Before the Class A Army Green Uniform was phased out at the end of September 2015, regulations specified that female officers at the grades of O-6 and below were to wear a 1-inch wide black braid sewn from the bottom of the waistband to the bottom of on each leg of the uniform’s slacks. The braid was to be sewn on the outside seam of the slack leg. (Male officers of the same grades, on the other hand, were required to wear a braid 1 ½-inch in width.)
According to The Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms, it wasn’t until World War II that the United States Army first introduced slacks for women personnel. During 1943, the Army began issuing pants to nurses who had to climb ladders to upper bunks on hospital trains and ships, and other wartime exigencies led to the introduction of different types of slacks for women in the service, such as wool pants for those serving in the colder climes of Europe and khaki twill trousers to protect personnel in the Southwest Pacific from mosquito bites. As the role of women expanded in the military, dress uniforms were designed offering them the choice of skirts or slacks.
Although wear of the Army Green Uniform is no longer authorized among members of the Army’s three components (Active, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard), the uniform remains in high demand among veterans. It is also used in film productions in which the story takes place during the 50-plus years that the “Army Greens” were the service uniform.