Calling G1 jacket experts

[bretta]

Hello All,

Newbie here. A little intro... I'm based in England and have a nice little collection of N-2As, N-2Bs and a couple of N-3Bs too.

I recently purchased a 1976 G1 made by IMPERIAL LEATHER & SPORTSWEAR INC, unfortunately it was a little small to be a comfortable fit. So I decided to buy the next size up which was a 1975 G1 made by STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP.

The one made by Imperial Leather and Sportwear (1976) has a real feel of quality about it. The leather is of a decent weight. With this in mind I was very disappointed when the 1975 Star Sportswear G1 turned up. It felt very cheap and the leather is almost paper thin and the jacket is much lighter in weight.

My questions for the experts are... could the 1976 version be made of cowhide whereas the 1975 be made of goat skin, could this account for the vast difference in weight and feel? Or was there varying degrees of quality between the G1 contractors and Star Sportswear G1 from 1975 being one of the lesser quality ones?

Any help on this would be much appreciated.
kindest regards
Bretta

PS. I believe both jackets to be absolutely genuine, the labels are authentic and they both have that smell that US military jackets have... not sure whether it's the mouton or from being in mil stores, but I have no reason to doubt their authenticity.

 

[Jason]

Welcome Bretta.
Its pretty unlikely that your '75 Star is goatskin, pretty sure they stopped making them in goatskin when the then new 7823E specification came out in 1971. There was quite a bit of subtle variation between makers, and leather quality was one of them. For what its worth, my Imperial also from 1976 is fantastic too.

Perhaps if you can get some good photos of the 'grain' and post here, quite often it is possible to tell the difference between embossed cow hide vs goat skin with a fair degree of certainty.

 

[Roughwear]

Welcome to the forum. Your Star G-1 was made from drum-rolled cowhide as many mid 70s G-1s were. There as a real drop in quality in G-1s during this time. Some contractors still used the more expensive goatskin. Detailed pics would help.

 

[Atticus]

I'm not sure that I can answer your entire question, but here's what I do know...

Your 1976 Imperial is cowhide. I have jacket just like it...and every Imperial I've ever seen was cow. In fact, I’m sure there’s an entire cow’s worth of cowhide in mine. When I look at it, I half expect it to moo.

I've owned several Stars...including a 1972 E-series...and all were goatskin. But I'll admit that I've never owned a 1975 Star.

Unlike some things in our world, when you’re talking about G-1 jackets, thick doesn't generally do the trick. The most beautiful Navy jackets I've ever seen were made from nicely grained, but very thin goatskin. Goat is very tough. Much tougher than cow. One can make a very long-lasting, very serviceable jacket out of light, thin goatskin. Such leather has a better drape and weighs a third what a comparable amount of similarly strong cowhide would weigh.

So…I’m not sure that your initial thoughts aren’t correct. Given its thin leather, and Star’s propensity to use goat as opposed to cow, your 1975 Star may actually be goatskin. Contrary to popular belief, G-1 makers continued to use goatskin well into the E-series jackets. This is true even though the specs had been relaxed to allow the use of embossed cowhide, instead.

AF

 

[Peter Graham]

Hi Bretta, welcome to the forum. I know naff all about 70's G-1's but let's see some pics of those N series jackets.

 

[bretta]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the warm welcome and info on the G1. I will take some pics later today and post.

Peter,
I will post some pics of the rest of my jackets in the coming weeks. I also have flight pants and mittens to match jackets too.
I've just moved house, so once I'm all sorted I will take pics of the collection.

Atticus,
You post has given me some hope with regards to my jacket.

Thanks again everyone. Look out for pics later today.

kindest regards
Bretta

 

[bretta]

Photos of the G1

Here's a few pics of the jacket. The first pic is taken from the shoulder area, I thought this might be interesting as it looks like worn in leather rather than embossed hide, but I'll leave the decision to you guys as I'm a novice with the leather jackets. The white marks are ash from yesterday's BBQ.

I can already feel the addiction getting worse since joining this forum and seeing all the lovely jackets.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Have to say that looks distinctly goatish to me. Looks like the leather on pretty much every G-1 I've had, and they were all goat. I remember thinking how papery the leather was on the first G-1 I ever owned (a '63 Irvin B. Foster). I've since found that a lot of them were like that-but not all, one of the things I like about my '64 Irvin B. is the slightly heavier, less papery hide.

 

[Atticus]

I'm pretty sure that's goat. The area under the pockets and near the waistband is where I usually look when I'm trying to decide. Also, I look around the back of the arms. If the hide has worn smooth (ie., the embossing has worn away) in high wear areas, it isn't goat. Conversely, in areas where the hide "puckers", like under the pockets, the signature grain of goatskin usually pops out noticeably.

Again, I’m thinking you’ve got yourself a fine goatskin Navy jacket. But even if it turns out that its made from common opossum hide…it is a damn beautiful G-1...and in excellent condition. Wear it proudly!

AF

 

[bretta]

I'm pretty sure that's goat. The area under the pockets and near the waistband is where I usually look when I'm trying to decide. Also, I look around the back of the arms. If the hide has worn smooth (ie., the embossing has worn away) in high wear areas, it isn't goat. Conversely, in areas where the hide "puckers", like under the pockets, the signature grain of goatskin usually pops out noticeably.

Again, I’m thinking you’ve got yourself a fine goatskin Navy jacket. But even if it turns out that its made from common opossum hide…it is a damn beautiful G-1...and in excellent condition. Wear it proudly!

AF

Here's a piccy of the pocket/waistband area

 

[Peter Graham]

Yup, it's goat alright.

 

[jonnyboy]

Nice jacket Bretta!

I'm certainly not a G-1 expert, but I've owned several different types over the years. Of the later, 1970s jackets that I've had, the Imperial had the nicest goatskin. I've read very mixed reviews of Imperials, so didn't expect it to be so nice. Although I prefer the 1950/1960s G-1s, and earlier M-422a jackets, the 1970s versions can be great too. I think it can be hit and miss though - I had a 1971 Star which was great, but I also had a 1971 Brill Bros. jacket which looked and felt like it was made out of plastic!

Here are a couple of photos of the Imperial I used to have (and now regret selling!)

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Atticus]

Interesting...I wonder if "Imperial Fashions" is the same company as "Imperial Leather". My 1976 G-1 was made by a company called "Imperial Leather" and is hard core cowhide. But the 1974 "Imperial Fashions" G-1 shown here is appears to be a much nicer jacket.

Here's the Imperial Leather G-1. It is totally stiff, heavy, squeaky cowhide. When you wear it, people can hear you coming five minutes before you arrive. You sound like a flock of seagulls diving on a school of mackerel.

AF

 

[bretta]

yep, my Imperial Leather G1 is also thick and stiff... that's what I like about it.

Thank you to everyone for joining in this thread and enlightening me.