Eastman's German WWI 3/4 Length Flying Coat

[Philalethes]

Hi All,
First post here - I'm a straggler from the Fedora Lounge.
Curious whether anyone here has experience/opinions of Eastman's German WWI 3/4 Length Flying Coat (or the Luftwaffe, since the leather and liner is the same). I am wondering about:
1) What people think of its design.
2) The durability of its leather (aniline-dyed).
3) How warm or lightweight the moleskin is.

Strictly speaking, I'm not sure if its a repro - it certainly isn't the coat worn by the Red Baron. I don't know where the design comes from.
Below are the new pictures from Eastman's website.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Gunderson]

I have a Brooklands motoring coat from ELC that I believe is basically the same design and same leather, except that the leather is brown and the coat has a wool lining. I have found the leather to be quite durable. It was supple right from the start and needed no breaking in. It gets some scratches and wear marks around the button holes and along edges, but it add to the character of the coat. I rather like the design. On cold days I wear a scarf or button the top button, and the coat is quite warm. My only complaint is the belt which does not go all the way around. It was inconvenient, and I ended up simply not using it.

 

[Steve27752]

one is cow one is horse hide.....

Oh no here we go again :roll:

 

[Philalethes]

I have a Brooklands motoring coat from ELC that I believe is basically the same design and same leather, except that the leather is brown and the coat has a wool lining. I have found the leather to be quite durable. It was supple right from the start and needed no breaking in. It gets some scratches and wear marks around the button holes and along edges, but it add to the character of the coat. I rather like the design. On cold days I wear a scarf or button the top button, and the coat is quite warm. My only complaint is the belt which does not go all the way around. It was inconvenient, and I ended up simply not using it.

Thanks for the reply.
It is indeed (almost) the same design, which I am also quite fond of.
If yours is horsehide, do you find that it creases easily? The sample they sent me does. At first I didn't like it - aside from the fact that it is supple - but now it is growing on me.
Since the German coat doesn't have a wool lining - only relatively thin moleskin the body - it probably would not do as well in colder weather. I am guessing that it would be comfortable in the 40s and 50s F.
I actually find the partial belt an attractive feature: I am relatively lean, so I like the fact that the back of the coat is more fitted than other belted coats. I am afraid that too much fabric in the back would cause me to swim in the coat.

 

[Philalethes]

one is cow one is horse hide.....

I have the German coat but hardly wear it so can not answer the question.

Would you be so kind as to post some pictures for me? It would be nice to see it on someone.

 

[Philalethes]

Pictures are about one years ago....

Thanks, it is a very nice coat. May I ask why you do not wear it much?

 

[Gunderson]

I emailed to Gary Eastman April 2009 to ask whether the Brooklands Mortoring Coat was horsehide, and he said that it was at that time. If you are concerned about whether the hide is horse or cow, you might want to email Gary to see what he has to say. I cannot tell the difference just to look at it, but I do not have enough experience to tell by looking at it. I have not found that the coat has picked up stains. It gets water spots when wet, but they dry without a trace.

 

[Gunderson]

I have a Brooklands motoring coat from ELC that I believe is basically the same design and same leather, except that the leather is brown and the coat has a wool lining. I have found the leather to be quite durable. It was supple right from the start and needed no breaking in. It gets some scratches and wear marks around the button holes and along edges, but it add to the character of the coat. I rather like the design. On cold days I wear a scarf or button the top button, and the coat is quite warm. My only complaint is the belt which does not go all the way around. It was inconvenient, and I ended up simply not using it.

Thanks for the reply.
It is indeed (almost) the same design, which I am also quite fond of.
If yours is horsehide, do you find that it creases easily? The sample they sent me does. At first I didn't like it - aside from the fact that it is supple - but now it is growing on me.
Since the German coat doesn't have a wool lining - only relatively thin moleskin the body - it probably would not do as well in colder weather. I am guessing that it would be comfortable in the 40s and 50s F.
I actually find the partial belt an attractive feature: I am relatively lean, so I like the fact that the back of the coat is more fitted than other belted coats. I am afraid that too much fabric in the back would cause me to swim in the coat.

My Brooklands does not crease in the sleeves the way my horsehide GW A2 does. Nor does it have that sort of truly lovely grain. It did, however, pick up a permanent indentation from being pressed against the seat belt latch in my truck. (I think it is hh because Gary Eastman replied to my email saying he was using hh for the Brooklands at that time.) I wear it over a sports coat and it keeps me warm down to about 20F.