In courtroom, Jackson rides fashion’s crest

It’s been quite a while since Michael Jackson reigned as a king of fashion, with his sequined white glove copied as many times as his moonwalk. These days, his regalia is as bizarre as his rhinoplasty.

At his arraignment on charges of child molestation in Santa Maria, Calif., on Friday, he wore a badge from the Royal Corps of Transport, a defunct British army regiment, according to the London Daily Mail. The badges can be purchased from military surplus stores and websites, priced from £3 to £32 (about $5 to $57), depending on the quality.

He played up his faux regal look with a chunky military medal worn on a ribbon around his neck.

The elaborate piece, with a crown, crossed swords and eagles, is from the Serbian Order of the White Eagle’s War Merit Division, and it’s usually given to officers for “conspicuous bravery” in the field, according to the Serbian monarchy’s website, royalfamily.org. It’s valued at about $650, according to Dave George, owner of Kaiser Bill’s Military Emporium in Pomona.

“I would say it’s a rare medal. Then again, finding the person who wants it is even rarer,” George said, adding that most collectors are interested in U.S., British, German and Japanese war medals.

“If he had been wearing a U.S. medal of honor,” George said, “I would have been the first one to call the U.S. government, because it would be illegal for him to have it.”