Epaulette Epaulette ( ; also spelt epaulet ) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed force s and other organizations . In several European armies epaulettes are also worn by all ranks of elite or ceremonial units when on parade . Epaulettes are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder strap or " passant " , a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam , and the button near the collar , or by laces on the underside of the epaulette passing through holes in the shoulder of the coat . Colloquially , any shoulder straps with marks are also called epaulettes . The placement of the epaulette , its color and the length and diameter of its bullion fringe are used to signify the wearer ' s rank . At the join of the fringe and the shoulderpiece is often a metal piece in the form of a crescent . Although originally worn in the field , epaulettes are now normally limited to dress or ceremonial uniforms . Etymology . Epaulette is a French word meaning " little shoulder " ( diminutive from " épaule " , meaning " shoulder " ) . History . Epaulettes bear some resemblance to the shoulder pteruges of ancient Roman military costumes . However their direct origin lies in the bunches of ribbons worn on the shoulders of military coat s at the end of the 17th century , which were partially decorative and partially intended to prevent shoulder belt s from slipping . These ribbons were tied into a knot which left the fringed end free . This established the basic design of the epaulette as it evolved through the 18th and 19th centuries . From the 18th century on , epaulettes were used in the French and other armies to indicate rank . The rank of an officer could be determined by whether an epaulette was worn on the left shoulder , the right shoulder or on both . Later a " counter - epaulette " ( with no fringe ) was worn on the opposite shoulder of those who wore only a single epaulette . Epaulettes were made in silver or gold for officers , and in cloth of various colors for the enlisted men of various arms . By the early eighteenth century , epaulettes became the distinguishing feature of an officer , leading to officers of military units without epaulettes to petition their government for the right to wear epaulettes , to ensure that they would be recognized as officers . Certain cavalry specialties wore flexible metal epaulettes referred to as shoulder scales , rarely worn on the field . During the Napoleonic Wars and subsequently through the 19th century , grenadiers , light infantry , voltigeurs and other specialist categories of infantry in many European armies wore cloth epaulettes with wool fringes in various special colours to distinguish them from ordinary line infantry . " Flying artillery " wore " wings " , similar to an epaulette but with only a bit of fringe on the outside , which matched the shoulder seam . Heavy artillery wore small balls representing ammunition on their shoulders . Today , epaulettes have mostly been replaced by a five - sided flap of cloth called a shoulder strap , which is sewn into the shoulder seam and the end buttoned like an epaulette yarn . An intermediate form in some services , such as the Russian Army , is the shoulder board , which neither has a fringe nor extends beyond the shoulder seam . This originated during the nineteenth century as a simplified version for service wear of the heavy and conspicuous full dress epaulette with bullion fringes . From the shoulderboard was developed the shoulder mark , a flat cloth tube that is worn over the shoulder strap and carries embroidered or pinned - on rank insignia . The advantages of this are the ability to easily change the insignia as occasions warrant . In literature , film and political satire , dictators , particularly of unstable Third World nations , are often depicted in military dress with oversized gold epaulettes . Canada . In Canada , " epaulette " or " epaulet " is used to describe the shoulder strap of a military or police shirt , jacket or tunic and is used informally as a synonym for " slip - on " , a flat cloth sleeve ( called in the US , a shoulder mark ) worn ( " slipped on " ) on the shoulder strap . After Unification and prior to the issue of the Distinct Environmental Uniform , musicians of the Band Branch wore epaulettes of braided gold cord on the CF uniform . Epaulettes are still worn on some Army Full Dress , Patrol Dress , and Mess Dress uniforms . Epaulettes in the form of shoulder boards are worn with the officer ' s white Naval Service Dress . France . Until 1914 officers of most French Army infantry regiments wore gold epaulettes in full dress , while those of mounted units wore silver . No insignia was worn on the epaulette itself , though the bullion fringe falling from the crescent differed according to rank . Other ranks of most branches of the infantry , as well as cuirassier s wore detachable epaulettes of various colours ( red for line infantry , green for Chasseur s , yellow for Colonial Infantry etc . ) with woollen fringes , of a traditional pattern that dated back to the 18th Century . Other cavalry such as hussar s , dragoons and chasseurs a ' cheval wore special epaulettes of a style originally intended to deflect sword blows from the shoulder . In the modern French Army , epaulettes are still worn by those units retaining historical full dress uniforms , notably the ESM Saint - Cyr and the Garde Républicaine . The French Foreign Legion continued to wear their green and red epaulettes , except for a brief relaxing break in the 1920s . In recent years the Marine Infantry and some other units have readopted their traditional fringed epaulettes in various colours for ceremonial parades . Germany . German Army uniforms were formerly known for a four cord braided " figure - of - eight " decoration which acted as a shoulder board for senior and general officers . This is called a shoulder knot . Although it was once seen on US Army uniforms , it remains only in the mess uniform . This type is still used in Venezuela , Chile , Ecuador and Bolivia . Sweden . Epaulettes first appeared on Swedish uniform s in the second half of the 18th century . The epaulette was officially incorporated into Swedish uniform regulations in 1792 , although foreign recruited regiments had had them earlier . Senior officers were to wear golden crowns to distinguish their rank from lower ranking officers who wore golden stars . Epaulettes were discontinued on the field uniform in the mid 19th century , switching to rank insignia on the collar of the uniform jacket . Epaulettes were discontinued when they were removed from the general issue dress uniform in the 1930s . They are however still worn by the Royal Lifeguards and by military bands when in ceremonial full dress . United Kingdom . Epaulettes first appeared on British uniform s in the second half of the 18th century . The epaulette was officially incorporated into Royal Navy uniform regulations in 1795 , although some officers wore them before this date . Under this system Flag Officer s wore silver stars on their epaulettes to distinguish their ranks . A Captain with at least three years seniority had two plain epaulettes , while a Junior Captain wore one on the right shoulder , and a Commander one of the left . Before World War I the British Army stopped wearing epaulettes in the field , switching to rank insignia embroidered on the cuffs of the uniform jacket . This was found to make officers a target for snipers , so the insignia was moved to the shoulder straps , where it was less conspicuous . British cavalry on active service in the Sudan ( 1898 ) and during the Boer War ( 1899 – 1902 ) sometimes wore epaulettes made of chainmail to protect against sword blows landing on the shoulder . The blue " Number 1 dress " uniforms of some British cavalry regiments still retain this feature . The current ( DPM ) has the insignia formerly displayed on epaulettes , on a strap at the centre of the chest . Police coloured epaulettes . When policing large events , some specialist police officers ' epaulettes are colour - coded according to their role : United States . Epaulettes were authorized for the United States Navy in the first official uniform regulations , " Uniform of the Navy of the United States , 1797 " . Captain s wore an epaulette on each shoulder , lieutenant s wore only one , on the right shoulder . By 1802 , lieutenants wore their epaulette on the left shoulder , with lieutenants in command of a vessel wearing them on the right shoulder ; the signification rank of master commandant s , they wore their epaulettes on the right shoulder similar to lieutenants in command . By 1842 , captains wore epaulettes on each shoulder with a star on the straps , master commandant were renamed commander in 1838 and wore the same epaulettes as captains except the straps were plain , and lieutenants wore a single epaulette similar to those of the commander , on the left shoulder . After 1852 , captains , commanders , lieutenants , pursers , surgeon s , passed assistant and assistant surgeon s , masters in the line of promotion and chief engineers wore epaulettes . Epaulettes were specified for all United States Army officers in 1832 ; infantry officers wore silver epaulettes , while those of the artillery and other branches wore gold epaulettes , following the French manner . The rank insignia was of a contrasting metal , silver on gold and vice - versa . In 1851 the epaulettes became universally gold . Both majors and second lieutenants had no specific insignia . A major would have been recognizable as he would have worn the more elaborate epaulette fringes of a senior field officer . The rank insignia was silver for senior officers and gold for the bars of captains and first lieutenants . The reason for the choice of silver eagles over gold ones is thought to be one of economy ; there were more cavalry and artillery colonels than infantry so it was cheaper to replace the numerically fewer gold ones . Shoulder straps were adopted to replace epaulettes for field duty in 1836 . Licensed officers of the U . S . Merchant Marine may wear shoulder marks and sleeve stripes appropriate to their rank and branch of service . Deck officers wear a foul anchor above the stripes on their epaulettes and engineering officers wear a three - bladed propeller . In the U . S . Merchant Marine the correct wear of epaulettes depicting the fouled anchor is with the un - fouled stock of the anchor forward on the wearer . External links . Various 18th and 19th Century Epaulets ( bottom of page ) http : / / www . militaryheritage . com / pastprojects . htm