USAF Service Dress

The USAF service dress uniform is worn to non-formal but official events like graduations and promotion ceremonies. The current uniform includes a three-button coat with silver-colored buttons. The coat features a design known as “Hap Arnold wings.” The Air Force Uniform consists of a matching pair of trousers, and pants can be substituted with a skirt. Enlisted Airmen wear cloth ranks on both sleeves. Officers wear metal ranks on the shoulders of the coat.

Mess Dress

Airmen wear a mess dress to formal or semi-formal events like dining-ins, dining-outs, or military balls. Questions about the protocol for dining-ins or dining-outs? Check out this post. The current mess dress has been in use since the 1980s. Since 2020, female Airmen can wear mess dress pants as part of their USAF mess dress uniform. That’s a win because the evening-length skirt was not super flattering for anyone. Jackets have silver buttons. Medals and wings are worn in miniature size over the left breast. Command insignia is worn on the right breast. Commissioned officers wear rigid shoulder boards like officers in the Navy. Enlisted Airmen generally don’t wear a sleeve braid. There’s no hat or name tag with this uniform.

If you served in the 1970s like retired MSgt Rick Brumble, you’ll probably remember the 1505. This tan, short sleeve uniform featured cotton shirts and trousers. The name 1505 comes from their shade and they were a USAF favorite for many. In fact, this uniform was a hold-over from back before the AF was its own branch. Females who served during this era wore light-blue combinations. Later, a version of the blue service uniform replaced both of these, most to the chagrin of all the Airmen who were fans.