6 Upgrades for your Military Dress Uniform

While this refers to Army dress uniform enhancements, I must make some comments on some of these recommendations. As to the shirt stays, they were invented by Marine DIs back in the '60s-'70s to keep their shirts pulled down and make the "blousing" stay in to create a tapered look. They were homemade until the uniform accessory vendors started manufacturing them - my first pair was made by my then-wife using elastic and female garter attachments from a fabric store. They worked great, unless one of the attachment points came off - if it came off your shirt-tail, you had it dragging on the ground - embarrassing! If it slipped off your sock and snapped upward, that could give you a real shock if it hit in a certain area! As for cardboard to align ribbons and badges, Marines have long done that, using 3x5 cards to support the ribbon rack on a shirt. Marine blue dress blouses have enough body not to need extra support for medals/ribbons and badges. We didn't have "thin racks" when I was in - we had to go to the PX and buy our own ribbons and build our own rack - there was a lot of art in it and some guys were good at it and made money off those who weren't. To me, there is something "off" about paying a firm to do it for oneself. Some of the old-timers told me that some Marines had their ribbons sewn onto their uniforms until the 1950s. As to the rest of the uniform recommendations, I have no comments. As long as a soldier (or Marine) looks as sharp as possible, the way they get to that point really does not matter. Everybody has their little "press and shine" tricks.

I used a few of those upgrades but never went with thin rack.

1. Shirt stays would make the dress B uniform look better. I do not like the poofy muffin top coming out the top of the pants look. Plus wearing shirt stays and walking anywhere at distance (bonus uphill) counts as a great leg workout.
2. Rarely saw thin racks during my time. The few times I did was someone who was lazy and did not want to take the time to make their own professional appearance.
3. Lazy. Just use a ruler already like everyone else. I did like to use cardboard behind name tags and ribbons so they were flatter against the fabric. And less likely to catch on something and rip off. Saving costly uniform repair fees.
4. Jerzees thick black dress socks. Pack of 12 cost $4 if I remember right. Comfortable for corfram shoes and they made shirt stays #1 less likely to snap off.
5. If someone has to be told or recommended to replace the insoles in shoes, boots etc. They were probable an ASVAB waiver. This is common sense of the highest order. Depending on the use of the footwear I sprung for the really nice insoles around $30 or more.
6. I rarely carried a coin. Few times I did were drinking events in civ clothes off post/off duty. I have 13 coins in total (glad I am not triskaidekaphobic). A few were bought, the rest earned the real way. Units I were in viewed the "coin drinking game" as immature and idiotic. And I agree when it is played in uniform. I have only been coined once. I got challenged by a PV2 at a bar when I just wanted a quiet drink for a friend. Being a military bar, I carried one of my highest coins just in case it happened. I told the private "I am an expensive drinker. You don't want to play this game with me. Walk away boot." He pushed the issue, wanting to show off his new unit coin from AIT graduation. I put down a coin with 4 stars and the seal of the Joint Chief of Staff.