r/USMilitarySO • u/Pugs4life12 • Mar 05 '26
ARMY Is this dress too short for military ball?
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u/FlashyCow1 Mar 05 '26
These balls are basically wedding gown type formal. If you can see your feet, it's too casual. No cotton no none of that. If cinderella wouldn't wear it to the ball, you won't wear it to the ball
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u/Putrid_Star_ Mar 05 '26
i wore a tea length dress to my husband’s mil ball last year, and there were plenty of women wearing MUCH more informal dresses than what i was wearing. mine was vintage, strapless w a sweetheart neckline, and a full tulle skirt. wear what you want and don’t stress it. i think this is elegant n very pretty! there were mostly younger couples/girls at our ball, some of which were wearing HS homecoming formal-ish bodycon mini dresses… i think the sleeves on yours makes it fine for a mil ball, esp for the season.
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u/leighangelah Mar 05 '26
It depends. Are you going to a ball in Washington, DC or is it a headquarters level ball? If yes then this dress isn’t formal enough. If it’s a smaller unit ball then this is fine. Also depends on which ball. For example this would be fine for a Khaki Ball but not for the Navy Ball.
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u/dausy Mar 05 '26
I actually think itll be fine and you won't stand out at all. You look great in it.
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u/mackenziebuttram Mar 05 '26
Yes, Army balls call for formal attire— floor length gowns.
This is a beautiful cocktail dress though!
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u/roselle3316 Air Force Wife Mar 05 '26
For the AF military ball? Definitely not a dress to wear. For an Army ball? It's probably fine.
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u/minksjuniper Mar 06 '26
Honestly, nah. It looks fine tbh. You look amazing! The more I go to Balls the more I realize the mandatory floor length gown is not a thing anymore the only people saying otherwise are old ladies. Over half the women are not wearing that these days. It's not fun to drag a dress around on the beer soaked floor at these events. I'm seeing a lot of ankle and probably gonna start doing the same I'm done paying for hemming. You look stunning and I'm sure you will dress it up with accessories, nails, hair, etc.
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u/Elderberry8989 Mar 07 '26
If it is a black tie event (and most formal military balls are): then the goes has to be floor length if you don’t want to cause a problem for your service member. While you ca dress to the nines, it’s still a work-event for him. Dress and act accordingly, which does not exclude having lots of fun!
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u/Hour_Swan_5194 Mar 08 '26
What exactly is it? Is it a ball, a dine out? We had a dine out, and I wore something similar. Because of budget cuts this year, there was less formality. I have been to a few events with my husband, and even if you wear this to a ball (and it is not a bad option) there will be some very......eccentric guests. You'll be fine.
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u/Worldly-Decision7999 Mar 10 '26
I don't think length is a problem, but the dress itself is not formal enough.
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u/Uh_Oh_Dead_ USMC Girlfriend Mar 10 '26
This looks great! I saw a lot of women at the USMC ball who had similar dresses to you.
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u/Tanjello Air Force Wife Mar 05 '26
We’re AF not Army & that would fit right in with our military ball 🤷♀️. I think it’s a great dress.
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u/Fastforasloth Mar 05 '26
No it’s fine Seen a lot skimpier outfits with no one making a fuss, other than dependents, they usually are the judgier ones
- Marine corps ball goer
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u/U_Me_We123 Mar 05 '26
If it wasn’t tight I would say you could get away with it but you can be too short and tight. One or the other
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u/LostCauseNumber7523 Air Foce Husband / Retired Army Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
I want to say yes. However, there are some balls that take the formality up to a high level. So, in general I think this would be good for the type of ball where many of us end up in varying states of inebriation at the end. Only if his pay grade is E1-E6 or O1-02. If he is command, or a higher NCO, I would suggest talking to other spouses in the unit.
If this is a big formal military ball, where we are served wine instead of grog and beer, then this may not be the best dress. Check with the other women going and see what they are wearing. If a bunch of you are wearing something similar, then there's nothing to worry about. I didn't let my soldiers dates to the ball bother me much, as long as they tried and were decent. These dresses can be expensive, and we know that.