Wiktionary
n. mess kit (military uniform)
Wikipedia
Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn by military officers in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit. It frequently consists of a mess jacket and trousers worn with a formal shirt and other formal accessories, though the exact form varies depending on the uniform regulations for each service.
Prior to World War II this style of military dress was largely restricted to the British, British Empire and United States armed forces; although the French, Imperial German, Swedish and other navies had adopted their own versions of mess dress during the late nineteenth century, influenced by the Royal Navy.
At the present time mess dress has is also sometimes worn by members of civilian uniformed services and members of a Royal Household. While predominantly a uniform worn by commissioned officers for whom it is mandatory, it may also be worn as an optional uniform by senior enlisted personnel in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, and by non-commissioned officers in the British Army and Royal Air Force.
Usage examples of "mess dress".
Her uniforms (mess dress, working dress, seasonal working, and so on) were already aboard, sent ahead from her quarters before her final interview with the Academy Commandant after Abe’.
Luckily, mess dress had been included in the uniform issue that he had drawn.
Her uniforms (mess dress, working dress, seasonal working, and so on) were already aboard, sent ahead from her quarters before her final interview with the Academy Commandant after Abe's funeral.
Damnit, you couldn't have flag officers in their mess dress sitting out there with two scroungy enlisted men in battle dress--especially those confounded chameleons--bringing up the rear!
Her mess dress uniform seemed horridly pretentious to her, but she'd been given no choice about that either.
Naumann stood there, dressed in mess dress, only wearing commander's rank.
The enormous room was empty, and he loosened the collar of his mess dress tunic with heartfelt relief as he crossed the huge Harrington coat of arms inlaid into the parquet floor.
The roll of drums as he was marched out in mess dress uniform to face his regiment, an officer of the Queen in gorgeous black and green, standing with emotionless face while the most junior enlisted man in his own battalion ripped the buttons and decorations from his tunic to the slow, bitter tapping of the drum.