Full Length Irvin Coat!

[Roughwear]

This is the first full length Irvin coat I have seen. It must have been a special pre-war order from the Irvin Air chute company.

http://www.historicflyingclothing.com/s ... to.php?x=0

 

[jonnyboy]

Interesting!

The photo wouldn't load when I clicked on the link, but very interesting about full length Irvins. When I was sourcing materials and sewing machines, the ancient guy who runs the company I bought my twin needle machine from said that Irvin Air Chute made him a full length coat many years ago (his company apparently used to do a lot of work for them). I thought he was either talking gibberish about a full length Irvin, or possibly meant Aviation Leathercraft.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Roughwear]

Here's the page on the website with the pic. just click on the pic to get all the pics of the coat.

http://www.historicflyingclothing.com/shop/shop.php

 

[jonnyboy]

Wow, that's bonkers!

It looks like there's a bit of re-stitching, but it certainly looks like it was made as a full length jacket (rather than altered later), and it looks early. The pockets look like those found on Irvin trousers.

I wonder if it was a private commission/test jacket, and whether there are more lurking out there?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[wheat1479]

Interesting coat.I also like the A-1 moccasin flying boots.

 

[Roughwear]

I have seen others, but they have simply been theatre extended conventional jackets. I'm wondering whether this Irvin coat was ordered privately from the IAC factory by a WW1 aviator who was used to wearing a long leather flying coat! IAC supplied the civilian market and I suspect this heavy coat was never worn in combat in WW2.

 

[Lebensgefahr]

I`m out with Dave next weekend so if the coat hasn`t gone by then i`ll have a look at it(not interested in buying it by the way).

LG

 

[Roughwear]

I'm also not interested in buying it, but would be interested in reading your assessment of the coat.

 

[MikeyB-17]

I have a pic in one of my books of a tail gunner on a Whitley wearing a sheepskin apron along with his Irvin to help keep warm in the unheated turret. I wonder if this is a development of that?