Olive Capeskin?

[bseal]

My dad used to refer to army gear as being Olive Drab. Olive green is quite brown and looks brown in certsin light conditions.

 

[zoomer]

That jacket Beery wore was tattered. It had stains and even was missing the bottom main button. You would think they would at least had fixed that for him!

If today's repro makers' impressions were true, someone like Wally couldn't have fit in a flight jacket at all!!!

 

[Skyhawk]

Our 48 is pretty big. I think it would fit him.

"Today's repro makers' impressions" ?
I believe we are the only maker actively making a leather 37J1. Sure there is RM but there's seems to be out of stock most of the time, not made of Capeskin (until recently? Still doesn't look like Cape), pockets are too low, and cost $1000 more than Headwind's.

Good Wear has made a few nice ones and as one would expect, they were done very well. They are not available though as a regular item on the site.

USN jackets hold a special spot in my heart as I am a USN Aviation veteran. We have 2 versions of the 37J1 currently but there are 2 more variations that will be added to our models soon.

Regards,
Jay

 

[robrinay]

I had an RRL copy of a 37J1 and I didn’t like the colour at all. I ended up by ruining it in an attempt to re-dye it - the capeskin or possibly soft sheepskin became really fragile. I don’t miss it! RRL supposedly copy ‘originals they own’???

 

[Skyhawk]

I had an RRL copy of a 37J1 and I didn’t like the colour at all. I ended up by ruining it in an attempt to re-dye it - the capeskin or possibly soft sheepskin became really fragile. I don’t miss it! RRL supposedly copy ‘originals they own’???

Ralph Lauren himself is a WWII jacket collector. The company makes interpretations of military jackets. Not reproductions. They are not based on actual original patterns. Maybe a few were, but as a practice...no.

I doubt he ever had an original 37J1. Nobody does except a few we have seen auctioned off. There are probably some laying around in attics and possibly some in antique or thrift stores. There's an exciting thought!
MGM may still have some from the Hell Divers movie in the costume archives, but those were probably just loaners from the USN so would not be the property of the studio.

Regards,
Jay