More about the uniform…

The 1969 summer parade uniform for female officers was a dramatic break from the prior uniform issued in 1958.  Both the skirt and jacket were made of ‘wave blue’ material that allowed the white shirt, gold colored buttons, and award decorations to stand out in relation to it.  Four gold colored buttons and light blue piping on the cuffs add further accents to the uniform.  The two small hip pockets on the jacket are largely ornamental as they do not hold very much.  An unlined felt blue beret with an officer cockade and black shoes complemented the uniform. 

The uniform it replaced had been composed of an olive-green jacket, dark blue beret and dark blue skirt that fell to mid-calf.  It harkened back to the wartime era and lacked the striking ceremonial look that the wave blue uniform offered.  Also reflecting the modern fashion, the skirt on the 1969 uniform was slightly shorter than its predecessor, falling to just below the knee.

Black low-heeled shoes completed the uniform.  While there was a type that matched the uniform regulations (seen here), photographs of female officers indicate that there was considerable leeway regarding what type of shoes they could wear.  This is because many different styles of black shoes (often civilian) have been observed being worn with the uniform.   Orders and medals are authorized for wear with this uniform.

With the exception of shoulder board changes in 1980, the M-1969 officer’s summer parade uniform remained unchanged through the regulation changes of 1973 and 1988.  It would only be phased out of service when the Russian Federation uniform regulations were established in 1994.

Warrant officers and enlisted women were also authorized to wear this uniform.  In these cases, they would also wear a branch of service patch on the shoulder.  Officers do not wear branch of service patches.

Last Updated 7 January 2019 by Ryan Stavka