What Is a Mess Dress?
A mess dress is a formal military uniform. It generally is worn for white-tie or black-tie events where civilian men normally would dress in a tuxedo. The tradition of a mess dress begins with the British Army, whose members began wearing them to balls and formal events in 1845 as an alternative to the officer’s full dress uniforms worn at the time. In the early 20th century, the tradition was adopted by all branches of the British military, the United States military and all Commonwealth nations. Most other nations around the world have not, however, adopted this custom, and they use standard uniforms or dress uniforms when attending formal events.
