for wear at functions and ceremonies where Formal, Dinner, or Full Dress Uniforms are not mandated and where the equivalent civilian attire would be classified as coat and tie. Basic uniform components include white unbelted slacks, white service shoes, white combination cap, and hard shoulder boards; notable optional wear items are the white unbelted skirt (not allowed on ships, however), earrings (diamond, pearl, or gold ball), and white dress shoes.
You can learn more about any individual SDW uniform component by clicking on its image.