Uniforms of Themiclesian armed forces

This page catalogues the uniforms of Themiclesian armed forces. Early Themiclesian military bodies rarely possessed distinctive clothing, as state-issued body armour usually identified its wearer. After the obsolescence of armour, the government sometimes mandated certain emblems be used, though most soldiers and sailors had to supply their own clothes. Casaterran-style uniforms were introduced in the early 19th century, and dress uniforms since have followed Casaterran social norms. In more recent times, efforts have been made to standardize battle equipment and clothing for effectiveness and economy, though dress uniforms tend to be peculiar to the unit, more so if it had a long history or distinct role.

Terminology

Themiclesian armed forces use the same terminology as civilians to describe levels of formality in various uniform styles. Generally, there is only one uniform described as full dress applicable to any serviceperson, while there could be several half dresses and undresses. Note that this terminology strictly describes formality from a civilian perspective and does not describe how these forms of dress may be used for internal functions. In the 19th century, military uniforms switched to the Casaterran style and followed civilian standards of formality very strictly, creating little need to stipulate equivalencies between them; however, as they diverged at the start of the 20th, such stipulations were formalized.  

Degrees of formality

• Dress (具服, kjoh-bjek): literally "full dress", a chance similarity between Tyrannian and Shinasthana terms. For those with rights to attend court, it is also called court dress (朝服, trjaw-bjek). Full dress, by convention, is equivalent to the white tie worn by civilians. Full dress in conservative units almost always include a tail coat, waistcoat, and cravat of some kind, with shirt collars worn standing up. In more liberal ones, a full dress is simply the most formal dress code endorsed. While elaborate decorations were once common on full dress uniforms, these became uncommon by the end of Queen Catherine's reign (r. 1837 – 1901). Austerity had become the standing order of civilian men's wear, compelling the military to conform. Today, for units that issue a full dress, they typically reflect the fashionable near-black colours of this period, with lapel pins and non-contrasting ornamentation on the waistcoat remaining acceptable.
• Half dress (從省服, dzjong-srjêng′-bjek): lit. "reduced dress". Half dress is considered equal to civilian frock coat or morning coat during day time and dinner jacket at evenings. In conservative branches, a frock coat may remain in use and be called a frock coat (西長表, sner-ntrjang-prjaw), but this is now the exception rather than the norm. The Themiclesian Air Force led the forces in recognizing the blazer as a half dress in the 1950s, since frock coats, morning coats, and dinner jackets became antiquated in the civilian world at this time. Formerly, a half-dress required a knee-length skirt for men and ankle-length one for women, as a rule of thumb.
• Undress (褻服, sngrjat-bjek): anything which does not categorize into the two above.

Underlying history

The concept of uniforms in Themiclesia, for much of recorded history, was not represented in the armed forces, but the civil service and aristocracy. Since civil servants were both socially distinguished and possessed public authority, it became proper for them to dress to express the same. On one hand, dress express power derived from the crown, and to denote positions relative to each other within the hierarchy. On the other hnad, these markers co-existed with the need for self-expression, which represented civil servants' financial and cultural capital as aristocrats, outside of the hierarchy of public officialdom, and the dignity between peers, often used against royal power. Even though one may speak of a "uniform" for civil servants, few elements were uniform across the civil service; hats, sashes, and seals were symbols of difference, not similarity.

The earliest forms of uniform apparel in Themiclesian history were armbands, which identified the wearer's position (such as left flank or skirmisher) during combat; they were apparently specific to the operation, as new armbands were issued for operations requiring a different configuration of units. Uniforms that identified the wearer's unit affiliation rather than ad hoc position appeared much later, attested from the 14th century in the Colonial Army, which wore all black. Most of its early recruits were ex-inmates from labour camps, in which criminals and their descendants lived, and black was the characteristic colour of inmates uniforms; black dye was also cheap and served to identify members of the unit from ordinary Themiclesians, who avoided wearing black due to its stigma. However, most units, even professional ones, fought without true uniforms into the 1700s. Their general adoption occurred in the first half of the 19th century, under Casaterran influence.

General trends

The adoption of Casaterran-style military uniforms occurred piecemeal and over centuries; it was not accomplished by fiat but was motivated by multiple factors. The central government showed little interest for military uniforms, requiring them only to provide warmth, and such an attitude fostered a great variety of uniforms during the 19th century. In broad terms, activity against Casaterrans encouraged adopting Casaterran-style uniforms; the Colonial Army, consistently deployed against Hallians, Sieuxerrians, Ostlandics, and Tyrannians, adopted Casaterran elements in their dress as early as the 15th century. The navy, fighting Casaterran navies, did likewise in 1810. Conversely, units in the interior, which rarely fought Casaterrans, would not adopt until the 1920s. Secondly, exposure to Casaterran civilians had the same effect. The Capital Defence Force, garrisoned in Kien-k'ang, where Casaterran attire would have been usual, adopted it in 1813. In contrast, militia units in the countryside were seen in traditional attire as late as the 1870s. Lastly, commercial gain also motivated tailors to offer their business to military units; long-term contracts were sought-after because they assured both materials needed and volume; the Marines initially adopted their new uniforms for this reason.

The very concept of a military uniform was also not universally known in Themiclesia. The militias, in particular, required its members to furnish their clothing; while few regulations existed, militiamen understandably selected hard-wearing, economical fabrics in simple cuts easily mended in the field. Only on long-term deployments would the state provide fabrics or replacements. Dressing beyond physiological requirement was considered a privilege for higher social classes, who could afford artisanal fabrics and professional seamsters. Themiclesia's first purpose-issued military uniform evolved out of prison uniforms; ironically, they later symbolized its fraternity. On the other hand, some units deliberately imitated middle-class civilian dress codes, because their commanders believed this assured the politicial classes of the unit's affinities. Thus, for some units, their uniforms represented their condition as social outcasts, while for others, they represented pretensions to respectability or loyalty. In neither case was there a co-ordinated, conscious policy to create unit identity, but in both cases it emerged via divergent means.

The first units to adopt Casaterran-style uniforms are those of the Royal Guards, the need for appearances probably indispensible in the palaces, where Casaterran diplomats were active. However, the overwhelming majority of uniforms adopted in the 19th century were more similar to Casaterran civilian clothing. As yet, there is no general explanation for this phenomenon. As the century progressed, civilian fashion only exerted increasing influence on uniforms, to such an extent that disarmed soldiers are virtually indistinguishable from civilians in monochrome photography; this has proven problematic for documentarians anthologizing photographic records.

Land forces

Themiclesian land forces started to assumed their modern structure under the Army Acts of 1921. While fiscal and operational unity was achieved by the start of the Pan-Septentrion War, Conservatives have generally opposed attempts to consolidate the army beyond the fiscal and operational aspect, preferring to allow each component to retain a measure of symbolic independence. This is most clearly reflected in the dress uniforms of the army, which still vary by region, regiment, and department. Today, the army can be divided into four parts—the Consolidated Army, the Reserve Army, the Territorial Forces, and the Militias. The Consolidated Army, the main standing army, and the Reserve Army are both administered by the central government, and they share the same set of uniforms for the most part. The Territorial Forces are units raised, with parliamentary approval, by ethnic minorities groups sharing in the defence of the nation, and these possess distinct uniforms, though their activities, some statutory exceptions aside, are also co-ordinated centrally. The Militias are nominally under prefectural administration, though modern administrative rules require central permission to most local action on them. Each prefecture establishes uniforms for its militias.

Consolidated and Reserve Army

The Consolidated Army (聯兵, rjên-prjang) issues uniforms to units that do not issue their own uniforms. The ex-units of the Capital Defence Force, South Army, and Royal Signals Corps, plus those established by statute before 1921, each issue uniforms in their particular styles. Units established under the Consolidated Army do not possess this power. Since 1921, a number of units have conformed to the army's standard patterns, though others retain distinctive attire as a point of pride. The field uniform of 1922, following the TAF's blazer, consisted of a jacket, trousers, shirt, tie, cap, and shoes. Branch affiliation and rank were indicated through insignia located on caps, lapels, and collars. Notably, this was considered an undress uniform, indicating that full- and half-dress uniforms may have been meant as regimental uniforms once the new units develop their histories; however, in 1938, the field uniform was re-classified as half-dress, as combat fatigues were introduced to every unit (regardless of status) in the field. Between 1936 and 1938, friendly fire ensued when conscript units failed to recognize some of the less-frequently seen uniforms and engaged them. This gradually became less frequent, as pamphlets illustrating "friendly" uniforms were widely circulated.

The Consolidated Army hesitated to alter these units' uniforms, as they were also the most effective during the early war and because Parliament believed these changes were unimportant. After the war, the Consolidated Army faced criticism from allies confused by its uniforms.

The Reserve Army (聯戲, rjên-ng′jaih)...

Territorial Forces

The Territorial Forces (方兵, pjang-prjang)...

Militias

The Militias (郡兵, ′k.ljur-prjang; 邦兵, prong-prjang)...

Naval forces

As with militias, Themiclesia's navy traditionally required its members to prepare their own clothing, with few regulations as to what it might look like. The navy was responsible only as far as providing the fabrics out of which sailors usually made their own clothes. The earliest Casaterran-style naval uniforms were not uniforms in the modern sense, but a dress code with fairly loose standards. In 1810, officers and men were ordered to dress in a blue tail coat, white waistcoat, and trousers; as pictorial evidence demonstrates, any blue coat with tails in the Casaterran style was acceptable, mutatis mutandi. It was evidently also acceptable to add private clothing to the ensemble, as the custom became to add a woollen jacket over the waistcoat and under the overcoat; as this article was not formally regulated, it was frequently used as a canvas for a crew to identify sartorially with their craft. A uniform appearance was not initially sought. Sailors and marines were also not formally distinguished by dress code, but due to their different working environments and sartorial inclinations, it soon took on customs of its wearers and bifurcated. Indeed, the naval dress code of 1810 was not amended until 1905, when illustrations were promulgated to standardize the appearance of naval costumes.

Consolidated Fleet

The dress code of 1810 having been adopted, sailors sought to preserve the more costly overcoat and waistcoat, it become typical only to wear the shirt, necktie, and jacket on normal duty. Though this was ostensibly against dress code, it was tacitly permitted due to the sheer expense of tailoring. Early portraits show sailors with closed collars and neatly-tied neckcloths, but by 1830 this had become uncommon. Perhaps under Casaterran influence, sailors began to fasten their neckties loosely, which allowed shirt collars to open and flap down over their shoulders. Around 1840, commentators remarked how much of a sailors could be seen unclothed, provoking the Admiralty to require sailors to fasten their neckties and wear a frock coat when publicly engaged. This ordinance evidently had little effect, since neckcloths grew only looser through the decade. By 1850, the neckcloth was similar in function to a scarf, and the bow was abandoned for a four-in-hand knot. It is not clear why sailors preferred this knot, but it is possible that loops on a bow was seen as a hazard with the rigging. In the 1905 uniform update, the obsolete tail coat was withdrawn for enlisted men, though officers were still expected to supply their own tail coats for formal functions.

Marines

The Marines originally had the same dress uniform as sailors under the regulations of 1810. Yet as their duties soiled clothing less, marines generally followed dress code more closely than sailors. Styling of the jacket and waistcoat has also varied through the ages. In the early 1800s, the waistcoat was worn with collars up, and in the late 1800s, with collars rolled. The woollen jacket worn by sailors is shared by marines in sleeveless form, bearing the crew's insigne. That it remain visible, the dress coat was never buttoned. In 1837, marines were ordered to wear a blue frock coat for duties on shore and drilling. But for ceremonies, it remains proper to wear the tail coat, even during day. Civilian fashions became increasingly influential on military attire the late 19th century, inducing the blue dress and frock coats to darken gradually until basically black. Embroidery, metal buttons, medals, and insigia were all purged from full dress by 1880, as the wearing of any colour except black became socially undignifying. The only ornament that remained acceptable was a small lapel-pin, which Marines officers wore in the shape of a globe, as on their emblem. The woollen jacket and necktie, once rich with such ornaments, also became pure white in formal occasions.

Coast Guard

In 1921, the Coast Guard was formed by amalgamating the prefectural revenue marines and other maritime safety apparatūs under the Home Office. As the force had no formal predecessor, the Home Office followed the example of the TAF and selected a foreign design—that of the Camian Marines—for the new Coast Guard. This was consonant with the foreign policy of 1920s seeking to enhance bilateral relations with Camia. However, as coast guards were expected to work in uniform, changes were made in the interest of utility. Pockets were added, and dress shoes were replaced with boots that could be polished to a patent finish as required. The hat was also changed for naval officers' peaked caps at the behest of the Home Secretary. Otherwise, the navy blue tunic and white trousers were similar to their Camian originals. The uniform was also the first dress uniform in Themiclesia that did not include a waistcoat or necktie. Many Coast Guard officers did not like these facts, along with that of the trousers' white colour, as it rendered their uniforms unsuitable for civilian settings, where both are requisite and white unfashionable.

Aerial forces

The uniforms of the Themiclesian Air Force were revolutionary in the domestic military sphere that it was an imported design. This formerly was somewhat taboo in the same way direct imitation of another nation's military precepts was in the Army Academy.

Aviators

The initial pattern of the Air Force dress uniforms was heavily influenced by the Tyrannian Royal Air Force, which showed influence from the Royal Army. It consisted a shirt with fold-down collars, necktie, trousers, suspenders, belt, Sam Browne belt, waistcoat, and overcoat, the latter two with standing, closed collars. The trousers were deep, greyish-blue with a bold indigo stripe on the sides, with a slight blouse where it tucked into boots. The waistcoat and overcoat were both "air force teal", a creamy teal colour so-called due to its ubiquity on Air Force uniforms. The collars on the overcoat were a slightly deeper hue of the same colours. Aviators wore black, knee-length boots, with the top two inches customarily folded down for tighter fit.

Sartorial editor M′rjang wrote that this forced the boot to hug the contours of the wearer's calf muscles, which created a sharper and "literally more muscular" appearance that was intentional. Some historians believed that early Air Force leaders were overidingly concerned with predatory War and Navy Ministries hoping to annex the Air Force, leading it to adopt an aggressive and impactful style that broadcasted its independence from either, whose uniforms were both characterized by following civilian fashions. The Sam Browne belt was worn by aviators, who carried pistols for self-defence; other services, ordinarily not permitted to carry weapons off duty, envied this privilege. It was also a contravention of Themiclesian social etiquette, which demanded disarmament in urban areas (邦中); this included not only weapons but their accessories, such as scabbards, holsters, pouches, and belts. Only the Gentlemen-at-Arms and high-ranking civil servants were excepted from this rule, and its extension to the Air Force was perceived as the government's vote of confidence in them.

The TAF led Themiclesian forces to adopt the blazer as a half-dress uniform, for the entire branch, in the early 20th century. While unit characteristics, decorations, and badges had all but been purged from formal dress codes to conform to civilian norms in the late 19th century, the forces in general sought to transfer their insignia onto garments in ways that would not conflict with those. The TAF, after encountering resistance against colourful dress uniforms in formal settings, started wearing blazers that were common for clubs and sports teams, for informal settings. In 1921, the TAF hosted the first inter-service sports tournament and commanded its attending officers to appear in a uniform blazer. This idea soon spread as blazers were sufficiently informal that unit insignia and decorations could be worn in full colour without stirring social condescension. In the 50s, this blazer was legitimated as a working uniform for the TAF.

Air infantry

Themiclesia's air force ground forces, the Themiclesian Air Force Regiment, were originally ordered to wear a blue frock coat, teal cravat, and grey chequered trousers as their dress uniforms. Most of the regiment procured their uniforms locally, from Tonning tailors, who re-used the templates and fabrics for marines' uniforms. This gave the TAFR the unwanted monicker of "recoloured marines" (易色冗人, lêgh-s′rjek-njung-njing) of which it wished to be rid. In 1927, Parliament altered the unit's uniform rules and allowed the Air Ministry to alter their uniforms, which then changed to be similar to the rest of the air force, but with a burgundy collar instead of dark teal for aviators and green for ground crew.  

See also

• Themiclesia