The future of Jacket Collecting (Original and Repro)

[flyboy]

U got PM - and thanks!

 

[johnwayne]

Hi Alan and all
Very ironic this thread as only last Sunday I was out with my wife and some friends in Greenwich Park (home to the Olympics equestrian events for those non Londoners/UK people out there) and wearing my GW Doniger - out of the blue a young guy poss early-mid 20's, rode past on a rather vintage style bycycle with a female friend and stopped dead in his tracks and came over to me and said "Nice A2 that, whose the maker" and when I told him a Goodwear he just said " a GW? Lovely jacket that" and promptly rode off in his B10, red ball cap (I reckoned on them being ELC's) and vintage style jeans, looking like something from a film set!
That brought about a question from my wife as to what he'd asked and then she told our friends of my jacket obsession and how I have so many 'brown leather jackets' that come the day my maker calls then they'll bury me in one which, I very much doubt as she has always nagged me to make an inventory of my jackets and thew values come that day, not that IVe nay plans on going anywhere for some time!! Must say that little event made me quite 'chuffed' an made me think along your lines as the the younger generations but, such iconic jackets will live on for sure - another 70 years and more!!!!
Cheers
Wayne

 

[chamboid]

John Wayne that young man was me.

Made me smile as well, also when I asked who's the maker I saw you think, 'Does he mean contact or repro maker?' beautiful jacket again, one day I will own a Goodwear, and it will have to be an A-2, though my passion lies with G-1s

P.s Buzz B-15 and a 3 quid wool ball cap I found in a charity shop. though have just bough an ELC B-10

 

[ausreenactor]

John Wayne that young man was me.

Made me smile as well, also when I asked who's the maker I saw you think, 'Does he mean contact or repro maker?' beautiful jacket again, one day I will own a Goodwear, and it will have to be an A-2, though my passion lies with G-1s

P.s Buzz B-15 and a 3 quid wool ball cap I found in a charity shop. though have just bough an ELC B-10

Insanely small world! There you go...this is just a better example of the benefits of the forum's fraternity....
Great story...

Couchy

 

[johnwayne]

Hey Chamboid, crikey I can't believe that!
Hope I got the age right (cant be upsetting a fellow VLJ'er!)? Yes if you don't have a GW then save up for one - of all my jackets it's the one that felt perfect from when I first put it on about 2 years ago, the sleeve length, the body fit and especially the shoulders sit exactly as I believe they should ie the seam actually on the shoulder and not down the arm and inch or two! Go for broke, John Chapmans great to deal with and maybe keep your eyes peeled on his sale page - I guess you'd be about a 38"-40" at most? Trouble is not many come up at that size!
Best of luck in your search for a GW A2 and shame you're not a bit bigger - Ive a lovely 44" '57 Cagleco G1 I'm thinking of selling (only cos I've a '53 that's even better)!!

cheers
Wayne

 

[chamboid]

I received my '54 Cag yesterday, amazing jacket, it's a 38 and a bit roomy round the mid-rift but great fit everywhere else.

I really want to give BK a try, the only A-2 i own is a Lost Worlds one, which is in itself a great jacket, and very well made, but not the most accurate. amazing 4 oz leather though, and feels great to wear.

I've been looking at the BK Roughwear range, but waiting for the seal horsehide to come in.

But as you said the GW was the perfect fit, one day...

And yes the age is correct, 26 to exact.

 

[Who]

With the end of WW2 fast approaching 70 years it did make me think about how more recent generations see, view and understand the conflict and especially with regard to this forum the types, collecting and wearing of Flight Jackets.

I guess the vast majority of us are no longer "spring chickens" and as such, who is going to follow us in terms of collecting both originals and Repro's.

Age can have some bonus factors ( certainly I am slightly richer now at 55 than I was in my 20-30's) and thus perhaps I /we can afford the (ongoing) high jacket purchase costs.

Many of us have Jacket sickness.
Will the next bunch have as well I wonder ?
How does that leave repro manufacturers in the years to come ?

Will original jackets hold the same level of interest to the next generation that it does for us ?
How will the jackets hold up condition wise more years down the line ?

From pictures of jacket wearing on the Forum to meeting up at Duxford etc most of the folks I have met are of a roughly similar age to myself.
Of course there are exceptions - Paul (Marv) I know you are younger !!

What happens when we stop wearing and collecting ?
Is there a new generation coming along to replace us ?

How do we get the next ( younger generation ) to buy in to this interest.
Can they afford to ? As jacket prices go ever higher as we strive for more accuracy.

As a stamp collector from a boy I often wonder now if that hobby is now all but dying out what with all the "more interestiing" things (computer games, phones, etc etc) that kids now have to occupy them.
Things/interests come and go ...

Anyway just a few thoughts on a gloomy weather day.

I don't think they'll survive. Well, they probably will in a way; in bad vinyl, or in bastardized fashion versions. But frankly, I couldn't give less of a shit what the kids get into. I'll be dead and happily ignorant. :lol:

 

[Ian C]

I don't think you have to have just an interest in WWII to appreciate the jackets . I've always liked 50's Americana as well and A2's and G1's fit very well into that bracket as well. Not everyone buys vintage 501's because they have an interest in the 1800's gold rush and it's the same with flight jackets.

 

[GoodTimesGone]

That brought about a question from my wife as to what he'd asked and then she told our friends of my jacket obsession and how I have so many 'brown leather jackets'

One day my girlfriend and I were about to leave my home to go out for lunch and I said "Which jacket should I wear?" She said "It doesn't matter. They all look the same- brown with knit cuffs."
A couple of years ago I went out with my friend Mike for supper and a couple beers. I said "What do you think of this jacket? It's front quarter horsehide from the 1940s." (Mind you- the jacket was russet with slash pockets.) Mike said "It looks like a Hogan's Heroes jacket."
It's all about perspective. We obsess about the details of A-2s and the average person wouldn't know the difference between a cheap repro and a Good Wear.
___________________________________________________________________
Tom

 

[Ian C]

Yes, but you know that it has to be right-you don't do it for anyone else.

 

[ausreenactor]

That brought about a question from my wife as to what he'd asked and then she told our friends of my jacket obsession and how I have so many 'brown leather jackets'

One day my girlfriend and I were about to leave my home to go out for lunch and I said "Which jacket should I wear?" She said "It doesn't matter. They all look the same- brown with knit cuffs."
A couple of years ago I went out with my friend Mike for supper and a couple beers. I said "What do you think of this jacket? It's front quarter horsehide from the 1940s." (Mind you- the jacket was russet with slash pockets.) Mike said "It looks like a Hogan's Heroes jacket."
It's all about perspective. We obsess about the details of A-2s and the average person wouldn't know the difference between a cheap repro and a Good Wear.
___________________________________________________________________
Tom

Most non-Jacket types I know are exactly the same. The ONLY jacket that has ever received commentS from young lasses I did not know was the ELC Hartmann. I do not have a head that attracts random praise from females. So the jacket was the conversation starter. Never happened with a 'Top Gun' A-2(I know, but they don't)..

Couchy

 

[Skip]

Many of us have Jacket sickness.
Will the next bunch have as well I wonder ?

...I think I'm getting it. Is there a cure?

 

[jonnyboy]

Persimmon wrote:

Many of us have Jacket sickness.
Will the next bunch have as well I wonder ?



...I think I'm getting it. Is there a cure?

Well, as Dorothy Parker once said: "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

I think it's a bit like that with jackets - once you start, there really is no cure...

Cheers,

Jon

 

[GoodTimesGone]

It's all about perspective. We obsess about the details of A-2s and the average person wouldn't know the difference between a cheap repro and a Good Wear.
___________________________________________________________________
Tom

Most non-Jacket types I know are exactly the same. The ONLY jacket that has ever received commentS from young lasses I did not know was the ELC Hartmann. I do not have a head that attracts random praise from females. So the jacket was the conversation starter. Never happened with a 'Top Gun' A-2(I know, but they don't)..

Couchy

Most non-jacket types seem to prefer black leather over brown.
___________________________________________________________
Tom

 

[GoodTimesGone]

Yes, but you know that it has to be right-you don't do it for anyone else.

Yes, very true. It all comes down to whether you're satisfied and comfortable when you select a jacket and head out for the day's activities. It's a reflection of your personality so you don't necessarily go out in public looking for approval. I don't wear what the latest fashion magazine style is. (Although sometimes fashion pulls ideas from past history- for example fedoras, flight jackets, and skinny '60s suits.) Probably the only fashion brand I wear is Ralph Lauren. If someone compliments me that's cool. It doesn't happen often but the few times compliments I did receive were from guys into WWII history or collecting.
_____________________________________________________________-
Tom

 

[Ian C]

Yes, but you know that it has to be right-you don't do it for anyone else.

Yes, very true. It all comes down to whether you're satisfied and comfortable when you select a jacket and head out for the day's activities. It's a reflection of your personality so you don't necessarily go out in public looking for approval. I don't wear what the latest fashion magazine style is. (Although sometimes fashion pulls ideas from past history- for example fedoras, flight jackets, and skinny '60s suits.) Probably the only fashion brand I wear is Ralph Lauren. If someone compliments me that's cool. It doesn't happen often but the few times compliments I did receive were from guys into WWII history or collecting.
_____________________________________________________________-
Tom

Skinny sixties suits in mohair are a must, only I'm not so skinny anymore. I'm picking up another in a week from the tailor and then it's onto the next thing, either a GW or a Lewis Bronx. Mind you, there was a nice Heuer Bundeswehr on Ebay but I think I would get evicted for that.

 

[ButteMT61]

It's all about perspective. We obsess about the details of A-2s and the average person wouldn't know the difference between a cheap repro and a Good Wear.
___________________________________________________________________
Tom

Most non-Jacket types I know are exactly the same. The ONLY jacket that has ever received commentS from young lasses I did not know was the ELC Hartmann. I do not have a head that attracts random praise from females. So the jacket was the conversation starter. Never happened with a 'Top Gun' A-2(I know, but they don't)..

Couchy

Most non-jacket types seem to prefer black leather over brown.
___________________________________________________________
Tom

Here in la-la land, everyone "cool" wears black - all the time, everywhere. I mostly don't like black unless it's aged really well and looks more gray or dark seal brown. Most of my gear is browns. When we go to my wife's work events (motion pictures) I always stand out like a fat model on the runway...

 

[Skip]

If its winter (Southern Hemisphere) and you're in Pitt St Sydney at around lunch you could probably play spot the anything but black scenario, and you'd only need 2 hands to settle the tally. Brown leather in Sydney conservative business dress is almost unheard of. I used to wear black, but browns and greens are so much more classy (just my opinion. posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=13458#)

This may be a bit off the beaten track but considering the above threads, am I the only one with a wife (or better half) that love's old (brown) leather jackets? Most of her friends would rather go shopping, whereas she would be excited about old muscle cars and piston engined aeroplanes from a bygone era She's even expressed interest in getting her own A-2 or M422, and the colour she wants is not black, and not even seal, at this stage she's leaning towards the Navy something about that mouton collar I think.

Surely there are women out there that love this stuff too...posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=13458#

 

[Monsoon]

Keep this in mind:

Good chance a lot of jackets will wind up at the Salvation Army when you croak. Most families don't know or care about what crazy Uncle Eddie collected.

 

[Andrew]

Surely there are women out there that love this stuff too...

Skip i'd say she's rare. You wouldn't have too many more days of the year than me when you can wear an A-2 so when the cool weather's on I wear mine almost every day, which my wife just tolerates me doing... I do get a few comments from her when I take one of my Irvins away, as I did in NZ last year. She has a hard time understanding the care I take for that "smelly old sheepskin" and how it gets it's own bag for travelling.

With regard to collecting originals i'll keep a couple of really good ones (A-2's and Irvins) as long as I can, but I make sure that I have as much info on them as possible- history, provenance etc so they aren't just orphaned old leather jackets. Don't know if this is any indication as Jackets are useful items compared to things such as other flight gear, but i've noticed over the past 10 years that the prices of things such as hard to find flying helmets, masks, wiring, goggles etc has on the whole fallen. But then that's a much smaller market and then there's the GFC..... I also occasionally consider selling my gear as my interest has waned over the years, but then I remeber how long it took to find it all and how i'd feel if I ever changed my mind- not worth it yet....