Mess Dress

[freeflight]

Question:
How many people on this forum have mess dress uniforms?

[shorning]

I do.  Oh...you meant for CAP...never mind....

[T34 Flyer]

dito

[AlphaSigOU]

Nichts mich. (Not me.)

Like a tux (which I own - there are several Masonic/Eastern Star functions I attend during the year which require me to wear a tux), I find it hard to justify paying $300+ for the 'penguin suit' and its accessories if I'm not going to wear it more than twice a year. Plus, I'm too far away from an MCSS to go try one on.

They really need to allow wear of mini medals with a civvy tux instead of that 'semi-formal' combination abomination for the TPU. (Sorry, a bow tie with a double-breasted suit just doesn't cut it.)

[Monty]

Question:
How many people on this forum have mess dress uniforms?

I do.

[JohnKachenmeister]

I used to.  I "Outgrew" it.  I sold it to another officer.

I'll probably get another on this year, not that my weight is down and still dropping.

[Major_Chuck]

Not I.  Don't see any need to really own one.  (Too expensive!).  If I buy one it will be an Army Mess Dress.  I'm personnally downsizing the number of CAP uniform combinations I own.  It is just silly and absurb to own every conceivable uniform combination.

[Monty]

Well, just to supplement my "I do" post.

I agree that it is a bit silly to own every CAP uniform combo known to man, but I must also confess.........I get to cheat a little bit by supplementing any CAP-specific stuff with several modified AF duds I have hanging in the closet.

Namely.....the expensive Mess Dress that had a former life as a USAF version.....    It's much cheaper to switch out the sleeve braid and insignia (well, and buy a few extra CAP mini-medals) than it would be to start from scratch and get the whole thing....

Of course, the whole issue is for not, given that I've become a bit partial to a beard...   

[ColonelJack]

I do.  (But I will refrain from posting a picture of myself in it.  You're welcome.)

Jack

[DrJbdm]

 I do,  I own two of them...I guess for the times that my weight decides to flutuate a bit (and it seems to do this all on it's own...the gain part that is! lol)..go up 20 pounds, grab the larger one...go down 20 pounds grab the smaller one. Now I'm trying to fit into the smaller one by Wing Conferance. I got both of them on ebay including all the goodies you need with them. I think I paid around $30 each for them.

[Robert Hartigan]

I am selling one!!!!!

[RiverAux]

No, and have no intention of ever getting one.  If I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars for something I'll hardly ever make use of I can think of several alternatives that I'd enjoy more.

[DrJbdm]

 Robert, What size is the mess dress you're selling? I know an Officer I'm good friends with who is looking for one.

[isuhawkeye]

Im looking for one.  Its tough to find one in 50L.  Ill order it from AFES some day

[Robert Hartigan]

The mess dress for sale is listed in the Marketplace forum under "Everything CAP Must Go" Jacket 41; pants 35x27

[ColonelJack]

I know what you mean about finding one in size 50.  I got mine off eBay after looking for eleven months!  It fit fine, but was a 50L ... so I had the sleeves shortened and voila -- it works.

Jack

[Psicorp]

I just recently bought a Mess Dress on Ebay in my size for $45.  I would never consider buying one new from AAFES.  I'll take my time getting the medals and such for it and have it complete just in time for the Wing Conference, where I'll wear it and then put it away until the folllowing year. 

[Major_Chuck]

I do.  (But I will refrain from posting a picture of myself in it.  You're welcome.)

Jack

Too late Jack.  I've seen the pictures!

[Robert Hartigan]

The absolute best mess dress story I have is when my wife asked me if the button chain to close the mess dress jacket was longer the higher the rank you were. She noticed this when we sat at a table with a CAP Colonel that must have had 8 inches of chain holding his jacket closed. She said that if that was the style then it just made you look fat to have that much chain and that the Air Force should redesign the jacket to look better. I told her how expensive the uniform was and that it was cheaper to buy links for the chain. Then she told me how much she spent on the dress she was wearing that night; mess dress uniforms are cheap in comparison.

[lordmonar]

I got two!  One for CAP and USAF.  The CAP one I got for free and the USAF one I got because I got married in it...If I was going to spend $300 for a tux I might as well get one I would wear more than once.

Last year I spend more time in my USAF Mess Dress than I did in my service dress...go figure?