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Vintage Jackets

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
When I joined the forum in 2009 the number of vintage jacket postings were significantly greater than those posted today. It seems like there were a couple of them posted each week and we’d discuss the nuances of each contract, the flaws of each contract along with our personal preferences for each makers jackets . The discussions were interesting , enlightening and entertaining. They pulled us together as a group. I enjoyed the free spirited conversations that were informative and fun. We seemed to have lost a some of that . With all of the above in mind, I would like to start this thread with the intention of trying to recapture some of those discussions . I’m going to start off by posting a number of original jackets, which I either own or have owned in the past and let me be clear on this one point, I’m not trying to say “look at me... look what I have or look what I own “, but rather hoping that other long standing members, who also have original jackets will take the opportunity to post some of their originals in an effort to rejuvenate discussions about the one reason that we are all here..... “Vintage Leather Jackets.” I know that several of the jackets I will post have been posted before, but in light of the fact that in recent months we’ve had a number of new members join the forum, I think it’s worth the effort for all of us to dig through some old photos of original jackets and put them up for review once again.
I don’t profess to know a lot about some of the jackets that will be posted, so I’m going to rely a great deal on Gary Eastmans book on A2 jackets to help me out . I hope that others like Vic (Silver Surfer) or Grant, or John (CBI ) with much more knowledge on this subject than I have, will way in from time to time and help me out with some personal and technical information about each jacket, or post a few originals of their own. To start off I’d like to pay my respects to our RAF. RAAf, RNAF and any UK affiliated vintage jacket members we have here, by posting a jacket I’ve owned for a while, an original Warings Irvin. I don’t know a lot of facts about this one other than the maker and that it’s in nice shape. It has lightning zips which are the standard in most cases for this jacket and it’s not a heated jacket. So UK guys help me out here and let’s start a discussion on anything you can tell me about this original Warings.
Cheers Guys

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Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
good on ya burt. enough of the ratatat about 2nd tier repro jackets. yeah, this is the "vintage leather jacket" forum, after all. man even through the blurry images, that wareing looks super. time for the irvin guys to weigh in, as i really dont know enough about them to write much more then the one in the pix looks to be an early or possibly pre war example.
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
ahhhhh....that old who song, "marianne with the shaky hand". is that beauty one of yours? ive had several irvins, and each and every one was a pass along. too big, too small, too frail,, etc.....yet i still lust for the "right" one.....like the one in the pix.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
ahhhhh....that old who song, "marianne with the shaky hand". is that beauty one of yours? ive had several irvins, and each and every one was a pass along. too big, too small, too frail,, etc.....yet i still lust for the "right" one.....like the one in the pix.
Vic
It is one of mine. I’ve had it for a few years now. I believe I got it from Rick in Australia.
It’s a super nice jacket in a large size, with all the correct parts in the correct places.
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
man, i hope that ya take it out for a spin now and again. it sure as hell looks robust enough for wearing [some pun, eh?]. i kill myself with kinda haha stuff.
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
The members with the cash to buy all the good originals have moved away from the VLJ in recent years. I only have the one original A-2, Ken's Bronco 44...

We are certainly moving to seeing the 'vintage jackets' on the back of original owners, VIPs and snazzy old birds in their prime. Either in B&W or colourised pics. Certainly happy with that..

Your jacket is a ripper. Could see that in any pics! I endured with my camera on my shitty little Samsung for years. I know have a camera that is also a mobile phone. More eager to snap and post these days.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
The members with the cash to buy all the good originals have moved away from the VLJ in recent years. I only have the one original A-2, Ken's Bronco 44...

We are certainly moving to seeing the 'vintage jackets' on the back of original owners, VIPs and snazzy old birds in their prime. Either in B&W or colourised pics. Certainly happy with that..

Your jacket is a ripper. Could see that in any pics! I endured with my camera on my shitty little Samsung for years. I know have a camera that is also a mobile phone. More eager to snap and post these days.
Couchy
Thanks for you comments regarding the Irvin. I hope you’ll post some photos of your Bronco . I’d appreciate seeing it and learning about the differences between your Bronco and let’s say a Dubow, and I’m pretty sure a few of the newer guys would as well. Hopefully most here will get something out of that discussion and while B&W photos of our guys wearing the jackets in years gone by are pretty good, there’s something to be said for seeing your Bronco 75 or 80 years later in color to see how it’s aged after all those years. Hope you’ll consider posting it.
Cheers Mate!
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
silver? ha. how bout white? hair color does not determine whether or not ya should don an original. as to price of an original, these days, often as not, a wearable original is the same or less then an high end repro. weather permitting, my choice is always to wear an original........but, then again, thats me. besides the "look", ther is just something about an original that rings right.
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
I've only been a member since Aug 14, 2017 so just 2 years. I joined to learn about A-2 jackets in particular and about quality repros. I had always hoped to one day own an original and this forum is GOLD! So with my new found knowledge I finally pulled the trigger on an original A-2 from the CBI theater of operation (Patched: 2nd Bomb SQ., 22nd Bomb Group 5th AAF) that is in pretty decent shape except that the previous owner replaced the knits, both the cuffs and the waistband with the incorrect color / material. Although the goat skin for the contract of the I. Spiewak & Sons is at risk of decay mine seems to be in decent condition for now with only a few minor scuffs that I "repaired" with Cellugel (Klucel G) Its on display but will get some actual wear from time to time.

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more on my jacket in my thread here: https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/my-first-original-a-notorious-one-at-that.22911/

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Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
silver? ha. how bout white? hair color does not determine whether or not ya should don an original. as to price of an original, these days, often as not, a wearable original is the same or less then an high end repro. weather permitting, my choice is always to wear an original........but, then again, thats me. besides the "look", ther is just something about an original that rings right.
only the real is the real...
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
I think a great part of the appeal of owning an original whether wearable or not is that it was actually there... it was worn by a soldier during a history making, society altering world war! it has spirit... there's a sense of it having a real part in altering the destiny of the entire world so the authenticity gives you a feeling of touching the past. I hope one day to get hold of an A-2 from the ETO as well.
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
When I joined the forum in 2009 the number of vintage jacket postings were significantly greater than those posted today. It seems like there were a couple of them posted each week and we’d discuss the nuances of each contract, the flaws of each contract along with our personal preferences for each makers jackets . The discussions were interesting , enlightening and entertaining. They pulled us together as a group. I enjoyed the free spirited conversations that were informative and fun. We seemed to have lost a some of that . With all of the above in mind, I would like to start this thread with the intention of trying to recapture some of those discussions . I’m going to start off by posting a number of original jackets, which I either own or have owned in the past and let me be clear on this one point, I’m not trying to say “look at me... look what I have or look what I own “, but rather hoping that other long standing members, who also have original jackets will take the opportunity to post some of their originals in an effort to rejuvenate discussions about the one reason that we are all here..... “Vintage Leather Jackets.” I know that several of the jackets I will post have been posted before, but in light of the fact that in recent months we’ve had a number of new members join the forum, I think it’s worth the effort for all of us to dig through some old photos of original jackets and put them up for review once again.
I don’t profess to know a lot about some of the jackets that will be posted, so I’m going to rely a great deal on Gary Eastmans book on A2 jackets to help me out . I hope that others like Vic (Silver Surfer) or Grant, or John (CBI ) with much more knowledge on this subject than I have, will way in from time to time and help me out with some personal and technical information about each jacket, or post a few originals of their own. To start off I’d like to pay my respects to our RAF. RAAf, RNAF and any UK affiliated vintage jacket members we have here, by posting a jacket I’ve owned for a while, an original Warings Irvin. I don’t know a lot of facts about this one other than the maker and that it’s in nice shape. It has lightning zips which are the standard in most cases for this jacket and it’s not a heated jacket. So UK guys help me out here and let’s start a discussion on anything you can tell me about this original Warings.
Cheers Guys

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B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Spitfireace
Very nice!!!..... why not post a few front and rear pictures of the entire jacket and tell us about it? Maker, condition etc. I know I’d like to learn more about them.
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
I posted this when I got it from Aero Scotland. It was restored by them. I got it off E-Bay from Ipswich England. Only had to have a belt made. Other than that it is a very good example. No rips or tears or any past damage and all seams strong 1944 Devon fleece. I don't know who made it because the label is missing, but that is common. They were only tacked on by a few stitches and quite often came off. The sleeve zips are original AM Lightnings but the main zip is a repro. Not happy with that, but the problem is that is there is no NOS available and using salvaged zip is expensive and no guarantee that it won't fail fairly quickly. Some people take the original zips off their jackets and store them, and just use repros for use. This jacket is a small size (tail gunner?)
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B-Man2

Well-Known Member
It posted this when I got it from Aero Scotland. It was restored by them. I got it off E-Bay from Ipswich England. Only had to have a belt made. Other than that it is a very good example. No rips or tears or any past damage and all seams strong 1944 Devon fleece. I don't know who made it because the label is missing, but that is common. They were only tacked on by a few stitches and quite often came off. The sleeve zips are original AM Lightnings but the main zip is a repro. Not happy with that, but the problem is that is there is no NOS available and using salvaged zip is expensive and no guarantee that it won't fail fairly quickly. Some people take the original zips off their jackets and store them, and just use repros for use. This jacket is a small size (tail gunner?) View attachment 22572View attachment 22573View attachment 22572View attachment 22573View attachment 22575
Aero did an outstanding job! The repro belt matches the rest of the jacket very nicely. This is only about the second original Devon Fleece Irvin I've seen close up in photos.
The other was owned by Andrew S. The back of the jacket is pretty damn good as it looks to be in mint condition. From the sectional piecing that comprises the jacket, I would say that this is a mid to late war production jacket. Its a great piece !! Thank you for posting it
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
I've only been a member since Aug 14, 2017 so just 2 years. I joined to learn about A-2 jackets in particular and about quality repros. I had always hoped to one day own an original and this forum is GOLD! So with my new found knowledge I finally pulled the trigger on an original A-2 from the CBI theater of operation (Patched: 2nd Bomb SQ., 22nd Bomb Group 5th AAF) that is in pretty decent shape except that the previous owner replaced the knits, both the cuffs and the waistband with the incorrect color / material. Although the goat skin for the contract of the I. Spiewak & Sons is at risk of decay mine seems to be in decent condition for now with only a few minor scuffs that I "repaired" with Cellugel (Klucel G) Its on display but will get some actual wear from time to time.

W535ac 28820__42-18776P

more on my jacket in my thread here: https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/my-first-original-a-notorious-one-at-that.22911/

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ED
Really like the Spiewak and the way you have it displayed is very cool. I particularly like the Blood Chit and CBI display in the background. Don't know much about original vs. repro blood chits, so is that one the real deal? The lining of the jacket is super clean for a jacket of that age. While the knits are not correct for the jacket, they look good for replacements so I wouldn't worry about them all that much. In fact if you didn't happen to point them out I seriously doubt if I would have noticed them. Looks like that doesn't have a collar stand, I think I like the non collar stand jackets a little better, although it took some extra work to produce them with a collar stand. I understand what the collar stand is for as far as supporting the collar, but I'm not sure why the manufacturers of the jackets that had them thought they were necessary. I'll have to check my ELC book on that one. Great looking A2! Thanks for posting it...
 
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