Sailor Style on a Sailor Pay

One thing I have noticed about the whole "vintage workwear" "navy-ism" style, culture, historic hipster or however you would like to call it is these working class clothes cost a small fortune!? Yes, the RRL clothes are cool and Buzz Rickson has something going for him, but this is not the only way to get this style. Here are some cheaper ways to get the 'look' without the price.

Things you will need:

Seam ripper

blade

sand paper

stencil set

black sharpie

thread and needle

NOTE: sand paper can be substituted for physical labor

Trousers
Garment: USN Denim Dungarees from WWII impressions

Cost: $75

Changes: None

Garment: Ralph Lauren cotton canvas Cargo pants from about 3 years ago

Cost: Estimated in the $70-$120 range

Changes: I cut the cargo pockets off.
Garment: 2nd Pattern HBT trousers from At The Front

Cost: $50

Changes: I hacked them down to shorts.
Garment: P41 utility trousers from At The Front

Cost: $50

Changes:Hard wear and tear resulting in heavy stains and a patch job on the knee.

Shirts
Garment: Chambray Shirt from J. Crew

Cost: $98

Changes: None
Garment: USN Chambray shirt from WWII Impressions

Cost: $60

Changes: None except I lost a button and I replaced it with another cat eye.

Garment: nautical style work shirt from Levi Strauss Co.

Cost: On sale for $25.

Changes: I feel like in NYC I see a lot of people in Levi shirts. To avoid being caught in school with someone else in the same shirt I have added a pocket button on the right pocket.

Garment: P41 USMC Utility jacket from At The Front

Cost: $50

Changes: All the changed I did to this are WWII correct. I stenciled my name in the proper WWII USMC Spec and I have used it to the extent or major mud stains and worn out pockets

Garment: 2nd Pattern HBT jacket from At the Front

cost: $50

Changes:This has been in my reenacting kit for a while and it was time to retire it from the hobby. So I hacked the sleeves off and stenciled a USN on the pocket. I was inspired by this picture for this