Mess dress was invented by Victorian officers who wanted to dine comfortably in gold braid, and 150 years later the dinner uniform still carries their design.
Quick answer. Victorian mess dress is the dinner uniform of a military officer, formalised between 1870 and 1900. It is a short tailed shell jacket in regimental colour (scarlet for most line regiments, dark blue for cavalry and Rifles), with regimental facings on cuff and collar, worn with a waistcoat, dark overalls or trousers with regimental stripe, a stiff shirt and black bow tie.
The origin: shell jacket to mess jacket
Mess dress descends directly from the Victorian stable or shell jacket, a short tailed working coat worn in barracks and on undress occasions from 1830 onwards. Cavalry officers wore it in the mess during the 1850s because full dress tunics were too tight to eat in. By 1880 the mess jacket had become a separate garment, with its own cut and regimental specification.
The 1898 Dress Regulations fixed the formula: short tailed jacket, no skirts beyond the waist, Prussian collar fastened by hooks and eyes, pointed cuffs, usually scarlet with regimental facings for line regiments. Dark blue for Rifles, cavalry, artillery and some royal regiments. For context on where mess kit sits in the system, see our dress vs service uniform piece.
The regimental palette
Line infantry: scarlet jacket with facings in regimental colour on collar, cuff and lapel. Yellow for the 44th East Essex, buff for the 3rd Buffs, dark green for the 24th Warwickshire. Royal regiments wore blue facings. Rifle regiments wore dark green jackets with black facings.
Cavalry: dark blue mess jacket for most regiments; crimson for the 11th Hussars (hence the Cherrypickers), dark green for the 3rd Dragoon Guards, scarlet for the Household Cavalry. Royal Artillery: dark blue with scarlet facings. Royal Engineers: scarlet with dark blue facings. See our British Victorian military uniforms piece for the full picture.
Waistcoat, trousers, boots
Under the jacket, an officer wore a mess waistcoat in regimental facing colour or in white. The waistcoat was sleeveless, cut low in front to show the shirt, with regimental buttons. Some regiments wore a cummerbund in place of the waistcoat (particularly cavalry).
Dark trousers were worn with the mess jacket, in a cut called overalls: tight to the knee, flared slightly to the ankle, with a leather strap under the instep. Side stripes in regimental colour marked the overall: red for most line regiments, double red for colonels, yellow or primrose for the Rifles.
Shirt, tie, decorations
A plain white starched shirt with a wing collar and black bow tie completed the kit. Officers wore a plain pocket handkerchief in the left breast and a plain gold watch chain. Decorations were worn in miniature on the left breast: full size medals in the mess looked absurd.
In full state (royal functions, formal regimental dinners), officers wore the sash of their order of chivalry, the collar of the Order, and a court sword on a slide hanger. These occasions are rare and governed by regimental convention. Our British royal regiments dress uniforms piece covers the court context.
Mess etiquette and dress rules
Mess dress was worn to formal dinners (dining in nights), guest nights, regimental birthdays, and royal receptions. The mess president dictated the standard: Full Dress Mess Kit on specified nights, Patrol Dress or Lounge Suit on others. Officers who arrived in the wrong rig were fined, usually a round of port.
The rules were strict. No decorations missed. Collar hooks fastened to the top. Shoes polished to a mirror. Boots removed and replaced with mess wellingtons (black patent, soft, ankle length). Spur chains were not worn in the mess except at mounted messes.
Mess dress today
Modern mess kit survives almost unchanged. The British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force all have their own patterns. The British Army officer's mess kit remains scarlet or blue regimental, with the same cut, same facings, same miniature medals as 1898. It is now worn roughly 8 to 12 times a year for most officers.
A new mess kit from a London military tailor runs 2,500 to 4,000 pounds; a second hand set from a retired officer runs 400 to 800. For a wider view of the officer wardrobe, see our officers vs enlisted men uniforms piece.
Common questions
What is mess dress for?
The dinner uniform of a military officer. Worn to formal dinners, guest nights, regimental birthdays and royal receptions. A short tailed jacket, waistcoat, overalls and bow tie.
When was Victorian mess dress formalised?
The 1898 Dress Regulations fixed the pattern. It had evolved from the shell jacket worn by cavalry officers in the mess from the 1850s.
What colour is the mess jacket?
Scarlet with regimental facings for most line regiments; dark blue for Rifles, cavalry, artillery and some royal regiments. Each regiment has a specific pattern.
Do enlisted men wear mess dress?
Warrant officers and sergeants' messes have their own version, often less elaborate. Private soldiers do not have a mess kit.
How much does a new mess kit cost?
From a London military tailor, 2,500 to 4,000 pounds for a complete officer's kit including jacket, waistcoat, overalls, shirts and ties.