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ALL ORIGINAL Irvin RAF type Jackets - Loving that Wolf in sheeps' clothing!

aswatland

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,338
Location
Kent, England
Irvins at Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow

Spitfire (Soren) and aswatland (Andrew) wearing contrasting Irvins when the weather turned chilly at Duxford on 4th September!

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alfyman

One of the Regulars
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202
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Cameron Park CA
about my Jacket

Hi, I purchased this Jacket from Cirrus, in the Uk, I was able to make payments. something they hadn't done before. But I Just love it. this is the Hurricane style,
 

Smithy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,139
Location
Norway
Whoops-a-daisy, can't see the pics of your jacket alfyman.

I've never seen a Cirrus jacket in the flesh and although their Irvins are not 100% accurate replicas, I have heard good things about their construction quality. They also make a rather passable attempt at a British WWI era Burberry style flying coat and some nice long length sheepskin coats.

But be warned, the bug might have bit you, and next step you'll want an Eastman or an Aero or even an original.

BTW, great shot of you two Søren and Andrew :eusa_clap
 

Smithy

I'll Lock Up
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5,139
Location
Norway
Ah thanks Andrew.

Alfyman, any chance you take some pictures of the jacket including detail shots and post them in the Irvin reproduction thread? I don't believe any Lounger has posted good images of a Cirrus, and it would be nice for perusal.

Cheers.
 

Spitfire

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5,078
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Two very different Irvins

Just want to share this large image of two very different - original - Irvins.
Not only the ouside colour but also the very different fleece.
Andrews jacket is his beautifull Irvin Air Chute model from 1938/39 and mine is a 1942/43 model from a small London based manufacturer.


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It might not be so clear, but the one I am wearing also has several colours inside. Very dark - almost black -wool at the topfront and very "curley" darkbrown for the rest.
 

Windsock

A-List Customer
Messages
339
Location
Australia
Great shots fellas, Soren I wasn't aware that you'd found an original- you must have reached your Nirvana- well done. What is it a 6 or 7?
 

Spitfire

I'll Lock Up
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5,078
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Windsock said:
Great shots fellas, Soren I wasn't aware that you'd found an original- you must have reached your Nirvana- well done. What is it a 6 or 7?

It's supposed to be a 7 - but hasn't got it on the lapel. It only says chest: 51
 

aswatland

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Kent, England
The jacket is by Robinson and Ensum and although marked a size 7 is in reality a size 6, with a 24" pit measurement! It's a nice jacket and is currently undergoing restoration in the UK.
 

Philrs

New in Town
Messages
35
Location
Uk
Spitfire said:
It's supposed to be a 7 - but hasn't got it on the lapel. It only says chest: 51

I knew it was you... I was also "watching" this one and then noticed it was withdrawn... ;-)
 

PADDY

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METROPOLIS OF EUROPA
Hey Soren...!

You kept that pretty quiet!!! You really are joining the League of Gentlemen here now aren't you!! ;) Original...it's the ONLY way to go..eventually. And to be honest, these sheepskins will mostly outlast most of 'us!!'
 

Spitfire

I'll Lock Up
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5,078
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark.
aswatland said:
The jacket is by Robinson and Ensum and although marked a size 7 is in reality a size 6, with a 24" pit measurement! It's a nice jacket and is currently undergoing restoration in the UK.

And - I should add in all fairness - too small for me! :(
(And we are not talking diet here - we are talking serious bone surgery!!!!)

Somehow I knew it was too good to be true, when Andrew told me about the jacket on ebay. But the seller gave some wrong chest measures, which made me believe that the jacket was even more than my size, so I jumped to it.
The seller would not ship outside UK, so I arranged that the jacket would be send to Andrew, who then would bring it to Duxford, where we allready had planned to meet.
Just imagine getting an original Irvin. On Duxford Airfield. At the 70 years Battle of Britain Airshow. With 16 Spitfires in the air above you! How cool is that?

Rather than having this jacket as a "stone in my shoe", since I could never wear it, I aggreed to Andrews kind offer of buying it from me - and remove it from my sight as painless as possible.
There were several minor restorations which should be done. And Andrew was the right man for that job.

I am still looking for a size 8 - but I am also getting more and more used to the thought, that my Aero pre-war Irvin is the best jacket I can ever get.

A sad story in many ways - but then again. Hey. I was the happy owner of an original Irvin for several days.Untill I tried it on.:)
 

aswatland

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,338
Location
Kent, England
Soren, I do hope a decent size 8 comes up for you. I have nearly completed the restoration work on the Robinson and Ensum jacket, including fitting original eyelets for the elastic strap and fixing those seam tapes that were beginning to come detatched using 1940s cotton. I'll post some pics in due course for you to see.
 

PADDY

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
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7,425
Location
METROPOLIS OF EUROPA
Full Irvin Suit and THE FAMOUS FIVE go walkabouts!

Was due to go to Shuttleworth for the Fly-In but have called it off. So, decided to go for a whizz around Northumberland in the Five. Rainey, Windy and Chilly were just the ideal ingredients for dropping the hood on the Five and getting the full suit on!! I LOVE IT..!!

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