WW2 era repro Shearlings, looking for opinions..

[Griffon_301]

owning a few of the jackets mentioned here I feel the need to add a cent or two

First I have to say that for practicality, a shearling is not that great; I own a B-3, a B-6 and an Irvin (all from ELC) and while all three are stylish as hell, the rather cheap (in comparison) BR N-1 and ELC Roughwear B-15 beat all of them with every day wear usability; you can move around much more freely in the Alpaca lined cloth jackets than in the shearlings; also regarding low temperatures, we had one of the coldest winters on record here in Austria with temperatures going as low as -25° C in the evenings and nights and even the N-1 and B-15 did not struggle to keep me warm, even with only a lighter sweater or thin pullover underneath;

for the style factor though, nothing beats the shirlings; I wore the Irvin during our first holiday this year in Innsbruck and while standing in front of a rather expensive jewellry, a russian guy came asking where he could buy a jacket like mine; I told him where it is from and he offered me some serious dinero if I sold him mine on the spot, an offer which I declined of course

you may read from my lines that I have a good selection of repro jackets and if you´d ask me which one I´d choose if it had to be only one I might still go for the Irvin; but I am holding high hopes for the new B-6 I bought at Duxford last weekend; its a wonderfully beautiful Roughwear B-6 and I have to thank Rob that he made it possible for me to pick it up at Duxford; I am still uncertain which patch I should add (hard choice between 334th FS and 487th FS) of if I leave it as it is (opinions welcome);

so to come to a conclusion, if you look for shearling, my choice would be between the Irvin and the B-6; or wait till ELC releases their Poughkeepsie ANJ-4, that might be my next temptation once it becomes available...
if it can be a cloth jacket, the B-15/B-15A is also worth a consideration; if you can live with simple functionality and understatement, the N-1 might also fill the bill...

 

[Smithy]

As many here know I live in Arctic Norway and my ELC Irvin gets a lot of use over the cooler months but then the temperature here can often be the same as what it would be flying at altitude over western Europe If you live in warmer climes then they are overkill unless you have an open top sports car that you tend to roar around in during the winter months. In Melbourne I think I wore my Irvin twice during the daytime, it was just too much. Over in the UK a D-1 or B-6 is probably a better bet if you want a sheepskin flight jacket that you can wear more than a handful of times over a year.

If you go for a sheepskin/shearling flight jacket Brett you really would have a hard time going past ELC. Yes the prices are stratospheric but in terms of sheepskin/shearling flight jackets for me they are the top of the heap and it's easier in my mind to justify the price with a shearling jacket. They also wear beautifully. I've posted this image before but I just love my ELC Irvin, 11 years old this year and looks even better.

 

[Griffon_301]

True words...my B-3 is more than twenty years old and its still a great jacket to wear. The shearling is a bit shorter than it was when it was new and the lacquer outside has crumbled making it look crusty a little bit but I would never give it away...

 

[Roughwear]

Got an ELC B-6 on order at the moment. It's by far my favourite shearling - just the right weight for UK winters, and enough space underneath to layer a jumper when you need it. Nicely tailored cut to it, so it looks sharp too! The D1 is good but a pretty boxy and shapeless fit in my experience. From your photos, you have quite a slim build so I think the B-6 would suit you down to a tee.

The Irvin and B-3 are brilliant to look at, but far too heavy for our weather. Not worth the money in my view - get yourself a B-6 and a few repro WW2 sweaters for when it's seriously cold and you'll be good to go

Surely I can't be the only member here who regularly wears Irvins and B-3s during cold spells in the english winter! In the War the Irvin was worn regularly on the ground by aircrew as well as in the air!

 

[MikeyB-17]

I’ve owned repro examples of almost all the best known sheepskins-B-3, D-1, AN-J-4, Irvin and M-444. My favourite by far was the B-3, and my incessant wailing that I shouldn’t have sold the Aero I had will be familiar to regular readers. I never found mine excessively hot, or bulky, or uncomfortable (when worn in the appropriate conditions, of course). I never kept any of the others for any length of time, admittedly a couple had issues which necessitated moving them on, sizing for instance, but the AN-J-4 really was too bulky for my taste and I didn’t get on with the collar, the D-1 was an Aero sale page job, maybe I’d have got on better with a standard one, the ELC Irvin was too small but otherwise I liked it, and would have kept it if it was bigger, and the W&G M-444 had a windflap that I felt looked too ‘mall jacket’ish when undone. I have never had a B-6 as I don’t like the bi-swing. Yeah, lighter cloth jackets are more practical, and I’d never be daft enough to wear a shearling out in the rain, but if you want your ego boosted, the sheepskins are your boys, I got more compliments from them than any other jacket I’ve had.

 

[Thomas Koehle]

experimental Flip Flops have been part of the WW2 life rafts found on destroyers and subs from March 2nd 1941 until September 15th 1944 - if they are "reals" but no repops they are worth a heck of money ...

 

[Carl]

owning a few of the jackets mentioned here I feel the need to add a cent or two

First I have to say that for practicality, a shearling is not that great; I own a B-3, a B-6 and an Irvin (all from ELC) and while all three are stylish as hell, the rather cheap (in comparison) BR N-1 and ELC Roughwear B-15 beat all of them with every day wear usability; you can move around much more freely in the Alpaca lined cloth jackets than in the shearlings; also regarding low temperatures, we had one of the coldest winters on record here in Austria with temperatures going as low as -25° C in the evenings and nights and even the N-1 and B-15 did not struggle to keep me warm, even with only a lighter sweater or thin pullover underneath;

for the style factor though, nothing beats the shirlings; I wore the Irvin during our first holiday this year in Innsbruck and while standing in front of a rather expensive jewellry, a russian guy came asking where he could buy a jacket like mine; I told him where it is from and he offered me some serious dinero if I sold him mine on the spot, an offer which I declined of course

you may read from my lines that I have a good selection of repro jackets and if you´d ask me which one I´d choose if it had to be only one I might still go for the Irvin; but I am holding high hopes for the new B-6 I bought at Duxford last weekend; its a wonderfully beautiful Roughwear B-6 and I have to thank Rob that he made it possible for me to pick it up at Duxford; I am still uncertain which patch I should add (hard choice between 334th FS and 487th FS) of if I leave it as it is (opinions welcome);

so to come to a conclusion, if you look for shearling, my choice would be between the Irvin and the B-6; or wait till ELC releases their Poughkeepsie ANJ-4, that might be my next temptation once it becomes available...
if it can be a cloth jacket, the B-15/B-15A is also worth a consideration; if you can live with simple functionality and understatement, the N-1 might also fill the bill...

487th

 

[Skip]

f you live in warmer climes then they are overkill unless you have an open top sports car that you tend to roar around in during the winter months. e

The next best way to wear 'em if you ain't got a plane

Yours is looking more like an original Tim each time you let us have a look at it

 

[D97x7]

Surely I can't be the only member here who regularly wears Irvins and B-3s during cold spells in the english winter! In the War the Irvin was worn regularly on the ground by aircrew as well as in the air!

Another one here, I wear mine all the time for dog walks, early drives before the car warms up and I'm often the best dressed chap in Asda.

 

[Greg Gale]

The WPG Irvin is said to be thinner than other Irvins - then again, I can't compare. I can comfortably wear it below -2°C . They aren't put together as nicely as an ELC, you'll see a few oddities, but fit wise I cannot complain. I get compliments on it all the time (except for my ex, who said she'd never walk next to me while I'm wearing it. Well, she got what she wanted ) . They run large though. I'm a size 40-42. I first ordered a 42, was too large, sold it. Bought a 40, was too large, sold it. Now I have a 38, with plenty of room underneath for layering. I'll just leave this picture of it here:

 

[B-Man2]

Greg;
Looks like that Irvin is being used in the proper manner it was designed for
You finely nailed the fit down...looks spot on.

 

[Dr H]

Another one here, I wear mine all the time for dog walks, early drives before the car warms up and I'm often the best dressed chap in Asda.

Not if I get there first...

 

[johnwayne]

C’mon chaps, it’s not difficult to be the best dressed guy in Asda! Now, had you said Waitrose!! Back on thread, as many of you say shearlings can be very ‘stylish’ I agree and I’m sure I’ll be tempted one day but having acquired a B10 last year it proved so warm last winter and very practical too I have another good reason not to pay the high price that most shealings now command, albeit that’s not to say I won’t stop looking for a steal!!!

 

[Brettafett]

... (except for my ex, who said she'd never walk next to me while I'm wearing it. Well, she got what she wanted )

Hahaha! She did, and you scored!
Vicky probably not only walk next to you with a smile, but also help you pick the right size... and discuss lengths till the wee hours! Great looking jacket, where its meant to be.

 

[MikeyB-17]

C’mon chaps, it’s not difficult to be the best dressed guy in Asda! Now, had you said Waitrose!!

I believe it was Stephen Fry who said ‘I love Sainsburys-it keeps the riff-raff out of Waitrose’.