Baron Kurtz
New Member
Digging through my boxes of stuff to sell, I came across one I forgot I had. I was looking through my size 42-46 box and this popped out of its protective ricepaper wrapping. An original British A1-style jacket. There are obvious differences between this jacket and the military A1 we've seen before (repros and originals). Firstly it has a zipper front rather than buttons. It has a mandarin collar of the same leather. It has buttoned cuffs and an elastic waistband, and is made of very lightweight hide - possibly lamb or more probably calf. This is clearly a general style that was around when military picked it up, just as i suspect the A2 was just a modified sportsjacket style. It was actually this eBay listing that prompted a memory that i had one too. I'm selling this jacket here and at Fedora Lounge, but i thought people might like to discuss its merits and potential aesthetic negatives, too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180473787593&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Alright then, some pictures.
The front, highlighting the classic patch pockets with buttoned flaps. See the bottom for these buttons, guys. They are spectacular buttons. I suspect they're Corozo, but i'll be getting them under a microscope tomorrow to have a look-see. Also showing the mandarin-type collar, and the cuffs. And the obvious knit waistband unlike the one above. There are two vent grommets at each armpit, to the front of the side seam.
3 panel rear and 2 panel arms. Interesting mismatching of colour on panels, especially on the collar back it's quite evident.
A close-up of the collar area. You can also see the knit wool lining. That hole is where, i think, a label was attached. There is another hole at about the right position to suggest these were where the ends of a rectangular label were attached. See below for close-ups of the zipper; it's a good 'un. The collar is lined in almost corduroy material. It isn't really corduroy, but it's getting there. Ribbed and appears to be cotton.
Pocket flap. Lovely buttons.
Here's the front of the zipper. Puller and stopper box are a quite early Lightning variant. I can post pics of a slightly later Lightning, where the slider looks more like a Lightning, rather than this one that looks much more like a Talon. The stopper box is also different from the later Lightnings, which usually had vertical ribbing.
And the rear. Look at the huge curved portion at the top of the slider. This is where the one-piece cast slider was folded over to complete the engineering process. What a piece of work!
An attempt to give more detail of the knit cuff. In green, black and white elasticated material.
And the cuffs. These are very nicely constructed, and lined with the same cream wool as the rest of the jacket. Look at that little securing button on the interior where the button is attached. Nice touch!
AND FINALLY! Those buttons. Absolute works of art. Really beautiful orange buttons throughout (both pocket and cuff buttons match), with an apparently natural swirl pattern that suggests to me that they're Corozo. Lovely. Shows up the grain of the leather quite nicely too.
bk
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180473787593&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Alright then, some pictures.
The front, highlighting the classic patch pockets with buttoned flaps. See the bottom for these buttons, guys. They are spectacular buttons. I suspect they're Corozo, but i'll be getting them under a microscope tomorrow to have a look-see. Also showing the mandarin-type collar, and the cuffs. And the obvious knit waistband unlike the one above. There are two vent grommets at each armpit, to the front of the side seam.
3 panel rear and 2 panel arms. Interesting mismatching of colour on panels, especially on the collar back it's quite evident.
A close-up of the collar area. You can also see the knit wool lining. That hole is where, i think, a label was attached. There is another hole at about the right position to suggest these were where the ends of a rectangular label were attached. See below for close-ups of the zipper; it's a good 'un. The collar is lined in almost corduroy material. It isn't really corduroy, but it's getting there. Ribbed and appears to be cotton.
Pocket flap. Lovely buttons.
Here's the front of the zipper. Puller and stopper box are a quite early Lightning variant. I can post pics of a slightly later Lightning, where the slider looks more like a Lightning, rather than this one that looks much more like a Talon. The stopper box is also different from the later Lightnings, which usually had vertical ribbing.
And the rear. Look at the huge curved portion at the top of the slider. This is where the one-piece cast slider was folded over to complete the engineering process. What a piece of work!
An attempt to give more detail of the knit cuff. In green, black and white elasticated material.
And the cuffs. These are very nicely constructed, and lined with the same cream wool as the rest of the jacket. Look at that little securing button on the interior where the button is attached. Nice touch!
AND FINALLY! Those buttons. Absolute works of art. Really beautiful orange buttons throughout (both pocket and cuff buttons match), with an apparently natural swirl pattern that suggests to me that they're Corozo. Lovely. Shows up the grain of the leather quite nicely too.
bk
