I used to have an Eastman G1. They're based on the first spec, 55J14. Mine was very trim and fit more or less identically to a vintage 50s model I've always regretted selling. My advice would be to buy vintage - there are lots around and you can still find a bargain.
By split seam I meant the gusseted seam (is that the right word?). I like the back arrangement of the Canuck the best, and the simplicity of the Brakeman. My only criticism of the Work Coat is that, from the back, it looks like a long Speedway.
Sloan, just out of interest, do you have a pic of the back of the original jacket? I'm toying with the idea of one of these as my next jacket (in black Vicenza) but the split seam bugs me, as does the half-belt, mainly because I think the Canuck and the Brakeman are more period authentic. But...
Peter McManus! Had to break my long silence to say that this used to be one of my favourite hangouts as well. My wife still insists it has the best burger in Manhattan.
Vintage clothing-wise, I remember Screaming Mimis on Lafayette (?) as being pretty good, and I think it's still there. That...
A couple of more or less deadstock prewar leather jackets I've handled did feel very much like vinyl.
when I tried on the BK jackets they have in American Classics (London) I thought the leather had bags of character. Light but not flimsy. I don't know whether they where Liberty or Victory...
I inherited a German artillery range finder/trench periscope from my grandfather, who was a British artillery officer in ww1 and had captured it from a German battery in 1918. I spent hours and hours looking through them as a kid. If you think what sights had been seen through them, the...
I would agree with Sloan. I have samples of both and the battered has more character than the oil pull - it looks like well broken-in leather, whereas the oil pull looks, well, oily.
There are a few up St Denis, roughly between Roy and Duluth (the Bistro L'Express is up there as well, and it's excellent). Those are the only ones I know but I suspect I've only scratched the surface.
To my mind, that's a great length.
It really is all about body type. I have broad shoulders and a relatively long torso so shorter jackets tend to look ridiculous - or so I think. Others don't seem to think so, but it's how the thing feels on you. And in my case, I tend to feel like an organ...
I lived opposite the King's Road shop for a year in 1984 - happy days! I used to think of American Classics as the high-end version of Flip on Longacre.
Those BK jackets are the bomb. Very taken by the capeskin.
Seeing as I won't be able to afford the BK/American Classics Heracles in the foreseeable future (or indeed an Aero) I have my eye on a beautiful 1950s naval greatcoat by Gieves Limited, or failing that, an old French leather Canadienne...
The Hercules was pretty slim-fitting, the Aeronaut a little looser, which I would guess is how the originals would have fitted. I'm a fairly straightforward size 42 and bearing in mind that the Hercules was a 42, I would - should the occasion arise - probably go up to a 44. The Hercules is a...
I tried on a couple of BK jackets yesterday at American Classics in London: a Hercules in russet Italian hh and an Aeronaut in cape. Both very, very nice indeed. The detailing was top-notch, as were the hides. The cape handled like heavy velvet. They're waiting on delivery of the 1930s Hercules...
General Truscott's jacket is similar but not identical to an M-444: see pockets and stitching detail on either side of the zipper here: http://liberationtrilogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/12b-195814-Truscott-ODaniel-Oct-44.jpg
And back view here. No diamond sleeve patches, an M-422A back...
Many years ago I lived in the building next door to the Hells Angels clubhouse in Manhattan. I can't honestly remember what style of leathers they wore - you didn't want to be caught staring.
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