The mess dress is worn on occasions when naval officers wear their evening dress uniform.
Summer field uniform.—The summer field uniform is made of khaki colored cotton drill and consists of a coat of the same style and design as the white undress coat, breeches, field hat or khaki-colored cap of the same style as the white cap, tan leather shoes, tan leather strap puttee leggings, and the sword suspended from the tan leather belt and slings, the belt being worn outside of the coat. Mounted officers may wear tan leather boots.
The field hat is the wide brimmed brown felt hat worn with the peaked crown, commonly known as the “campaign hat.” It has the Marine Corps device on the front of the crown to indicate the corps, and in the case of officers a hat cord woven of gold and red and finished at the ends with gold and red acorns is worn around the base of the crown.
The rank marks worn with the summer field coat are the same as those worn with the white undress, but all corps and staff devices and buttons are of dull finished bronze to make them less conspicuous.
Winter Field Uniform.—The winter field uniform is made of cloth or serge of the shade known as “forestry-green,” a grayish olive green, and consists of a coat made in the same general style as the summer field coat except that the lower pockets are larger and are of the “bellows” type, breeches (trousers are worn sometimes), the field hat or winter field cap, tan leather strap puttee leggings, tan shoes, sword suspended from tan leather belt and slings, the belt being worn outside of the coat. Mounted officers may wear tan leather boots.
The insignia indicating rank, corps and staff department and the buttons are the same as those worn on the summer field uniform.
In the field or at drills when it is considered appropriate the coat of the field uniform is not worn, in which case the flannel shirt, of the same color as the field uniform, is worn with the insignia of rank on the collar on each side of the front opening.
Photo by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D. C.
U. S. Marine Corps. Officer, winter field uniform