Club Obi Wan

Hey all!

So long story short, my mother's dad flew in WWII for the Airforce, flying P-51 D Mustangs as an escort for bombers. He died in the '80s, but we iinherited his aviator jacket from the war. Sadly, it's torn up and practically unwearable (not to mention, historical value prohibits this). However, I thought for Christmas this year it might be nice if all us kids chipped in and bought an authentic replica of the jacket for my mom! BUT, there's an issue...

I've looked at Wested, U.S. Wings, and other sites, but none offer an option for a red canvas name badge that is commonly found on those jackets on the front right breast. It's important that we get this jacket right, so if no name badge, we may as well just buy any other jacket and call it a day

Out of all the candidates, U.S. Wings seems to be the best, but again, no name badge. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I don't know much about A-2 vendors or A-2 jackets for that matter, but it sounds to me like you need to go for a custom and make a special request.

If I understand correctly you've found a jacket you like, but not the name badge that would be sewn on. Gibson and Barnes sells name badges.

http://www.gibson-barnes.com/Nametag-Designer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You should be able to design something to match the original.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

baddates1 wrote:Hey all!

So long story short, my mother's dad flew in WWII for the Airforce, flying P-51 D Mustangs as an escort for bombers. He died in the '80s, but we iinherited his aviator jacket from the war. Sadly, it's torn up and practically unwearable (not to mention, historical value prohibits this). However, I thought for Christmas this year it might be nice if all us kids chipped in and bought an authentic replica of the jacket for my mom! BUT, there's an issue...

I've looked at Wested, U.S. Wings, and other sites, but none offer an option for a red canvas name badge that is commonly found on those jackets on the front right breast. It's important that we get this jacket right, so if no name badge, we may as well just buy any other jacket and call it a day

Out of all the candidates, U.S. Wings seems to be the best, but again, no name badge. Any ideas?

Thanks!

This might be a question for the folks over at the Vintage Leather Jackets forum. Generally, if you're looking to get an accurate reproduction of a WW2 jacket, I wouldn't go with any of the makers you listed. Bill Kelso, Aero, J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Eastman, and Good Wear all do fantastic reproductions of the original WW2 contracts. Most of them would probably be outside of the reasonable price range for a jacket that probably(?) won't be worn, but Five Star Leather is also coming along nicely and would be a good budget option.

I confess though, I've never heard of red canvas name plates. During the war, most of the name plates were leather, although all manner of things were used to display a pilot's name, so who knows. I'd love to see pictures if you've got them. A picture of the spec label inside the jacket up by the collar would also help narrow down which company made it.

Not sure what your budget is but the folks at Goodwear Leather are both knowledgeable and talented craftsman.

https://goodwearleather.com/pages/index.html


- I.C.

Yeah, if you’ve got an ample budget (and time), there’s really no one better than GW.

If it's still got the label inside check out the make and contract. There's a good chance Bill Kelso and Good Wear make a replica. As for the name badge, ask them. The odds are good they'd be willing to add it, especially given it's for a vet. The only one that I know comes with the name is the Great Escape replica, but I don't know that it's personalized.

But turnaround time would be an issue. No way it comes in time for Christmas.

Thanks for the speedy replies. To answer some questions:

1. I remember her saying she might have worn the original, had it not been so deteriorated. A big draw to this project...
2. Hmm, I personally own a Gibson and Barnes, and while it's excellent quality, definitely above our price range.
3. I can't seem to find Bill Kelso's current website. The one I came along kept on getting "404 Not Found" warnings, and I wasn't able to access.

Yeah, they’re doing site maintenance right now. Their jackets normally cost £770, but if you’re hoping to give it to her for Christmas, then that’s out. Their current wait time, thanks to COVID, is in the order of 7 months. I’d talk to Five Star Leather. Their jackets are well made, can be delivered in 1-2 weeks, and the prices are comparable to Wested.

How bad is the jacket? There are places that specialize in restoring these, and the cost might not be more than you’d spend for a new one.

I think you would have to work with a jacket maker that specializes in A-2 reproductions, like Bill Kelso Mfg, Good Wear, Eastman, etc. These can get really expensive. I second the above opinion that it may be more feasible than you think to have the original jacket restored. You may also want to check out the Fedora Lounge forum. There are some knowledgable folks over there who love A-2s who might have some suggestions for you.

For a made to measure A2 have a look into Five Star Leathers, they are in Pakistan and their jackets start at about $120 on ebay. Fantastic work and very, very fast turnaround. About $300 for horsehide.

At present, Five Star is out of horsehide (restocking in the new year), but both their goatskin and cowhide are pretty nice. I think they’re your best bet. From what I gather from the first post, Baddates is looking to spend about what he would on a Wested.

You should give Gary Eastman a call. He has done a lot of research on original production methods, hardware and materials. Having talked with him about some of the restorations he has undertaken, I am sure he would be able to give you solid advice on your original A-2. He may even have a less expensive way to have an accurate reproduction made.

https://www.eastmanleather.com/contact-us

I think at this point it might be useful to post the starting prices of the major repro makers, as a reference point for Baddates:

Aero Leather Clothing: £660 - original contract, can shave £100-200 off of that if you buy from their stock/used section.
Bill Kelso: £770 - original contract, in horsehide, very high degree of accuracy.
Eastman: £950 - for their house A-2. The price jumps to £1100 if you want an original contract. Also a high degree of accuracy.
Five Star Leather: $190 for a size 38 original contract in goatskin. Prices rise by $10 with each size up, and rise moderately for other leathers.
Good Wear: $1449, 1 or 2 year wait - this is for an original contract in cowhide or goatskin. $100 more for Horsehide. Very accurate.
J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co.: €450 - original contract, stock sizes only, no customization options besides leather color. Very accurate.

FYI, "original contract" means the company has done its very best to replicate all of the details of an original A-2 jacket from a specific company that manufactured them for the Air Force. "House A-2" means the company has done their own take on the jacket, often borrowing features from a wide number of different originals.

Given that Baddates has said Gibson & Barnes (~$700) is beyond his price range, the options here are really Five Star or MAYBE Dubow.

The main problem with the cheaper or mass produced A2's like Wings or G&B is the cut of the pattern.

They tend to be made to be blousy and wide and fit like a baggy 1980's jacket. The originals and good copies have a cut that is narrower in the shoulders and sleeves and torsos and therefore look more tailored and fit better.

This may not an advantage if you are a large person. But if you are not overweight a baggy A2 looks pretty awful to my eye.

The best looking cheap A2 patterns to my eye are the AVI copies out of Denmark.

The shoulder width in a size 42 A2 jacket in the cheaper maker, for example, is often 21 to 22 inches wide. Bloody huge. A width of 18.5 inches would be more period accurate and makes the jacket look much less like a sack. In fact, it would be hard to find a period jacket up to a size 48 that has a shoulder wider than 19 inches.