I want a marching band jacket for my kid who is too little to march in a band.

November 8, 2011 1:58 PM

I didn't buy this jacket when my kid was a baby. Who spends over a hundred bucks on something so frivolous? I didn't, but have been obsessed with it ever since. Does anything exist on earth that is similar and would suit a preschool-size boy? Boy being the operative word.

I have lost more than one ebay auction for the Stella jacket, and after two years of googling for alternatives, I have come here for help. The military/band jacket fad has passed, but before it did I saw a number of kids' jackets kind of like this, they were all rather explicitly for girls. Pink bows, ruffle trim, pastel, etc.

Ebay auctions for this coat are now hovering near $250. Stella makes a green waistcoat with a similar vibe but it doesn't move me. I can't imagine getting someone to make something even close to this would cost much less. And I wouldn't deal with Etsy unless I knew of someone who had experience doing this type of thing, and could do it well.

If only there was a rental service for designer children's wear - having just one photo of my kid in this jacket would probably slake this ridiculous desire.

posted by pinky to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

On the Facebook group Boys Be Cool, you can post this and I'm sure one of the savvy parents on there will find it. :)
posted by k8t at 2:02 PM on November 8, 2011

Response by poster: I am so happy the first answer isn't "you should see someone about this strange obsession of yours." Thanks for the tip, k8t!
posted by pinky at 2:06 PM on November 8, 2011

My son's friend had that jacket and: It. Was. Awesome. If you find a source I hope you'll come back and update us.

Or -- if you're handy at all, you could buy one of the girly ones, use a seam ripper to take off any trim like ruffles or bows, then try dying it black or navy blue.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:19 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Via Boys Be Cool:
Boys Be Cool wrote: "The famous band jacket. Inspired by Sgt. Pepper's colorful uniforms Stella McCartney Kids designed this famous jacket for her first colab with Gap and rest is a history of an insane success. She makes point of having band inspired piece in her every collection. Dawn Haggerty had Sgt. Pepper inspired vests custom made for her son's 1 st BD. You can find her crafty friend here: http://www.facebook.com/jeaniescreations"
posted by k8t at 3:39 PM on November 8, 2011

If you're thinking about it that much and after such a long time, I would just buy the one off Ebay. The person who is selling the one for around $250 has another one as well (in size L, says the description). I would email that person, pronto, and ask how much they would sell the other one for. The original was $130 so while the ebay one is more, it's not like you're spending like 10x as much. Plus, you know by now that it's always going to bother you. If you can afford it, buy one in a size a little big and then have your son wear the hell out of it. You could maybe get a few years, and several dressy occasions out of it.
posted by triggerfinger at 4:05 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

A search for "military jacket" on ShopStyle turns up nothing close, and mostly girls' jackets, but some of the girls' items are not especially feminine (no ruffles, no pink) and might work for a boy. If you find a jacket that has the right shape, it might not be that expensive to have a local tailor add some braided trim. (A toddler suit jacket with the collar popped appears to come close to the right shape. You would want to press the collar up so no creases show and obviously have a more professional job done with the decoration.) Actual band uniforms are apparently available down to chest size 24, which, if I read this chart right, might not be far off a 4T.

If these things are such hot items on eBay, and you really think that "having just one photo of my kid in this jacket would probably slake this ridiculous desire," then how about buying a jacket off eBay and reselling it a short time later?
posted by Orinda at 4:28 PM on November 8, 2011

Yeah, there's a secondhand market for this jacket. Nobody has to know how many people have owned it before you sell it again, as long as Young Master Pinky can be restrained from going all toddler crazy in it. But then again, maybe he'll like it? I loved the crap out of fancy jackets when I was four years old.
posted by Adventurer at 4:51 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I had just lost an auction when I posted this question, that one was the right size (4T.) I was $22 short. So my ebay options are 1) bid on the girls' size medium jacket, which will be too big, and I want a jacket that fits him now. Also the current bid is $234, lord knows how much I would have to actually pay to win it.

Or, I could do the "buy it now" and buy the 3T that is most likely skimpy but could be fine worn open and for photos, for $199 and then turn around and resell. Not that I've ever sold anything on ebay before, but for one thing, I could cope.

Lastly, I could do nothing, and trust that another 4T will pop up and then bid at least $50 over my personal comfort threshold. Mind you, I have never paid more than $30 for any piece of children's clothing ever.
posted by pinky at 5:10 PM on November 8, 2011

If all you want are photos, maybe Photoshop could help. :)
posted by emeiji at 5:26 PM on November 8, 2011

I would buy the 3T and then resell it. The current auction is at $234. Two past auctions for the jacket have ended at $199 and $222 so you would likely get most if not all of your money back. You could even do a sell it now at the same price to ensure you get all your money back. It might take a little longer but you would sell it eventually.
posted by triggerfinger at 5:42 PM on November 8, 2011

Oops, looks like the past auction I mentioned for $199 is the BIN you're looking at buying and which didn't sell the first time around. Still, it looks like listing it auction style has gotten a good price in the past.
posted by triggerfinger at 5:45 PM on November 8, 2011

Good golly!

For that amount of money, couldn't you find a local seamstress to put one together?
posted by BlueHorse at 8:11 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yes, get someone to run up a version - but find out if your boy will wear it first. There were several outfits I plain refused to wear as a kid.

Someone who assists with costume-making for musicals, re-enactments or steampunk/goth types should have the skills you need.
posted by mippy at 8:20 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I've tried to find "local seamstresses" to run up things for me before, with medium luck. But mippy, you have given me a fantastic idea!

(and I need a new idea, as I measured my boy and the ebay 3T is too small in all areas. wouldn't be worth the trouble.)
posted by pinky at 9:52 AM on November 9, 2011

Response by poster: addendum - the local seamstress just gave me a quote. $250. And as my husband puts it - at least with the Stella McCartney version, I can re-sell and make back some of what I spent, if not all. With a handmade jacket, when he grows, I will have a lovingly handmade $250 piece of clothing that no one in the house can wear.
posted by pinky at 6:14 AM on November 17, 2011