# Planter's orders



## Rich (Jul 10, 2005)

This dress code is described in a Wikipedia entry:

""Planter's Orders" is a dress code derived from a military term. In hot climates, a commanding officer could order "Planter's Orders" and the men were permitted to remove jackets and ties (usually - this varies) and roll shirt sleeves up. There would be a required sleeve rolling technique, usually 4 neat turns, possibly ironed, so that the rolled fabric formed a neat band around elbow length. So in a non-military sense, Planter's Orders is neat trousers (i.e suit trousers or similar), long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up, without a jacket or tie."

A few questions for the board:

1. Is this exclusively UK? If so is there a US equivalent?
2. Where does the term "Planter's" come from?
3. How many buttons should be undone on the shirt? Some say two, some say three.
4. Hat? Shoes?


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## Anthony Jordan (Apr 29, 2005)

The name suggests to me tea, rubber and cotton planters (as in the wonderfully-named Ceylon Tea Planters Rifle Corps.)


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## A Questionable Gentleman (Jun 16, 2006)

There's a bit about Planter's in the summer issue of The Chap.


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

Anthony Jordan said:


> The name suggests to me tea, rubber and cotton planters (as in the wonderfully-named Ceylon Tea Planters Rifle Corps.)


I concur.

Planters Dress sounds similar to Shirt Sleeve Order. The latter is smart trousers/belt, shoes, shirt... but no jacket/tie and sleeves neatly rolled up to elbow. It was cause for much happiness back in school when the weather turned warm enough for shirt sleeve order to be permitted.


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*Planters?*

In the US, Planters is a brand of peanuts.


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## agnash (Jul 24, 2006)

Sounds very much like the pictures I have seen of my great-grandfathers, who were farmers in the Southern U.S., not planters or soldiers in the Empire. Flat front khaki trousers, white button down shirts, usually over an undershirt, open at the neck with sleeves rolled to the elbow. The summer in rural Louisiana and Mississippi lasts about 10 months out of the year, and the pictures were taken before ac was available.


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## Rob Nicholson (Feb 22, 2007)

in my regimental mess it was only the top button undone - any more risked the wrath of the RSM or 2IC. Depending on the Mess (british army bar) it varies what planters is, but for us, smart - or suit - trousers in dark or khaki, formal shirt without tie, crisply folded sleeves, smart shoes. 
there were measures to stop it and enforce full mess dress (uniform or suit - jacket not to be removed till CO leaves or removes his)
funny old institution the british army! dont think americans are nearly this formal are they?
then again a friend at sandhurst (officer training like westpoint) was told if his shirts werent Jermyn street (lewin shirts or ct at the least) he was'nt officer material...


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## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

It is not a term or concept found in the U.S. Army.


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## Zingari (Jul 9, 2007)

I have been subject of Planters Orders on several occasions - the removal of ones tie was not an option!


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