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NEWS New Female Officer Uniform Testing

Uncle Fester

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Somewhat ironically, when women first started entering the services in significant numbers during WWII, several of the big fashion houses were commissioned to design the uniforms to look flattering and feminine. Of course, that was when that meant, "Say, yeoman! Swell gams! Yowza!"

...it was a different time.

"TO LOOK THEIR BEST" Original Caption LA Times, Fireman Apprentice Adolt, 19, sees something new on destroyer: Marion Koopman, left and Margaret Williams, prettying up on board USS Uhlmann, 1950
2WAVES%2C_1950.jpg
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
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Seeing as I'm a dude, I'll defer to those who'll actually have to wear the uniform as to which is better, as I don't think the old or new uniform look "bad" per se. Ditto with adapting the male combo cover, as long as they realize that they actually have to adapt it so that our female officers don't look like they're refugees from Soviet Russia. I do think the shoulder board idea is better for everyone; gold stripes on white sleeves are an absolute pain in the ass for figuring out someone's rank and branch at anything greater than saluting distance. It's almost as bad as Marines refusing to wear flight suit rank insignia. "What is that silver thing . . . shit!"

Either way, we need to pick some uniforms. And just. Freaking. STOP. Every damn year, there is some yahoo initiative coming down the pipe to change something and keep the freaking NEX uniform shop in business. I guess people don't have anything better to spend money on, and we've solved all the Navy's other problems.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
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You might find it interesting that the private sector, which many of you hold out as sooo much better at nearly everything then the Navy, is going through the same thing. They are trying to come up with a new uniform for the combined USAirways/AA. NWA/Delta adopted the Delta uniform to go with the name. UAL/Continental adopted the United uniform to go with the name. Not good enough for the NEW AA I guess. They conducted an extensive survey and then ignored nearly all of it. The uniforms they produced for wear testing bombed. They were double breasted (women's single like the current Navy convention), no one wanted that, the optional leather flight jacket looked like 1980's Members Only, the material was horrible. The women's blouse was collarless and had, get this, a plunging neck line, open to almost mid chest :) . Fit for women was bad as well as for men. Women had the same combo cover as men. So, after over a year and probably a million dollars they trashed everything and are back at the design table. And this from the world's largest airline and a major fashion design company in NYC, not a committee of CPOs and junior officers.
 

Renegade One

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I, too, think the USCG has it about as right as it can get. Shoulder boards on the whites and stop the rest.
 

ReconJos

Female Penguin Emeritus
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FWIW, I agree with everything CommodoreMid said.

Granted, I'm IRR so I only wear a uniform a handful of times per year. However, if they move to male combo covers in service uniform for everyone, I'm going to buy that stupid beret and wear that until they pry it out of my cold, lifeless reservist hands.
 

HAL Pilot

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.... It's almost as bad as Marines refusing to wear flight suit rank insignia.

...come on it's really not that bad....
The Marines cried like babies during Desert Storm when they were required to add NAME and U.S. MARINES to their uniforms. And we in Naval Aviation threw our share of fits over putting rank on our flight suits.

I'm glad the Marines have sucessfully resisted flight suit rank insignia. I hope they continue to do so.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
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... And we in Naval Aviation threw our share of fits over putting rank on our flight suits.

I'm glad the Marines have sucessfully resisted flight suit rank insignia. I hope they continue to do so.
Agreed. Call it old school. It was/ is an anti Air Force expression if nothing else. Not for standardized name tags in the fleet either. The only flight suit I had with rank on it was one of the two embroidered OD bags that served as shit hots in my squadron.
 

Uncle Fester

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I'm glad the Marines have sucessfully resisted flight suit rank insignia. I hope they continue to do so.

Putting rank insignia on a uniform? What a concept!

I'm all for old school, don't get me wrong. But that's also a holdover from the "change out of your khakis and into those green work clothes to go fly" days. If rank insignia and blue tshirts is the price to pay for wearing a bag to lunch out in town, I'll gladly pay it.
 

Gatordev

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I've lost track with all of the flight suit reg amendments... Are blue shirts kosher now? Originally it was just black and white beyond the gate, but I can't remember if the latest change allowed NWU blue shirts.
 

HAL Pilot

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Putting rank insignia on a uniform? What a concept!

I'm all for old school, don't get me wrong. But that's also a holdover from the "change out of your khakis and into those green work clothes to go fly" days. If rank insignia and blue tshirts is the price to pay for wearing a bag to lunch out in town, I'll gladly pay it.
Rank insignia was added to Navy flight suits at least 8 to 10 years before they became authorized to wear out in town for lunch.
 
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