m1945 Naval Tunics

[Nack]

Mannequins and busts like you see in stores are expensive. A cheaper alternative is to buy "suit valets" at thrift stores and the like. They are a rack-like thing, usually wood, that people used to put their suits on at the end of the day. I've picked up a bunch of them for $5-$10, and displays a tunic nicely.

[HuliganRS]

Doug,

Is the hat in post #12 the correct one for my uniform?

Nack,

I'll give it a look over the weekend...

Thanks!

Rusty.

[Dave]

Mannequins and busts like you see in stores are expensive.

Actually, try eBay for used coat forms or "jersey forms" as they are called. I found a seller (a regular store fixture dealer) who had about 15 really nice used jersey forms with oak stands for $40 each. I bought one and liked it so much that I bought seven more of them! That added to the eight I already had. Often, you can find them for REALLY cheap if a department store is closing and they're dumping their fixtures... $10-$15 a pop isn't unheard of... just make sure that you get the stand with them.

Dave

[Nack]

Dave's right about looking over department stores that are going out of business, but make sure that you have either a trained eye or measuring tape with you--a lot of dept store busts/mannequins are too big for WWII and earlier uniforms. Guys back then were young, or little, or both. Which, reminds me, you can also find "dress forms" in thrift stores for $10-$20, which are small and perfect for old uniforms as well. Go to JoAnn fabrics and pick up a yard of black velvet material, cut out a square to put over each neck post, and youve got a museum-quality-esque display for $20 out the door.

Of course, if you want to spend the $ on display items, there is stuff on ebay, particularly a guy in MI who has some stuff for pretty reasonable prices. PM for the name if you want.

[DougD]

Yes, this would be a good match; now you need a naval belt in silver too.

dd

[HuliganRS]

Doug,

Thanks! I already bit the bullet and bought it. Is the silver one rarer than the gold ones? I found a ton of gold ones but this was the only silver one I could find!

I paid $100 for it. How did I do?

What does the silver belt look like? How about the pants?

:thumbsup Thanks!

Rusty.

[Lapa]

Rusty,

Pants are the black wide bottom ones. Personally, I have a replica, as I could not find the real McCoy. It seems that they were used in civilian life as they had no special external markings.

Marc

[DougD]

Marc is correct, naval pants are tough to get as they were plain black pants and were often kept and worn by the vet.

The silver embroidered naval items are quite a bit more rare than the gold; $100 is a steal : )

DougD

[HuliganRS]

Doug,

Do you have a silver belt to see what one looks like so I know what to look for...

Thanks!

Rusty.

[Alfred]

Hello Rusty,

here is a picture of a complete vp uniform with a belt and dagger.

regards
Andreas