Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia

25–13. General guidelines
Personnel will wear knee-length mess skirts no longer than 1 inch above or 2 inches below the crease in the back of
the knee. The blue evening mess skirt is worn full length. Personnel may wear the black dress gloves and black scarf
when wearing the black all-weather coat. Personnel may wear white gloves with all uniforms. The black pumps or the
black fabric pumps with sheer stockings are the authorized footwear for the blue mess and blue evening mess uniforms.
(See paras 28–10d and 28–19 for information on lapel facings. (See para 28–10e for information on color of
ornamentation and branch insignia for detailed officers.)
Chapter 26
Army Black Mess and Evening Mess Uniforms—Female
26–1. Authorization for wear
The Army black mess and black evening mess uniforms are authorized for year-round wear by all female officers. The
Army blue mess and blue evening mess uniforms replaced the Army black mess and evening mess uniforms. The
wear-out date for the Army black mess and evening mess uniforms is 30 September 2003. Effective 1 October 2003,
only the blue mess and evening mess uniforms may be worn for the occasions listed in para 26–3, below. Enlisted
females are not authorized to wear the black mess uniforms.
26–2. Composition
a. The Army black mess uniform comprises the Army black jacket, the Army black knee-length skirt, the formal
white blouse with black dress neck tab, and the black cummerbund (see fig 26–1).
148 AR 670–1 3 February 2005