Battle of Britain Ball

[MrsS01]

What kind of dress codes - I believe it will be a formal meal. Is it as posh as the summer ball,ie ballgowns? Or would an evening dress suffice?

Think RAF is different is the way they have their dinners/balls but for a formal dinner, I'd suggest long evening dress or ball gown, although I don't mean out-y ball gown.

I would actually say the army summer balls are less posh than I imagined; most people wore glam gowns to the one I went to but a fair few wore evening dresses. That was a buffet/eat when you like kind of thing so for a dinner, I'd go with a long evening gown, shoulders covered (at least to begin with).

I'd just get your dh to ask.

Evening dress with shoulders covered normally fine, I have only ever done ballgowns for Summer Balls and long dresses for everything else.

Which Mess? If Battle of Britain Dining In Night (which is what I have been to a number of times) then evening dress with something to cover shoulders. Most ladies in long dresses, but not all. There is also the Battle of Britain Cocktail Party which is different altogether!

I prefer the dresses without straps - a kind of boned bodice but straightish with a small fishtail - would that be classed as too posh and a ballgown?

sounds fine to me.

I always tend to look more overdressed at dinners as I only wear long dresses (hate my calves and knees!).
So even if the invite says cocktail dresses, I wear long

Sounds fine, but double check the shoulders thing - all the messes I have been in you would need a bolero/wrap/shrug with it so shoulders aren't bare during the meal.

does a dress with spaghetti straps class as shoulders or would I still need a wrap?

Nope - still need a wrap to cover bare shoulders

You could have a bolero/shrug though - doesn't have to be a wrap. Wraps look pretty but annoy me as I always lose them and I'm always rearranging them.

I can never tie them to one side of my chest to look elegant either; they always look as though I'm sitting in a freezing barn, just having hiked across the hills.

Vintage at hiked across hills - one mess we did used to have to hike across hills on way home ( drive there and leave car) my feet were always filthy next day as had to take shoes off and never remembered sensible shoes for walking home