British Army mess dress is the formal military evening dress worn by British Army officers and senior non-commissioned officers in their respective messes or at other formal occasions.
History Mess uniforms first appeared in the British Army in about 1845, initially utilizing the short shell jacket worn since 1831. This working jacket was worn open over a regimental waistcoat for evening dress.Alastair Campbell, page 57, "The Dress of the Royal Artillery, SBN 85368 491 X The original purpose was to provide a relatively comfortable and inexpensive alternative to the stiff and elaborate full-dress uniforms then worn by officers for evening social functions such as regimental dinners or balls. With the general disappearance of full dress uniforms after World War I, mess dress became the most colourful and traditional uniform to be retained by most officers in British and Commonwealth armies. Immediately after World War II the cheaper "blue patrols" were worn for several years as mess dress, but by 1956 the traditional uniforms had been readopted.Alastair Campbell, page 58, "The Dress of the Royal Artillery, SBN 85368 491 X
Contemporary usage
The formal designation of the most commonly worn mess uniform in the British Army is "No. 10 (Temperate) Mess Dress". The form varies according to regiment or corps, but generally a short mess jacket is worn, which either fastens at the neck (being cut away to show the waistcoat, this being traditionally the style worn by cavalry regiments and other mounted corps), or is worn with a white shirt and black bow tie (traditionally the usual style for unmounted regiments, corps, and services).Since regimental amalgamations, the "cut away" or cavalry-style jacket has been adopted by some British Army infantry regiments such as the Royal Regiment of Wales,page 19 "Regiment" issue thirty - "The Royal Regiment of Wales", the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,page 20 "Regiment" issue twelve - "The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers", and corps such as the Adjutant General's Corps and the Royal Logistic Corps. Officers of the Foot Guards, Royal Engineers, the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Army Medical Corps, and the Royal Regiment of Scotland amongst others still wear the infantry style of jacket.
The colours of mess jackets and trousers reflect those of the traditional full dress uniforms of the regiments in question, as worn until at least 1914. Jackets are, therefore, usually scarlet, dark blue, or rifle green, with collars, cuffs, waistcoats, or lapels in the facing colours of the regiments in question. In the case of those regiments which have undergone amalgamation, features of the former uniforms are often combined. Waistcoats are often richly embroidered, though with modern modifications, such as a core of cotton for gold cording instead of the thick gold cord which made these items very expensive prior to World War II. Non-commissioned officers' mess dress is usually simpler in design, but is generally (but not always) in the same colours as officers of their regiment.
Most British Army regiments' mess dress incorporates high-waisted, very tight trousers known as overalls, the bottoms of which buckle under leather Wellington or George boots. Ornamental spurs are usually worn by cavalry regiments and corps that traditionally were mounted; some other regiments and corps prescribe spurs for field officers, since in former times these officers would have been mounted. The Rifles do not wear spurs at any rank, following Light Infantry traditions since historically no Light Infantry officer rode on horseback. Scottish regiments wear kilts or tartan trews, and some wear tartan waistcoats as well.
In "No. 11 Warm Weather Mess Dress", a white drill hip-length jacket is worn with either a waistcoat in the same material or a cummerbund of regimental pattern. Blue and various shades of red or green are the most common colours for the cummerbund. Trousers or overalls are the same as in No. 10 Dress.
Female officers and soldiers wear mess jackets in a pattern similar to those of their male counterparts over dark-coloured ankle-length evening dresses. Black hand bags may be carried, and black evening shoes are worn.
Regimental varieties The various mess dress uniforms of the British Army are as follows:
General Staff: Scarlet mess jacket with royal blue (almost black) facings, royal blue cuffs and royal blue shoulder straps with gold piping. Waistcoat is royal blue with gold buttons.
Household Cavalry
The Life Guards: Scarlet 'cut away' cavalry-style mess jacket with royal blue stand collar, with gold piping which extends down the front and bottom of the jacket, royal blue cuffs with gold piping and gold shoulder cords. A royal blue waistcoat is worn which extends to the neck and has gold piping which runs down the front and bottom of the waistcoat. The Blues and Royals: Identical to that of the Life Guards except the gold piping on the cuffs is formed into a curl.
Royal Armoured Corps
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards: officers wear a scarlet cavalry-style 'cut away' jacket with a dark blue stand collar, worn with a scarlet waistcoat. That worn by NCOs is instead a dark blue cavalry-style cut-away jacket with a scarlet collar and cuffs. Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: officers wear a scarlet cavalry-style 'cut away' jacket with yellow collar and cuffs, with gold piping. Thee waistcoat is also yellow with gold piping but with a thin line of red piping between the main body of the waistcoat and the main piping of the waistcoat. Royal Lancers: Royal blue 'cut away' cavalry-style mess jacket with scarlet stand collar, with gold piping which extends down the front and bottom of the jacket, scarlet cuffs with gold piping lined in scarlet and gold shoulder cords lined in scarlet. A gold waistcoat is worn which extends to the neck which does not have any piping. Royal Dragoon Guards: Identical to that of the Life Guards except for the collar has a row of gold piping at the bottom and the regimental badge is worn on the collar, and the shoulder cords are lined in royal blue. Queen's Royal Hussars: officers wear a dark blue 'cut-away' cavalry-style mess jacket with a scarlet collar with gold piping which extends down the front and bottom of the jacket. The cuffs have gold braid forming an Austrian knot on the cuffs. The mess jacket worn by NCOs is almost identical, but the gold braid on the cuffs forms a simple loop rather than an Austrian knot. Light Dragoons: Dark blue 'cut away' cavalry-style mess jacket with a buff stand collar with gold piping, with a thinner row of gold piping which extends down the front and bottom of the jacket. The jacket has toggle buttons and is worn open. A buff waistcoat is worn which extends to the neck and has gold piping which runs down the front and bottom of the waistcoat, with a thinner line of red piping between the main body of the waistcoat and the main piping of the waistcoat. King's Royal Hussars: Worn with the traditional crimson overalls of the regiment, which are derived from the 11th Hussars, it features a 'cut-away' dark blue cavalry style mess jacket with a crimson waistcoat, brass buttons and gold piping. Kukris are worn on the upper arms, and Lieutenant Colonels and above wear ring style gold piping on the collar. Royal Tank Regiment: A royal blue 'cut away' cavalry-style mess jacket is worn by officers, with royal blue stand collar, with gold piping which extends down the front and bottom of the jacket, and gold austrian knots on the cuffs, and gold shoulder cords. The Tank badge is worn on the upper right sleeve. A scarlet waistcoat with a thin line of gold piping and gold buttons is worn which extends to the neck. Dark blue overalls with a 2” black mohair braid stripe are worn over George boots. NCOs wear a short, royal blue double-breasted mess jacket with shoulder straps, shawl collar with regimental badges and plain cuffs closed with two buttons, over a white turn down collared shirt and black bow tie. Freedom of Information Request 2017/03109/10/4/78615, Part 4: Royal Armoured Corps Regimental Dress Regulations, Army Secretariat, British Army Royal Yeomanry: A royal blue 'cut-away' cavalry style mess jacket is worn with a scarlet stand collar, with silver piping that runs along the bottom of the collar and also runs down the front and bottom of the mess jacket. The mess jacket also features silver shoulder boards, and scarlet cuffs which have silver piping. A silver braid fern leaf on scarlet backing is worn on the left arm. A scarlet waistcoat which buttons to the neck, with silver piping and silver braid is also worn.
Royal Regiment of Artillery
Double-breasted royal blue mess jacket with two rows of four gold regimental buttons on either side, peaked lapels, and scarlet facings, worn unbuttoned, dark blue shoulder straps, and a row of three gold buttons on each cuff slash, arranged vertically. The mess jackets worn by senior NCOs are the same except that the mess jacket has a shawl collar; there are three buttons on each side of the jacket rather than four, rank stripes are worn on the right upper arm, and the buttons on the cuffs are smaller (female Senior NCO's mess jackets do not have cuff buttons). A royal blue waistcoat is worn with both variations.
Corps of Royal Engineers A scarlet mess jacket with scarlet shoulder straps, royal blue cuffs, and a royal blue shawl collar. The regimental badge is worn on both lapels, and rank stripes are worn on the right upper arm by NCOs. A royal blue waistcoat with four gold buttons is also worn.
Royal Corps of Signals Identical to that of the Corps of Royal Engineers except for the regimental badge worn on both lapels. The variation as worn by NCOs does not feature shoulder straps.
Infantry
Grenadier Guards: A scarlet mess jacket without shoulder straps, royal blue cuffs with the number of rows of gold piping denoting the wearer's rank, and a royal blue shawl collar. The regimental badge is worn on both lapels, and rank stripes are worn on the right upper arm by NCOs. A royal blue waistcoat with four gold buttons is also worn. The version worn by NCOs does not feature the thin line of gold piping on the cuffs. Coldstream Guards: Identical to that worn by the Grenadier guards except for the regimental badge worn on both lapels, and the four gold buttons on the waistcoat are arranged in pairs. The version worn by NCOs feature the white rose of York on either lapel rather than the regimental badge. Scots Guards: Identical to that worn by the Grenadier guards except for the regimental badge worn on both lapels, and the three gold buttons on the waistcoat rather than four. The version worn by NCOs feature the thistle of Scotland on either lapel rather than the regimental badge. Irish Guards: Identical to that worn by the Grenadier guards except for the regimental badge worn on both lapels. The version worn by NCOs feature the shamrock of Ireland on either lapel rather than the regimental badge. Welsh Guards: Identical to that worn by the Grenadier guards except for the regimental badge worn on both lapels, and the five gold buttons on the waistcoat rather than four. The version worn by NCOs feature the leek of Wales on either lapel rather than the regimental badge Royal Regiment of Scotland: A single-breasted scarlet mess jacket with four gold regimental buttons, royal blue notched lapels with white piping, royal blue cuffs also with white piping, and gold shoulder cords. A royal blue waistcoat with gold piping and four gold regimental buttons is also worn. The version worn by NCO's has a royal blue shawl collar, only three regimental gold buttons, no piping on the cuffs, no shoulder cords and the waistcoat worn is regimental tartan rather than royal blue.