1855 uniforms british army uniform red coats Full Dress scarlet
Full Dress is the most elaborate order worn by the British Army. It was withdrawn from general issue in 1914; the Household Division resumed wearing their scarlet full dress in 1920, but for the remainder of the Army, red coats were only authorised for wear by regimental bands and in mess dress or on certain limited social or ceremonial occasions. The reason for not generally reintroducing the distinctive full dress was primarily financial, as the scarlet cloth required expensive red cochineal Army uniform developed along roughly the same lines as uniforms in other European armies. Its signature colour had become standardised as red for both infantry (foot) and cavalry (mounted) units by the end of the 17th century, except for the Royal Horse Guards and Royal Artillery who wore dark blue; then khaki (for everyday wear) and blue (for parade) in the 1930s. Netherwear and equipment followed European fashion. Exotic costume, such as that of hussars and zouaves, was either embraced late and toned down, or not embraced at all. The history of the British Army uniform is notable for an early and even eager embrace of camouflage in the form of khaki during the late 19th century. This reflected the exigencies of colonial war and the freedom allowed, and taken, by many of the officers who fought it. But it may also have had an aesthetic impulse. Armies in Europe were settling on mostly dark blue tunics and black equipment as a halfway house between display and practicality. This was not possible for the British army, wedded as it was to red tunics which in turn required white equipment to look pleasing. To become less conspicuous, the British army had no choice but to abandon red altogether on active service. British army uniforms currently exist in several grades, which are worn depending on the requirements of a unit or individual, ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress. While there are officially fifteen different grades (or 'Numbers'), many of these
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