The All-Star Game: Looking at Originals and Reproductions of the Star 28557

[Lord Flashheart]

Zipper:

Burt
Eastman’s guide lists the Star Sportswear as having the same double-marked M-42 Talon that are readily available as repros from all of the major makers. But the zip on this original star is triple-marked, so it’s an M-39. John Chapman has further reported seeing originals with dull Crown zips and Conmars. M-42s were supposedly the only zippers used in this contract, but if there’s one thing we’ve all learned it’s “Never Say Never”. It was war time and materials were often in short supply, and contract demands left little room for delays in deliveries. Let’s see how the two repros measure up in this area.


Jan
My Star has a double-marked reproduction Talon M-42.

Phil
ELC’s Star has a double marked reproduction M-42 Talon.

Knits:

Burt
The knits on the original Star are the War time mid-brown knits. Strangely enough, I’ve seen other original Star jackets having mid brown knits that are both lighter and darker than those on this jacket. I’d attribute that difference to different dye batches used in the production of the knits. These knits are resilient and have not been stretched out. As mentioned earlier the lower body of this jacket is tapered down to the attachment seam of the knits and looks very nice in the overall appearance of the jacket. Just another factor that contributes to making this contract one of my favorites.


Phil
Eastman knits. Much ink has been spilt on these elsewhere on the Forum. Functionally the knits on the ELC Star feel less dense and feel less rough in weave than those on other makers repro’s. On the plus side there is less of that “wool” texture which makes them more comfortable. They feel, however, a tad vulnerable to rough handling and that’s something to bear in mind. These knits have “relaxed” just a smidge with wear. Mindful of the advice given on the Forum I take care when pulling the knits over my watch etc but this becomes second nature easy enough. The knits are a mid brown in colour consistent with other ELC A-2’s.

Jan
Yep, my knits are mid-brown as well, maybe a bit lighter than Burt’s, although as he noted, there was variation among originals. Lighting is also a factor when judging these things.

So, we'll draw breathe and take another break there which will give you good time to digest this part of the review. Burt will be picking up with some comments about the pockets and flaps in a few days.

And just to complete the zipper point here's another Burts triple marked zipper detail which I missed out above.

 

[blackrat2]

Fantastic guys thanks so much
Vic you’ve done a great job with that jacket

 

[B-Man2]

Well guys ….. here we are with the third part of the Star Wars Trilogy…… huh! What’s that Jan???? ….. Uhhh … oh right …… Thanks Jan !
Oops ! … I meant the Star Manufacturing Trilogy …. So let’s start off after Phil’s review of the knits .

POCKETS AND FLAPS

Burt

I love the look of the scalloped pocket flaps on this contract . It has a nice flowing look that complements the pocket . Similar to a Rough Wear design but with just a trace of a sharper point. Actually you could confuse the Star pocket flap with several other contracts, pretty much any contract known for scalloping. The pockets sit nicely under the flap and have just a small bend at the bottom corners. The left pocket is offset from the wind flap so that when you close and zipper the jacket the pockets balance out on the front of the jacket. The overall appearance is very nice.

Phil

ELC’s pocket flaps have a slight belling before they turn in toward the snap and this is a really attractive detail. The stitched seam at the top of the flap is quite tight to the fold which to my eye makes the flap look quite crisp.

At the top of the pocket the stitch detailing on the ELC Star includes a triangle with stitching descending inboard from the top corner of the pocket to join the cross pocket stitched seam. This is consistent with the original Star detail in Gary Eastmans book. This detail does, though, appear to be a point of difference with John Chapman's originals and his GW repro which has that triangle rising inboard from the stitched seam to a corner at the top of pocket. Burt, Jan and I discussed this difference and the reasons why it might have occurred in manufacturing. Clearly there were two ways Star did this but it doesn’t appear to be linked to the two spec label variations. We thought it would be interesting to invite any other owners of original Stars to share information / pics of this detail on their jacket.

Jan

Here’s an interesting instance where there appears to be some variation. The scalloping on my pockets appears to be a bit more exaggerated than what I see on Burt’s original. The point and corners are somehow both more rounded and a bit more pointed, if that makes sense. That said, looking at John’s CD, I’d say BK’s jacket is well within the range of variation for this contract.

Regarding what Phil brought up about the triangle reinforcement stitching on the pockets, my BK is like JC’s originals/repros:

LINING

Burt

The lining of the Original Star contract is a light cocoa brown cotton twill lining that is noticeably different from the color of all other A2 contracts . You can immediately pick out a Star by the color of its lining. Whereas certain Aero contracts can be identified by their mustard colored linings, A Star lining has a very unique darker color compared to most of the other A2’s out there. Not much more I can offer in this area, so take it away Jan and Phil.

Phil

ELC’s Star has a mid brown lining which is similar to other ELC A-2 cotton linings. ELC describe this as an authentic shade and weave in 100% cotton.

Jan

I opted for a light brown liner on mine. I calculated that by the time a mid-brown liner faded, it would have lots of tears and be about ready for replacement, so I chose to start with the lighter color. That being said, it still isn’t too far off from the others.

The Star contract was also unique in having 2 different spec labels: one that had the contract number (28857) and one that had the order number (18245-P). Burt’s original and Phil’s Eastman have the contract number (as does Five Star’s forthcoming Star repro), while my BK has the order number. Good Wear does likewise. Interestingly, John Chapman has noted that most of Stars with the contract number, 28857, also have double-barrel collar hooks, while most of the jackets with the order number, 18245-P, have the brass eyelets. There may be a similar pattern in which jackets had the different types of reinforcement stitching on the pockets, but we’ve been unable to verify this.

ELC

MEASUREMENTS OF A2 JACKETS

Jan

Ordinarily, in this section we just post the measurements of our jackets, but I thought the Star deserved some comment. The Star is an unusually short-fitting jacket. Most repros are going to have some length added to the back measurement and the sleeves, although they do it in different ways: Eastman appears to have altered the pattern, as the measurements listed on HPA’s website seem long. When I ordered from BK, by contrast, Andy just advised me to order a long. Different ways of getting to the same place.

Size 48 (original)

Shoulders…………….20.75 inches

Chest…………………..25.75 Inches Pit to Pit

Back…………………..27 Inches (base of collar to bottom of knits)

Sleeves………………26 inches (shoulder to bottom of knits)


BK Size 42 (repro; actual measurements, not listed ones)

Shoulders…………… 18 inches

Chest………………….22 inches Pit to Pit

Back…………………..24.75 inches (base of collar to bottom of knits)

Sleeves………………25.25 inches (shoulder to bottom of knits)

I measured this jacket when I received it, and it has since lost half an inch in the pit-to-pit, and sleeves, and a full inch in back length. JC has told me that most tanneries stretch their hides as part of the tanning process, so that they can make more money off the leather. As soon as the jacket gets subjected to more than a light drizzle, the leather will shrink. This shrinkage issue is something worth keeping in mind for anyone looking to order from one of the premier makers.


Eastman Size 42 (repro; actual measurements, not listed ones)

Shoulders…………… 18 inches

Chest…………………. 22 Inches Pit to Pit

Back………………….. 26 Inches (base of collar to bottom of knits)

Sleeves……………… 25.5 inches (shoulder to bottom of knits)

ELC’s Star certainly has a longer back than I expected a Star to be and I tend to agree with Jan on this.. Having not measured it “out of the box” I can’t say for certain but my impression is that the back length hasn’t greatly shortened through wear though the arms feel as though they have a little.


CONCLUSIONS :

Burt
The Star contract, as I’ve said before, is one of my favorite contracts . I’ve always liked the Star A2 from my earliest days of collecting jackets . For me, owning an original was the highlight of my collection . I have enjoyed showing it to all of you and thank you all for your time . Let me say thanks to Jan and Phil as well for their contributions to this three way review. How great that we now have reviews from three different members living thousands of miles apart. Pretty cool I’d say.
Thanks Guys.

Phil

ELC’s Star is my favourite A-2 repro. Comfortable and practical to wear I do feel the collar design allows for easy head movement looking about the “cockpit” when driving and works well for me. One of the more interesting aspects of this joint review is that it did get us into a pocket sized discussion about wartime manufacture and it was great to exchange thoughts about that. This three way review has been a great way to compare an original and two well respected reproductions of the same contract which has been fun and added to my own knowledge. Thank you Burt and Jan for your company in that.

Jan

Thank you for embarking on this project with me, guys! Beyond just being a fun writing project, getting to look at these originals overturned a lot of what I thought I knew about the Star, especially the hardware. I think a lot of us spend a good deal of time pouring over the websites of the top repro makers looking for information, but it’s amazing what details can emerge just from looking at a single original.