ALL REPRO R.A.F. Irvin type jackets

[Smithy]

Greeny,

Irvin jackets as others have said are large, in truth slightly cumbersome garments which were made purely to provide warmth for (initially) flying in open cockpit aircraft. Saying that once they are broken in they are (for me anyway) a joy to wear.

Yes, the arms are to begin with very inflexible, however after an half dozen or so wears they will break in and crease where your arm bends. In terms of the sheepskin and leather, your Irvin is completely and utterly normal. Remember these are natural hides and there are differences between jackets.

Your Irvin looks grand, and the fit is very good. Just wear it and wear it often and I have no doubt you will come to love it. It will be just the thing to ride out those Austrian winters in.

 

[rikbb]

nice one

I need to try it on a few more times and decide whether or not to keep it. It's a beautiful jacket and fits perfectly - I'm just not sure it looks right on me. I'll try and post a couple of pics a little later.

Hello,
The jacket looks great! Specially the dark fur. The 'leather side' seems to have a little bit of an 'elephant' aspect. Should you want to abandon the jacket, I wouldn't mind to trade it for my, mid-nineties 42" ELC irvin.
But i think you will start liking yours,
best,
rik

 

[greeny]

I might be interested..do you have any pics?

 

[greeny]

Some daylight pics - the colour is much better in natural light.

 

[PADDY]

Looks GREAT..!

Just wear and enjoy - just like these boys below!

 

[rikbb]

ok

I might be interested..do you have any pics?

I will post some later.

 

[Cap'n Spaulding]

I just ordered an Irvin from Aero. Greeny, I hope mine looks as cool as your ELC!

 

[Hawk_Eye]

If I were you I'd be ecstatic with your new Irvin greeny. The fit is perfect, and as you wear it, the arms wear wear in and mold to your shape. Enjoy it.

 

[rikbb]

elc

I might be interested..do you have any pics?

here are some:

have more if you want,
greetings from rainy paris,

 

[aswatland]

Greetings from rainy Kent! One of my ELC 1942 Irvins had almost an identical fleece to this and was closer to originals than some of their more recent 42 pattern Irvins IMO.

 

[greeny]

Very nice!!
And greetings from rainy Austria!

 

[aswatland]

Here are some pics of the early ELC Irvin I used to own. It was most likely made from Marino fleece which is very soft. The jacket had little wear and was in superb condition without wear to the fleece, holes, repairs etc.. The reversed sheepskin side was remarkably similar to originals and did not have the smooth finish of most more recent ELC Irvins.
Measurements:
Pit to pit: 24"
Across the shoulders: 20"
Sleeves from shoulder to end of cuff: 25.5"
Back from base of collar to bottom of hem: 25"

 

[rikbb]

same

Hello Andrew,

Yes it looks very much like mine. the close curly fur. the color.
(I even remeber trying to contact you when you put it on ebay, as i could not view the item…)

But ever since I saw the D.G. irvin (which you have now) with the dark fur, I just prefer the darker fur.

But this ELC jacket certainly dates back to some glory time in their production history.

All the best!
Rik

 

[aswatland]

I do not have a preference for the colour of the sheepskin, but I do prefer the earlier skins used by ELC as they are closer to originals than the more recent ones IMO.

 

[Cap'n Spaulding]

Both of those are beautiful jackets!

 

[L'Onset]

Great looking jackets

Nice jackets Rikbb, Aswatland, Greeny.
Greeny, it really looks perfect on you, I would not send it back.

How I'd like to have one of those, but I bought a "pseudo B-3" (rather sherpa-jacket) last winter and I risk being shot at dawn if I only mention about getting a new one.[huh]
But is not the reproduction of an impression what really moves me, so I enjoy it as if it were an accurate replica. It seems clumsy and bulky, but when the weather gets cold and the blizzard comes, oh man... what a joy!


Anyway, Paddy, those airmen on your first picture what airforce do they belong to? They don't seem RAF to me, but I'm not an expert on that matter

 

[aswatland]

The airman in Paddy's picture are Russians. Britain supplied the Russian Air Force with Irvins during the War after 1941.

 

[Stearmen]

Pilots

I am afraid you are off the mark on that one, the pilots in the top photo are French pilots with the Normandie-Niemen squadron flying for Russia! They went to Russia instead of Britain, because they felt the British had betrayed them at Dunkirk. They Flew Yak fighters and racked up an impressive kill ratio, expecially after they received the Yak 3. They are finally getting some recognition now that the cold war is over. Incidentally, old Stalin had heard that it was customary to let French soldiers return to their native land with the weapon they had bested their enemy with. So,they flew two squadrons of Yak 3s back to France after the war!

 

[Stearmen]

Pilots

You just beet me to the draw on that one! LOL

 

[aswatland]

I am afraid you are off the mark on that one, the pilots in the top photo are French pilots with the Normandie-Niemen squadron flying for Russia! They went to Russia instead of Britain, because they felt the British had betrayed them at Dunkirk. They Flew Yak fighters and racked up an impressive kill ratio, expecially after they received the Yak 3. They are finally getting some recognition now that the cold war is over. Incidentally, old Stalin had heard that it was customary to let French soldiers return to their native land with the weapon they had bested their enemy with. So,they flew two squadrons of Yak 3s back to France after the war!

Thanks for putting me straight on this. I now recognise the French AF cap badge insignia. I think it must have been the Irvins and the Yak which said Russians to me. I had no idea Irvins were worn by French pilots. Are these possibly from the British consignment of Irvins to Russia?