Enlisted Navy Dress Blue Uniform
This impressive seagoing uniform is the dress uniform worn by enlisted grade sailors for formal or ceremonial occasions. The Navy Dress Blue uniform consists of Navy Blue wool jumper, blue trousers, and dress blue hat. For less formal occasions the basic Navy White hat was worn with the dress blue uniform instead of the dress blue hat. The dress blue jumper is 1/4" wide white pinstriped along the cuff and collar flap, and has two embroidered white stars on the corners of the collar flap. The cuffs have a double row of striping, although the number of stripes corresponded to the grade of the seaman.
Our trousers are made with the large 13 button flap in the front and are wide leg style. The rear waist is accentuated with the appropriate lacing gusset. Each leg is cut from one piece of fabric leaving no outseam and looks all the part of a real "Crackerjack". The leg patterns are cut straight and we included no bell-bottoming tailored into the patterns. Your tailor is more than qualified to install bells into your leg bottoms.
We also offer the matching dress blue wool flat hat with the "US Navy" tally to complete the Navy dress blue uniform. For the Dress Blue Hats we used our excellent quality 100% wool navy blue melton, all constructed around a built up flexible cotton duck frame. The interior of the hat is lined with black material and the hat is appropriate interlined with rigid cloths that render a very sharp appearance. The hat includes an impressive ornamental woven style ribbon denoting "US NAVY" in authentic block letters in a correct shade of gold.
Please note that we do not sell navy rates or other Navy insignia, nor offer the shoulder striping at the present time. Your tailor can add or remove cuff stripes. The following information regarding cuff stripes is noted from a popular WWII Reenactor's forum:
In World War II, enlisted personnel below petty officer third class were termed "non-rated." On the dress blue jumper, lines of white tape on the cuffs indicated the exact grade, but on white and undress blue uniforms there were no cuffs and thus no indication of rate. One stripe on the cuff indicated Seaman 3rd class, 2 stripes for 2nd class, 3 stripes for first.