I'm not really sure what other board to put this on, but I know that this board has a decent number of Navy sailors and merchant mariners on here, so I figured I'd ask here. It can also just turn into a uniform general thread if people want to dump pictures, I will be as well.
Basically, I need advice as to whether or not it would be appropriate to wear a uniform for something. As a bit of background, I am a deck officer in the Merchant Marine, which basically just means that I work on cargo ships. I'm a civilian, I have never been in the armed forces, although I have worked for Military Sealift Command and been involved in a few "military" operations, as well as the annual supply missions to Antarctica.
My daughter is getting married next year, and when she was talking to me recently about what they want the theme and dress code to be (Catholic wedding, black tie), she asked me if I would wear "my uniform" to it.
The thing is, the Merchant Marine doesn't officially have any uniform. In the past, specifically the WWII era, the Maritime Service had a uniform that was pretty close to the Navy dress blues. For a few decades after, each company had their own uniform for officers, all basically the Navy uniform with a few badges and stuff replaced.
Would it be in poor taste for me to get a "uniform" made and wear it? It would essentially just be a US Navy officer's dress blues, but with the Merchant Marine cap badge, and with Merchant Marine "rank" insignia, obviously no medals or anything (although I'm technically authorized for the Antarctic Service Medal). I just don't want to feel like I'm being a tryhard, God knows there's enough sailors in the merchant service already who secretly wish they had joined the Navy. MARAD technically still has uniform regs on the books, so I wouldn't be "stealing valor" or anything by wearing it, but it's just not something you see guys do anymore.
As I said, to keep things Jow Forums related, I'll be dumping some pictures I've got of warships, naval uniforms, stuff like that periodically. If I could get feedback from other sailors, members of the armed forces in general, or other merchant mariners as to what I should do in this situation, I'd appreciate it. I'd really rather just wear a suit like a normal person, but a marriage is a once in a lifetime (hopefully) thing. Kinda don't want to disappoint her by saying "no."
ON one hand, it isn't exactly a uniform when it's just something you wear for the hell of it you know? On the other hand, "de-milled" navy dress blue... isn't that basically just a somewhat unfashionable, double-buttoned suit with a funny hat? Then again, you'd still be the guy wearing a funny hat and some basically meaningless pieces of gold stitching on your suit. A touch tacky. Also, your daughter made it marriage age without having a better idea of your work clothes? I mean sure, I guess your job ain't one where you spend all that much time home with the family, but still.
Here is my advice buddy ol pal. I am 22 and think big weddings are dumb and I wouldn’t even want to wear my own uniform if I was getting married. That said you just wear a suit and chill. Hope you’re not paying out of pocket for your daughters shitty decisions to throw a big party.
Tyler Walker
Tacky af to get one made up. Just be honest with her that you dont have a uniform and wear a regular suit.
James Moore
She knows that we don't wear a uniform in day-to-day work, but I guess she just has this idea in her head that all merchant officers do have an official uniform for really formal occasions or something. And, technically, she's right, it's just that literally nobody except the deans of maritime academies have worn that shit since the 1970s.
For launching ceremonies for new ships and shit you'll often see the ship's crew wearing a "uniform," but it's basically an airline pilot's uniform. Black slacks, white button-down with epaulletes and a few gold stripes on there depending on if they're the 3rd, 2nd, 1st mate or captain. Sometimes you'll see them wear a tie and the peaked cap, but that's only for real formal shit.
Literally nobody wears the full blazer shit anymore. But you're right, it's basically just the Navy dress blues, except instead of a star on the sleeve for line officer, it's a fouled anchor. We also don't do the scrambled eggs on the visor cap for anybody. I just know that if I wear the damn thing everybody that doesn't know better is going to think I'm in the Navy, and everyone that does know better will think I'm some faggot trying to pretend he was in the Navy.
Boat cloaks are peak military fashion, I wonder if anybody in the Marines has ever shelled out the couple hundred bucks for theirs, I know they still have it authorized for wear by officers
Most of veterans like myself tried to get out of dress uniforms as quick as possible. They are not comfortable and a spec of dirt means it needs washed and ironed. You should be honest with your daughter and tell her you don't have a dress uniform.
They look like space marines from an anime or manga or something. What unit is this? That's what I'm leaning towards. I'm thinking about just asking her if I can wear a double breasted jacket with an anchor lapel pin or something. That way we can both get what we want. She gets to have her dad looking professional and "nautical" and I get to avoid looking like a total sperglord tryhard.
>They look like space marines from an anime or manga or something. What unit is this? Couldn't tell you. Sorry. I saved this image as ceremonial, if that helps.
Very cool stuff, although the ones with the cavalry cut on the tunic looks a little too sci-fi to be taken seriously. I really like the green and canvas colored uniforms to the left. Not as flashy and offensive to the eyes
James Ortiz
>I really like the green and canvas colored uniforms to the left. Those are the old ones. The sci-fi ones on the right are the replacement for them. The dark colored are for winter and the light colored are summer.
Kek, look at the manlets next to the Chad Anglo/American. You'd think Russia, Italy (?), and Japan would have sent their least malnourished peasant to represent them
Parker Robinson
guy in the green needs to get his pants hemmed holy fuck
Juan Edwards
>You'd think Russia, Italy (?), and Japan Left to right: UK, America, Australia (UK), India (UK), France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Japan
Of course the Aussie is the one guy that looks like a fucking pirate coming off a 2-week bender in Atlantic City. Fuckin straya cunts
Aaron Watson
Academy grad turned tugtrash. Just wear the white combo cover, navy jacket with deck/engine and navy pants.
Andrew Wright
No, because she doesn't understand that merchant sailors don't really have a uniform and that it isn't so military as she thinks it is.
I think it would edge being tryhard.
Saying that, I guess for officers we have short sleeve white shirt with epaulettes and black pants. Look up "top hat ceremony Welland Canal" for a good idea of what Canuks would wear, but those are Chief Engineers and Captains.
Tyler Russell
If there's no actual uniform then a nice suit with a pin representing the branch seems best.
Love these uniforms. Only change I would make is for the rifle to be a Type 99 but countries use semi-autos like the M1 and SKS because they supposedly balance better when doing ceremonial things with them.
James Howard
I've never understood why Yanks have such an aversion to uniforms. It's like you're all still in your edgy teenage years where you don't want to conform to what other people do and show you have a free streak. In 99% of the world, uniforms for the merchant navy is standard and always has been. I'm not sure why the Yanks have done away with it in the past few decades, but then again your military uniforms look like glorified Scouts costumes, and one trip to a Wal-Mart tells you all you need to know about American fashion.
I say go for it, everyone else will be wearing a cheap tuxedo they rented from Men's Wearhouse that reeks of classlessness anyways, so you might as well wear a cheap polyester uniform from some Navy supply depot too. You can all look like trash together
Brayden Evans
>visor cap has a chinstrap across the visor >they're also wearing an additional chinstrap Doesn't it kinda defeat the purpose of the ceremonial chinstrap if you put another one on to actually use
Adrian Nelson
I think it's related to the whole minuteman pov. Independent, self-trained, self-organized individuals banding together at a minute's notice.
A long held preference towards civilian participation.
Mason Howard
I'm not too familiar with American history but I'm pretty sure the Minutemen didn't dress like slobs, wear cheap polyester suits with Nike tennis shoes, cargo shorts with blazers, and other assorted abominations that I've witnessed in my time in the States. The first step of being a model citizen is being a model human being, that includes grooming standards. Americans have been lacking these since the 1990s.
John Nelson
>Boat cloaks Caligula Pimpin'
Tyler Harris
>I'm pretty sure the Minutemen didn't dress like slobs, wear cheap polyester suits with Nike tennis shoes, cargo shorts with blazers, and other assorted abominations that I've witnessed in my time in the States. Correct, they did not. Honestly, poor grooming isn't what irritates me. It's the obesity. Dress like a slob all you want, just don't be fat.
Agreed to some extent, but fat people are obviously much less offensive when they're bathed, groomed, and well-dressed. If I see a very overweight middle-aged gentleman that has a nice haircut, is clean shaven, is wearing cologne and nice clothes, I'm not going to treat him the same way as I would a morbidly obese neckbeard with sweapants, a greasy ponytail, and a MLP shirt.
Mason Evans
Ha, no, I'm not a Brit, at least not in the sense that I was born in the British Isles. I am Canadian.
Jayden Myers
>but fat people are obviously much less offensive when they're bathed, groomed, and well-dressed. Agreed. youtube.com/watch?v=XfkhS1R8A2Q Oh. Saying yank to refer to all of us made me assume you were british. Canucks say tennis shoes? I'm from a 'sneaker' area myself. Tennis shoes is a mouthful.
Elijah Torres
A lot of people where I'm from call them runners, but I've lived pretty close to the border all my life, there's a lot of "cultural exchange". I'm not trying to come off as a huge dick, Canadians are basically just discount Americans, but I've definitely noticed that America has a serious problem with people with horrible taste in fashion and grooming. I want to barf every time I visit Chicago and see people walking around in an $800 suit with a pair of $50 bright white Reeboks
Cameron Kelly
>I'm not trying to come off as a huge dick, You're not at all. > I want to barf every time I visit Chicago and see people walking around in an $800 suit with a pair of $50 bright white Reeboks What's wrong with that. How do you dress? Tb h, I can't really criticize others. Average clothes for me is dark blue jeans, non descript shoes, and a white t-shirt.
But to pull this back to the theme of the thread - the Army is returning to an older style dress uniform. youtube.com/watch?v=qDRVTES_gI8
Well in general, if you're wearing a suit, you should be wearing some sort of dress shoes to go with it. Oxfords, wingtips, whatever you'd like, but seeing someone in a nice suit leading down to a bright, ugly pair of athletic shoes is the starkest contrast imaginable. It's visually painful.
I do like the new Army uniforms that they're switching over to. The current uniform looks like something the Boy Scouts would wear. And for the love of god, please stop giving a beret and patch to every single motherfucker who signs up. They pass them out like hotcakes.
