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

[Gee]

Jacket now sold for £334. Unfortunately I have no idea how to include a link to the auction, but I have just found it using Advanced Search and the item number - 110621084074. Hopefully this will work for you too.

 

[Gee]

Could anyone help me with this one? I recently added to my (very small) collection of Irvins with a jacket which I believe to be an early example. It has a small label with a crown and A.M.750 C1. Interesting jacket with the shortest pile sheepskin I have ever seen, though this may be due to compression through prolonged use - the seller told me that her mother used it on her motorbike in the late 1940s, and that she had herself worn it on her scooter in the 1960s. Is it possible to date the jacket from the label? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Smithy]

Could anyone help me with this one? I recently added to my (very small) collection of Irvins with a jacket which I believe to be an early example. It has a small label with a crown and A.M.750 C1. Interesting jacket with the shortest pile sheepskin I have ever seen, though this may be due to compression through prolonged use - the seller told me that her mother used it on her motorbike in the late 1940s, and that she had herself worn it on her scooter in the 1960s. Is it possible to date the jacket from the label? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Gee,

Post pictures of the jacket and especially details of the label, collar and zips. Andrew Swatland, one of our resident gurus should be able to help you.

Cheers and congrats on the purchase,

Smithy

 

[aswatland]

All Irvins with the small rectangular label date to 1939-40 and were made by Links. Links was a large volume maker, awarded its fiirst contract for Irvins by the AM in 1939. The quality of construction and sewing was generally inferior to Irvin Air Chute jackets.

 

[free818]

Hi, guys! My name is Andrey, I'm from Moscow. I'm the happy owner of original Irvin jacket. It has got to our family from the relative who during WWII worked in the city of Murmansk (USSR) and accepted cargoes from allied troops. One of the British pilots has presented to him a jacket and trousers. I spread some photos of a jacket, what can you tell about it? Sorry for my English. WBR, Andrey

All Foto http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/kovalin/album/104718?p=0

Hello,your jacket looks like very new.
How much is it?

 

[Gee]

Thank you very much for the advice gentlemen, I will try to take some photos later this week and post them here for confirmation. I will try to show how thin the fleece is somehow. Two of the zips on the jacket have been replaced with Lightnings, one is the original Dot (this is what I have been told by the seller) but the Dot sleeve zip and Lightning main zip have now disintegrated. I know the consensus is that Eastman make the best repro jackets but their zips are not fantastically accurate. Aero claim on their site to use accurate copies of wartime zips - can anyone confirm this? and does anyone know roughly how much they would charge to replace zips/supply zips to have replaced by a local seamstress?

 

[aswatland]

Aero's zips are even less accurate than Eastman's Riri Lightning style ones. I would suggest you try to get hold of some decent original Dot zips. A source is a wrecked pair of Irvin trousers. I have no idea what Aero would charge as I always do my own work. Good luck.

 

[Rattlesnake]

Hello,your jacket looks like very new.
How much is it?

Thanks! ~70 years

 

[Gee]

You're not going to believe this, but I spent half an hour driving through the snow to my local branch of "Wrecked Irvin Trousers R Us" only to find they were out of stock! Instead the shelves were full of rocking horse poo and hen's teeth - apparently they are easier to source. Never mind I am sure diligent searching of auction sites for the next few months/years/decades will eventually yield a result. Thank you for the advice, I will try to do the right thing by the jacket whenever I can find the zips.

 

[free818]

Irvins jacket form Soviet Air Force.
http://www.normandia-neman.ru/catalog/?SECTION_ID=97&ID=339

 

[Stearmen]

Normandie-Niemen

Irvins jacket form Soviet Air Force.
http://www.normandia-neman.ru/catalog/?SECTION_ID=97&ID=339

They are not Russian pilots, they are pilots from the Normandie-Niemen squadrons composed of Free French pilots that flew for Russia after the fall of France! They were good, expecially after receiving Yak 3s.

 

[ButteMT61]

They are not Russian pilots, they are pilots from the Normandie-Niemen squadrons composed of Free French pilots that flew for Russia after the fall of France! They were good, expecially after receiving Yak 3s.

The Yaks are cool in an odd sense. The Chinese use them too, and there are large groups of them at air shows due to relative affordability and availability.
Nice, simple aircraft and they sound good too!

 

[free818]

Oh.

Yakovlev Yak-3
http://www.warbirdalley.com/yak3.htm

 

[aswatland]

Apart from Paddy and me, is anyone else wearing an original Irvin this winter? I have worn an Irvin almost every day since November with the exceptionally cold weather in the UK.

 

[Spitfire]

Apart from Paddy and me, is anyone else wearing an original Irvin this winter? I have worn an Irvin almost every day since November with the exceptionally cold weather in the UK.

You know I would - if only I could! have to do with my Aero Replica. But it gets plenty of usage too.

 

[miger]

Andrew, i'm now waiting for the second coat of Pecard's to dry on mine! LOL!-----------i'm sick of all the snow in the UK now, but i hope it stays long enough to get at least some Irvin wearing done!
My Irvin is now finally restored(when it dries)and it's ready to go!--------------i can't believe the improvement the leather treatment does! ---it's brilliant stuff!
This is my first experience of an original Irvin and i think it's fair to say that with originals, it's not just 70 year old sheepskin that's the problem, it's 70 year old stitching!
Pics on the way soon!

 

[Philrs]

Hello Andrew, yes, I do too. In the end, I decided to keep the original Irvin and wear it in alternation with my Eastman 1940 'Battle of Britain.' Though I am growing to dislike its Zip, but like its nice chestnust color.

Now in Belgium where the weather has been even worse than in the UK! Snowfall record since 1901!

Apart from Paddy and me, is anyone else wearing an original Irvin this winter? I have worn an Irvin almost every day since November with the exceptionally cold weather in the UK.

 

[aswatland]

Soren, I'm glad you are breaking in your Aero Irvin. I'm still on the look out for a size 8 original for you, but although a size 8 would be long enough in the arms and the body, they would be too small in the chest as they tend to go up to a size 46 chest rather than a 52.

It's good to see others are wearing their original Irvins this winter. Enjoy!

 

[free818]

Hello Andrew,in your album:
http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l15/aswatland/?action=view&current=025-16.jpg

Why so many holes on the surface?

 

[aswatland]

This is a late War jacket made from recycled Irvin trousers, which was the norm with these later multipanelled jackets. The stitch lines are from the trousers.