Black shoes are worn with all except white uniforms, with which white shoes are worn.
The rank of commissioned officers is shown by means of insignia on the tops of the epaulets, with uniforms of which epaulets form a part, and by decorations on the cuffs of the sleeves of the frock coat and service sack coat. These sleeve decorations are as shown by the illustrations:—
| Admiral of France | Two batons crossed in gold embroidery. |
| Vice Admiral | Three silver stars. |
| Rear Admiral | Two silver stars. |
| Captain | Five stripes of gold braid. |
| Commander | Five stripes of braid, the second and fourth being silver and the other three gold. |
| Lieutenant Commander | Four stripes of gold braid. |
| Lieutenant | Three stripes of gold braid. |
| Lieutenant, Junior Grade | Two stripes of gold braid. |
| Ensign | One stripe of gold braid. |
| Midshipman | One stripe of gold braid broken by interwoven stripes of blue silk. |
The officers of the Line or Command branch wear the rank insignia on the dark blue cloth of the coat sleeve; while the officers of the Staff Corps have cuffs of distinctive color beneath the stripes, these colors being for:—
| Engineer officers | violet velvet. |
| Medical officers | red velvet. |
| Constructors and Ordnance officers | black velvet. |
| Paymasters | brown velvet. |
On the white service tunic or coat the rank is indicated by stripes upon shoulder straps, these stripes being similar to those worn on the sleeves of the blue frock coat and tunic.
French Navy.
Officers’ sleeve decorations indicating rank
All of the stripes are gold with the exception of those for Commander, in which case the second and fourth stripes are silver
| 1. Vice Admiral | 2. Rear Admiral | 3. Captain |
| 4. Commander | 5. Lieutenant Commander | 6. Lieutenant |
| 7. Lieutenant, Junior Grade | 8. Ensign | 9. Midshipman |