military jacket score

in keeping up with my challenge and given the gradually cooler days, i've started going through all the jackets i own to decide what should stay and what should go. whatever i do get rid of will end up in the next clothing swap i host but i need to want to wear what i do keep. this post is about one of the jackets i am thrilled to own, the mens us marine corps parade jacket. 

last june, i ended up at modraphelia, a small mod and rude boy shop, located at the black market, on queen street west, in toronto. i got all googly-eyed over the aforementioned jacket but not at it's then-$185 price tag. i stared at it longingly for a while and imagined wearing it with a nice pair of leggings, a mini skirt and chelsea boots. and then life went on...

a month later i was emceeing a large, annual clothing swap, here in montreal (my next post will be about swaps) and guess what my two prized scores of the event were?

yup. the two key items in the adorable outfit i'd imagined myself wearing, just a month prior to the swap! the boots are baxter chelseas and i've seen them retailed between $150 and $220 CAD. these are brand new and in mint condition ...please excuse the fluff on the right sleeve. i just noticed it but i'm on a roll. 

going back to the modraphelia site, i saw that the jacket is now $129.99 CAD. i remembered all of the cool gear i had managed to find in army surplus stores when i was a teenager and thought i could surely scout this jacket out at a better price. 

and i could not. 

ebay sellers are listing it at anywhere from $90 USD plus $40 shipping to a whopping $260 USD plus shipping. i found none on etsy. i called eight different army surplus stores in the greater montreal region and this guy has a few sized small ones left at $75 CAD. half of the people who answered the phone either wished me good luck in that sing-song way that makes you feel like you're screwed or flat out told me that i was going to have a rough time finding one. 

so, in conclusion, this really was a fantastic score! if you live in montreal or toronto and you want a brand new one of these, you're best bet is to go with modraphelia. if you're a size small and you don't mind getting it secondhand, there is that one surplus store, mentioned above. 

Posted in: army surplus,black market,chelsea boots,clothing exchange,clothing swap,military jacket,mod,mod fashion,modraphelia,montreal fashion,queen street west,toronto fashion,us marine corps parade jacket