the first RW without collar stand?

[Anonymous]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Rough-Wear- ... 5892d9e0cc

what do you guys think?

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks for posting this Platon. I wonder if a small experimental batch of these collarstandless jackets was produced towards the end of this their last contract for A2s. If it has been simply a mistake would it have passed the eagle eyes of the RW inspector? I do re-call seeing pics of another some years back, which suggests this was not simply a flawed production jacket.

 

[Cobblers161]

I've never heard of this quirk but have to say I love it.

A repro would be marvellous!

 

[Peter Graham]

Looks like it's had an inside pocket added. That's a nice touch. I wonder if that was done during it's service life ?

 

[deand]

Possible that someone sewed in a tag that was not original to this jacket?





dean

 

[Jaguar46]

Isn't this a worn collarstand?

 

[Roughwear]

Isn't this a worn collarstand?

No. I can only see the base of the collar not a separate collarstand. The collar construction is quite untypical of RW A2s. They were not central stitched on the inside, unless the collar was reversed, but the other pics do not suggest this was the case. There is no evidence of a collar stand in the other photos.

 

[Roughwear]

This picture shows how the collar is fixed to a RW 27752 and is quite different from the Ebay pic.

Ebay jacket.

 

[RCSignals]

Isn't this a worn collarstand?

That middle seam is on top?

 

[ciddu]

That middle seam is on top?

Right, that's strange, too - never saw a collar with the middle seam on the top side.
From some pics the collar itself seems to be in better conditions than the rest of the jacket, and not very worn as usual.

 

[Silver Surfer]

gotta wonder if koalas are reassembling a-2s from parts of other jackets. now, as a few times before, they have a jacket listed missing one side. last week, or so, they had one without a sleeve assembly. ditto, a few months ago. if this is what they are doing, they have one hellava tailor. at first glance this may seem unethical, but, due to their ingenuity, they are offering affordable starter , ahem, "originals". rough wear? who knows what is was, or is. it looks all the world to me, like the very, very rare frank enstein icu812 contract.

 

[ciddu]

Do you think that this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Aero-40...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item2ebc5bf233
was "cannibalized" to produce patchwork jackets?
So we could have a frankenstein Roughwear here...

 

[deand]

The frankenjacket theory would support my theory about the label being an add-on as well.









dean

 

[ciddu]

In fact the collar with the upper side center seam seems to suggest it is made up ... and the right side collar flap looks brand new, much better than the rest of the jacket, like it's coming from somewhere else.

 

[SuinBruin]

I find it difficult to believe that they would go to the trouble of putting together complete jackets from the parts of others. Matching the colors, hide types, pockets, zips, sizes, etc. would be a huge pain, to say nothing of actually stitching the things together in a way that wasn't obviously new. And then to sell them with ripped up linings, etc. would seem to be counterproductive. If you're going to fake it, fake it! Add some hooped-up artwork or patches or something. Otherwise what's the economic incentive?

My guess would be that the Rough Wear was either a late-contract production with some corner-cutting or a period re-label. Just a hunch.

 

[Roughwear]

Isn't this a worn collarstand?

That middle seam is on top?

I do not believe the collar was turned at all as the stitching along the lining near the zip looks original to the jacket. The wear on the leading edge of the collar is consistent with the jacket being worn a lot. It was have been a factory error and could have been taken home by an employee rather than issued by the USAAF. Notice the collar snaps in the correct position and no indication on the top of the collar that they have ever been altered.

The seller certainly has some interesting incomplete jackets for sale. I'm still waiting to see the finished jacket assembled from bits of others.

 

[ciddu]

I agree - I don't think the collar was reversed, lower side turned up: this was my first guess, but there are no snaps holes visible.
maybe a replacement - repair of a very worn part? usually it is quite worn and "baked" by body fats and perspiration, but here to me part of it looks in better shape than the rest of the jacket.

 

[dmar836]

So I wonder about the stitch holes visible on the collar between Andrew's right two upper arrows. I don't think I have ever seen stitch holes on a production jacket that showed like that after 70 yrs. Looks like those holes had thread in them for a while anyway. Hmmmmm.

 

[Roughwear]

They may be the result of a machinist's error. Such errors are not uncommon on original A2s.

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for finding this jacket, it's finally eased my concerns about one of my 27752's. I've always wondered why mine had that seamed collar and no collar stand, at least there's now two i'm aware of that have exactly the same detail. All the stitching on mine is original and solid. It's obviously something that was intentionally done so the Koala is off the hook.

My RW 27752 "Rat"Poison"