Buying Mess Dress Accessories!

[ItsAbigWorld]

Hi All,

I'm at the stage where I need to purchase some Mess Dress items. There are plenty of websites that sell Miniature Medals for No5s - but which are the better quality? Prices are dramatically different, you can get a court mounted one for as little as £10 or as much as £60... surely there isn't that much difference?

Finally... shoes! Do you buy your patent and oxford shoes from stores? I've been quoted nearly £200 for the No 5 Patent Shoes and £120 for oxford shoes.
Do you all get them from stores, or is there a more affordable supplier online?

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[4everAD]

Messdress.com were reasonable, think my patent shoes were £40.

 

[chumpzilla]

Depends when you were promoted. I got my mess dress inclusive of shirt, cummerbund, shoes... I had to buy a dicky bow and my miniatures which I got from mess dress online. Good quality and they looked good court mounted

 

[Norman the Storeman]

Go to Clothing Stores & buy your shoes. They bill you through JPA these days...amazing.

mini medals from messdress.com

 

[Dan_Brown]

Depends when you were promoted. I got my mess dress inclusive of shirt, cummerbund, shoes... I had to buy a dicky bow and my miniatures which I got from mess dress online. Good quality and they looked good court mounted

I got issued the dicky bow too.

 

[TG3 TILL I DIE!!!!]

Did any of you get issued a backbone? Or is that not a recognised item for SNCO's these days?

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

I got issued the dicky bow too.

Not a lazzy band one I hope. DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[ady eflog]

Miniature medals normally cost about £5 each then there is the mounting, as you said there is various companies out there that will do it for you, Stn tailors do it but quality and standards differ throughout, the more you pay doesnt mean a better standard of work! believe me. Mess Dress are cheap and quick but their miniatures are too short, they are smaller in length than the standards laid down in the AP1358 Chap 8. I know this as I have been court mounting full size and miniature for the past 5 years. My Facebook page Millitary Medal Mounting shows my work and some of the gash medals i've had to put right. As an EGOAT special I will do free postage to anyone who wants Miniatures doing. I charge a reasonable £5 a medal and £5 a medal for mounting.

 

[ItsAbigWorld]

Thanks all!
Gone for the miniature from our very own, reasonably priced and quality looks very good!