Until January 2020, the Service Dress Blue Uniform (SDB) worn by Female Chief Petty Officers (CPO) could also be worn by Junior Enlisted Females (E1 to E6), albeit with silver buttons on the coat. But that date marked the end of the transition period, begun in 2016, for Female Junior Enlisted sailors to begin wearing the same blue “Crackerjack” SDB as their Male counterparts, and today this style of Female SDB is reserved solely for Officers and Chief Petty Officers, with the only difference between the two classes being sleeve insignia and headgear ornamentation.
Basic components of the Female CPO SDB Uniform include the single-breasted SDB coat (Male CPOs wear a double-breasted coat), white dress shirt, unbelted blue slacks, black necktie (necktab), black service shoes and socks, and white Combination Cap. A rating badge on the left sleeve takes the place of an Officer’s sleeve stripes and Line/Staff Corps device, along with service stripes denoting years of service at the bottom of the sleeve.
Some of the optional items that Female Chiefs may wear include a skirt in place of the SDB slacks (Female Chiefs may also opt for the Male SDB trousers if they desire), black dress shoes instead of the service shoes, earrings (gold ball, diamond, or pearl), and a black handbag or dress handbag, to name a few. Wear of some items is limited (skirts are not allowed on ship) or require wear of additional items (flesh-tone hosiery must be worn with skirts and dress shoes).