Female sailors can now purchase new dress overblouse, Navy announces

SAN DIEGO — The Navy announced that the second phase of their female sailor uniform update is available for purchase at select in-person Navy Exchange Service Command locations, as well as online.

The optional service dress white long-sleeved overblouse, for wear with the service dress blue uniform, is available in Virginia at NEX Norfolk and NEX Arlington and in NEX San Diego, California, uniform shops, according to a Navy Exchange Service Command release.

Global NEX uniform shops will receive shipments of the update in summer 2026.

“The goal of the modernization of sizing and fit is twofold,” said Dr. Brianna Plummer, group leader at the Navy Exchange Service Command’s Navy Clothing & Textile Research Facility. “First, we want to accurately reflect the body types and sizes of today’s U.S. Navy Sailors. Second, we want consistent and clear sizing across all uniform items, so Sailors know what to expect and get the right fit with fewer alterations.”

The Navy Exchange Service Command’s Navy Clothing & Textile Research Facility has been at the helm of uniform modernization efforts, working over the last 11 years to help usher in a new era with the Navy that moves away from dress designs that originated from 1980s’ body types.

The Navy announced the first uniform updates in Sept. 24, 2024 as part of the Size Modernization Program, a five-year plan to upgrade female uniforms for sailors.

The goal is to address long-standing problems that female sailors have had with the fit and comfort of past uniforms, and to make uniforms that could accommodate a wide variety of body types.

The NAVADMIN message announced improvements to the summer white overblouse, dress overblouse, service slacks with back pockets and service skirts.

Sailors took part in “fit evaluations,” as part of a service effort to collect data on how best to update the uniforms.

The service will focus on updates to the male uniform in the future, the service said.