RMMM:Formal Dress Uniform Class A/C-18 through C-20
| Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine Uniform Regulations Quick Navigation | ||||||
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Formal Dress Uniform, Class A: Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine
The formal dress uniform, Class A, is reserved exclusively for personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20, and is the service equivalent to civilian formal wear or court attire. It is the most luxerious of uniforms afforded the upper leadership of the Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine and offers personnel two tiers of formality. The first, Class A, is the most formal, civilian equivalent of "white tie," and is worn with the RMMM naval sword and gold tassel shoulder boards.
Uniform
Tunic
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will wear a long, American Civil War style, frock coat in navy blue. The frock coat should be hemmed so as to fall right above the wearers knees when standing at military attention with arms at their sides. The frock coat styling is in the same manner as all other RMMM uniform tunics, with the main difference being the length. The collar is mandarin, in the same styling as those found on the uniform tunics of the Star Empires' armed forces, and is trimmed, top and bottom, with 1/4" perm-gold piping. The tunic also features a plastron (bib), which is trimmed on each side, and top, with continuous 1/4" perma-gold piping. The tunic will zip up the front, with the zipper being hidden from view by the plastron (bib). While the plastron (bib) should extend to meet the bottom hem, as with a standard tunic, the zipper should start at the waist.
The rear of the tunic features stylized tails, and two gold standard RMN buttons should be placed at the tip of the points, one on each point, directly below the waist so that they may be visible when the sash is worn. Standard gold belt keepers may also be installed at the waist of the tunic to assist with holding up the sword belt and sash.
The wearer may elect one of two choices when it comes to shoulder board attachments. The first is to install the hardware that comes with the gold shoulder boards. This effectively renders the tunic permanently regulated to being Class A, but will provide the most secure mounting system for the gold shoulder boards. If the wearer desires the ability to switch between Class A and Class B, then shoulder loops should be installed.
Plastron
The plastron is held in place on the front of the uniform tunic by snaps, however the plastron will feature a double row of 22 gold standard RMN buttons, 11 buttons on each side. The buttons are decorative in nature and may be sewn directly the to face of the fabric.
The button placement is completed in the same manner as on the shorter, standard tunic. To place the buttons, first measure in from one side of the plastron 1/2" and make a mark with a fabric pencil. Then measure in from the top of the plastron 1/2" and cross your first mark, forming a cross "+." The center of the button shank should be sewn to the mark. To place the bottom button, first measure in from the side of the plastron 1/2" and make a mark as before. Then measure up from the bottom of the plastron 5" and cross your mark, forming a cross "+." The center of the button shank should be sewn to the mark. Place the remaining buttons evenly between your top and bottom buttons, and repeat for the opposite side. For a visual representation of proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
Undershirt
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 may wear a white, close fitting, mock turtleneck or a white, mandarin collar, dress shirt. The dress shirt should be worn closed at the neck.
Trousers
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will wear navy blue uniform trousers and a navy blue uniform belt with a gold military friction buckle. The trousers are worn unbloused with shined, black, military style, low quarters or black, low-topped boots.
| Formal Dress Uniform Example C-18 through C-20 This image shows a member of the Deck Department |
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Headgear
All ranks will wear a navy blue RMMM beret with the RMMM flash positioned over the left eye
| Standard RMMM Beret |
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Branch Patch
All ranks will wear the RMMM patch affixed to the upper right sleeve.
| RMMM Branch Patch |
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Assignment and Company Patches
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will wear their company patch affixed to the upper left sleeve.
| Company Patch Example Karstadt Lines, Karstadt Group Ldt. |
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Name Badge
All ranks will wear a gold, metal, name badge with black lettering. The name badge should be affixed to the right breast of the uniform tunic with clutch pins or magnets. The name badge features the wearers LAST NAME, FIRST INITIAL. Those personnel honored with a Peerage in The Royal Manticoran Navy, The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, may elect to display their Peerage name instead. For example: CALABASAS. For proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
| RMMM Name Badge |
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Rank Insignia
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will display rank insignia on each collar. Class A shoulder boards are worn on each shoulder, a description of which may be found below. Additionally, personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will display the appropriate number of stripes for their current rank, as well as their departmental insignia on the cuff of each sleeve. The rank insignia and stripes will be gold, and the departmental insignia will be embroidered in a gold metallic that matches the rank stripes. Departmental insignia should be 1" across and either 1", or appropriately proportional, in height. For proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
| Tunic Collar and Class A Shoulder Boards C-18 |
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| Fleet Manager C-18 Deck Department |
Fleet Port Manager C-18 Engineering Department |
Fleet Passenger Director C-18 Catering/Hotel Department |
Fleet Medical Director C-18 Medical Department |
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| Tunic Collar and Class A Shoulder Boards C-19 |
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| Superintendent C-19 Administrative Drawn from any Department | |||
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| Tunic Collar and Class A Shoulder Boards C-20 |
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| Managing Director C-20 Administrative Drawn from any Department | |||
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Speciality Items
Class A Shoulder Boards
The RMMM formal dress, class A, shoulder boards are a reproduction of US Army, American Civil War era, gold epaulets. When ordering, it is only necessary to select the fringe size. Leave all other options blank or at their defaults. Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 wear the version with 1/4" gold fringe.
This item is perhaps, aside from the cost associated with assembling a uniform frock coat and purchasing the RMMM naval sword, the most expensive piece of cosplay associated with The Royal Manticoran Navy, The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association. That being said, a cheaper alternative has not been found that delivers the same quality and a look consistant with BuNine's vision and design. If you have made the commitment to assembling the most formal of the service's uniforms, as a senior officer in the Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine, these epaulets will transform your costume into a uniform.
The Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine has adopted the Royal Manticoran Navy's mess dress sword for inclusion with its formal dress uniform. The naval sword is modeled on one which belonged to Admiral Horatio Nelson, RN (pre-diaspora United Kingdom), and is commonly identified as a "fighting spadroon." Due to the unique nature of the sword, personal substitutions are NOT authorized per Admiralty House and BuNine.
Personnel will wear the United States Navy standard sword belt with the RMMM naval sword. The belt is worn about the natural waist, near the belly button, with the sword hanging on the left. A tutorial on how to properly wear the sword belt is forthcoming.
Formal Dress Uniform Sash
Personnel in the grades of C-18 through C-20 will wear a yellow gold sash, tied on the left, with its two tassels hanging to just above the hem of the frock coat. The sash is worn over the sword belt, near the belly button, at the wearers natural waist. A video tutorial on how to wear this type of sash may be viewed here.
The video details the manner of wear on an American Civil War uniform, as the RMMM sash is a reproduction from that era. Slight modifications may be necessary to achieve a proper look with the RMMM uniform, as our manual dictates wearing the sash over the sword belt rather than beneath it, but this video should provide a firm starting point.
Parade Gloves
Personnel have the option of purchasing and wearing white cotton parade gloves with the formal dress uniform.
Awards
Medals
All ranks may display medals, if earned, on the left breast of the uniform tunic. For proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
If medals are unavailable, members may wear a standard ribbon rack, utilizing the same placement as indicated by the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of the page.
For proper display of medals please consult Uniform FAQ 014
Aerospace Wings and Space Warfare Pin
All ranks are authorized to wear aerospace wings, if earned, directly above the ribbons of the left breast of the uniform tunic. Additionally, personnel are authorized to display a space warfare pin, if earned, directly below the ribbons on the left breast of the uniform tunic. The wings and space warfare pins are metal and should be gold or silver, as appropriate. For proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
| Officer Aerospace Wings Example May be worn by C-18 through C-20 if earned. |
Officer Space Warfare Pin May be worn by C-18 through C-20 if earned. |
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For more information on the Aerospace Wings, the different varieties, and how to earn them, please click here.
For more information on the Space Warfare Pins, including how to earn them, please click here.
Award Stripes
All ranks may display award stripes, if earned, on the upper right sleeve of the uniform tunic, below the RMMM patch. The stripes are worn on the outer part of the sleeve and run from the back sleeve seam to the front sleeve seam at an angle. The ends of the stripes should be folded over, or ideally, tucked into the seams. For proper placement, please see the measurement guide graphics at the bottom of this page.
Chivalrous Orders
Members may display any earned chivalrous awards that are represented by an award ribbon or a chest star. The wearing of awards that hang about the neck and those represented by a sash are also authorized with the Dress Uniform. For more information on this topic please consult TRMN-05, "Proper Wear and Display of the Knightly Orders and Chivalrous Awards."
Measurement Guide
| Right Arm Example All Ranks |
Left Arm Example C-18 through C-20 |
Both Arms Cuff Example C-18 through C-20 |
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| Tunic Detail C-18 through C-20 |
Collar Detail C-18 through C-20 |
Tunic Plastron Button Placement C-12 through C-23 |
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Wearing of Arms
Due to the formal nature of this uniform, the wearing, or display, of arms (with the exception of the RMMM naval sword) is not authorized while wearing the formal dress uniform.
Necessaries
The following links represent recommended sources for RMMM uniform items.
Uniform
No off-the-shelf uniform is available - see "DIY"
Uniform Trousers (Mens) - Dark Navy
Uniform Trousers (Womens) - Dark Navy
Uniform Trouser Belt (Unisex) - Navy
Name Badge, Ribbons and Awards
Name Badge (LAST, FI - font Optima)
Medals (Note: RMN medals should be substituted until such time as RMMM specific medals may become available)
Aerospace Wings (Choose the officer version you have earned)
Award Stripes (Choose those which you are authorized to display)
Chivalrous Orders (Choose the ribbon(s) and chest star(s) that you are authorized to display)
Patches and Rank Insignia
Branch Patch (Note: Please utilize the logo version of the patch until such time as the uniform version may become available)
Beret Patch (Note: Please utilize the RMN beret patch until such time as the RMMM beret patch may becomes available)
Company Patch - Contact Chapter Leadership
Embroidered Department Insignia (Note: Specify RMMM C-18 through C-20. You will need to provide your department. Send the shop a private message to specify)
Rank Braid (Note: Typically 12" is sufficient per ring per sleeve - make sure to order the appropriate amount suitable for your grade. The grade of C-18 utilizes 1/2" permagold braid and 1" permagold braid. All other grades utilize 1" permagold braid)
RMMM Buttons (You will need 24 in total)
DIY
(Note: Please solicit assistance from a member of the Uniform Board, as the pattern requires some simple, but specific, modifications)
Fabric (Bandshoppe color is NAVY. You will need approximately 4 or 5 yards)
Permagold Cordage (Style # P/5001 - N. Recommend 4 yards - you will need to call ELC to add this to your order)
Lining Material of your choice
Sewing Machine and basic supplies
All other items listed above
Specialty Items
Alternative Formal Dress Uniform Sash
Class A Shoulder Boards (Order the 1/4" fringe version - do NOT add any insignia)
Class A Shoulder Board box (Highly recommended - must purchase w/ boards - not available separately)
