Full dress uniform

Thus, in 1913 most French soldiers wore red trousers and kepis as part of their full dress,[2] the majority of British foot regiments retained the scarlet tunics for parade and off duty ("walking out"),[3] the German Army was characterised by Prussian blue,[4] the Russian by dark green,[5] and the Austro-Hungary Army by a wide range of differing facing colours dating back to the 18th century.

Many of the royal or imperial regimes that had taken a particular pride in the retention of colourful traditional uniforms had been overthrown and their republican, fascist, or communist successors had little incentive to retain old glories.

However a general trend towards replacing conscript armies with long-serving professionals has had, as a side effect, a reversion to dress uniforms that combine smartness with some traditional features.

Thus the U.S. Army announced in 2006 that uniforms of modern cut but in the traditional dark and light blue colours would become universal issue, replacing the previous grey/green service dress.

The French Army has, with the abolition of conscription, reintroduced kepis, fringed epaulettes and sashes in traditional colours to wear with camouflage "trellis" or light beige parade dress.

[9] The British Army with its strong regimental traditions has retained a wide range of special features and dress items to distinguish individual units, in spite of recent amalgamations.

The Argentine Navy dress uniform is a navy blue rig with a visor cap for officers and senior ratings and sailor caps for junior ratings, epaulettes and sleeve rank marks (for all offers), a sword set and scabbard for officers, blue long pants (skirts for female personnel), a belt and black leather shoes or boots.

[16] The full dress uniform used by the Royal Military College has remained essentially the same since the institution's founding in 1876, although the pillbox hat has replaced the shako.

It features the Red Serge, a scarlet British-style military pattern tunic, complete with a high-neck collar and dark blue breeches with yellow stripes derived from British and Canadian cavalry uniforms of the same era, and usually a campaign hat (or "stetson") and brown riding boots.

Some military units, including the Chacabuco and Rancagua regiments, wear a blue uniform from the War of the Pacific during parades as full dress, with kepis as headdress.

[18][19] In the armed forces, only the Republican Guard plus certain bands and military academies have a complete full dress (grande tenue) uniform issued to all personnel.

Units of the Chasseurs Alpins, French Foreign Legion, Troupes de Marine, 1st Spahi Regiment and Tirailleurs are permitted to wear, in special circumstances such as military parades, a variant of the service or combat uniform which includes items of historic ceremonial dress such as headresses, fringed epaulettes, cloaks, waist sashes etc.

The officer cadets and the staff of école des officiers de la gendarmerie nationale also wear uniforms whose styling dates back to the 19th century.

The naval uniform has a darker blue, double-breasted, six-buttoned jacket, with gold-coloured rank insignia on the cuffs, worn with the peaked cap.

Prior to 2016, the dress uniform, the Madei Srad was only worn abroad, either by a military attaché or by senior officers on official state visits.

Some features of modern full dress uniform worn by both army and navy personnel date from those of the final Czarist period, prior to 1917.

It is restricted to naval officers serving on the royal barge "Vasaorden" (Order of Vasa); a ship used only on rare ceremonial occasions.

By the late nineteenth century, an officer's full dress uniform consisted of a navy double-breasted tailcoat with white facings edged in gold (on the collar and cuff-slashes), gold lace (indicating rank) on the cuffs, epaulettes, sword and sword-belt, worn with gold-laced trousers (except for sublieutenants and warrant officers) and a cocked hat.

At the start of the 19th century, British Army Regiments of Foot, trained to fight in the manner dictated by a weapon (the musket) which demanded close proximity to the target, were not concerned with camouflage, and wore red coats (scarlet for officers and sergeants).

Prior to the outbreak of World War I full dress uniforms were universal issue for all regiments of the British Army when on "home service" in Britain itself.

Infantry of the line often wore shakos (later supplanted by the 'home service helmet'), as did others; though Scots and Irish regiments tended to have their own distinctive full-dress headwear.

Beginning with the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878, the British Army began adopting light khaki uniforms for Tropical service that was first introduced in 1848 with the Corps of Guides in India.

After World War II the coloured, full dress uniforms were again reintroduced for ceremonial occasions by the Brigade of Guards and to a limited extent by regimental bands.

An early version had been worn by some units in the 1937 coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth but had not been made general issue at the time.

As with the British Army after 1914, full dress was not general issue during the inter-War period, but was authorized for wear by specific categories such as bandsmen and commissioned officers.

Group Captain the Duke of York (later King George VI) wore RAF full dress at his wedding to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923.

For enlisted Marines, they earn the right to carry the NCO sword and wear the scarlet blood stripe on their blue trousers when they achieve the rank of Corporal.

[40] Full dress blue is worn during change of command ceremonies, parades, and reviews when special honours are being paid, including state visits.

The Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army wears a 19th-century-styled Prussian bright blue uniform as the full dress of the Corps of Cadets, with a pickelhaube or peaked cap depending on the year level.

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