ELC Perry Sportswear mixed batch B-3

[Roughwear]

Last summer at Flying Legends I bought a size 44 Perry B-3 from Gary at a very fair price. I have been wearing it regularly this winter and it is beginning to break in nicely. Although John Lever has already reviewed the Perry B-3 in the Review section I thought people would appreciate seeing pictures of a worn example.

The skin is quite thick and exactly like the original pre-War redskin jackets that I have owned. The collar and waist straps are thicker than those seen on other B-3s made by Eastman and therefore they are spot on when compared with those found on originals. The russet War Horse facings have great character and blend in well with the redskin sheepskin. I have added an original Talon puller to the repro zip track. As a size 44 it is a perfect fit for me. IMO it is the most accurate repro B-3 that I have owned and I'm delighted with it!

 

[John Lever]

Looks great and a very good fit. My 42 was just too tight across the shoulders. My only criticism would be that the fleece looks dry and lacks lustre. Before the skins have the TW treatment the wool looks much better IMO.
It's all personal taste of course, and thanks for sharing.

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks John. The skin is spot on for original redskins. I have yet to see a closer match when compared with an original.

 

[Silver Surfer]

because i am having the crown zipper swapped out for a talon, on my elc rw b-3, i too have been wearing my elc perry [redyed panels] all winter, and indeed, it stands up to a real weather beating. as with the a.s. perry, mine has begun to look more and more like an original. for the most part, wearing a b-3 in nyc goes mostly unnoticed. however on two occasions, i have had guys stop me to ask where i found such a fine condition original b-3. also, andrew is quite right about wearing and break in of the perry. with serious, constant wear, they begin to soften up and become quite supple. btw: nice pix, andrew.

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks Vic. I too have been complemented on the jacket recently-by the owner of a local Indian restaurant!

 

[regius]

John and Andrew, what size A2 do you wear and what size B-3 (ELC) do you wear? Andrew do you wear 44 in A2? GW A2 in 44 fits me perfectly, so does Aero, so should I wear a 44 in ELC (and maybe Aero) B-3? I really like the quality of Gibson Barnes, but there aren't many photo reviews here.

 

[John Lever]

Size 42 Eastman A2 though I only had one for a few weeks. Size 42 B3 is too tight across my shoulders and 44 too big around my waist,so neither fits me very well.

 

[Roughwear]

Size 44 in ELC/GW A2 and a size 44 in this B-3.

 

[dmar836]

Looks great!

 

[omarco]

sorry to bump an old thread but I'm looking for a bit of sizing advice. Due to conflicting measurements from Eastman and HPA I'm struggling to determine which size Perry to go for.

I have a 40" chest, some say go for a size 40 some say a 42... what say you's ?

 

[s4rmark]

After trying on several B-3's in sizes 38r and 40r at flying legends this year I purchased a Perry B-3 in a size 40r . I would say that imo the jacket fits me perfectly, enough room underneath for a t shirt and a thin jumper. My measurements are as follows, 5 feet 9 inches tall , 40 chest , 32 waist and 11.5 stone in weight . Hope this helps.

 

[omarco]

that's helpful thanks, our measurements are similar. I need to order the long version which makes it non returnable so need to get right.

 

[watchmanjimg]

An absolutely fantastic-looking jacket!

 

[John Lever]

Looks great on the outside but that fleece looks like cotton wool that's why I sold mine. The TW process completely kills the wool unfortunately.

Here's what they look like before being irradiated
http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e175018515

 

[Silver Surfer]

hmmmm...whats it been now?, two years + of ownership, and hard heavy winter wear with my perry b-3. while i do no disagree with john about "when new", i have to say that both inside and out, my perry has broken in very nicely. the inside fur has become lighter in color through out, and lighter yet around the collar and sleeve ends, and softer, more nubbier [izat a word?] like originals. whats more, the jacket has lost most of its stiffness. of course, my perry is not a wwll issue, its a reproduction, but its as close as you can get to an original, and be able to wear it, and wear it hard. elc did a slam bang job on the perrys, and they just get better with wear and time.....imho.

 

[Roughwear]

I have to agree with Vic. My Perry B-3 has had lots of wear and the fleece looks like that found on an original. I can't see any cotton wool fleece at all.

 

[John Lever]

Look at the link jacket. The wool on the collar has lustre and variation in colour exactly the same as the sample I have here of the SFAD B3 prior to treatment. After treatment it looks dead.

 

[Roughwear]

So what is done to the fleece John? My understanding is that only the seam tapes and sleeve facings are aged through light sanding by Nigel at ELC and the fleece is not touched. That is certainly what happened to my Devon fleece Irvin.

 

[John Lever]

Oh no.....it's much more than that. A process converts beautiful shiny fleece into cotton wool. Washing ,baking ...? It's such a unnecessary process that ruins a world class product

Here is the sample before treatment



It's on par with other manufacturers like RMNZ.

This is how it changes

 

[omarco]

lol, I have to agree with the others, I think the Perry looks great! anyone have a 40 or a 42 they'd cared to measure for me?