ALL REPRO R.A.F. Irvin type jackets

[thor]

Great looking jackets, gentlemen. Was wondering about the zips: were they produced in brass as well as the nickel steel finish? Just wondering what zipper finish is more WWII accurate in a repro Irvin. Tally Ho!

 

[Spitfire]

Hi Thor: Both are right. The Dot zips have the "brass look "and the Lightning zips has the nickel steel look. Both were used by different producers of Irvins during WWII. But it takes an expert like Andrew to tell which producers used which zippers!
Try taking a stroll through the large and long Irvin thread - lots of zippers - and some pretty amazing pics.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...e-Jackets-Loving-that-Wolf-in-sheeps-clothing!

 

[thor]

Thank you Spitfire. You're right on: cool photos in that thread!

 

[aswatland]

Soren is quite correct. Dot zips (made under license from United Carr) were predominantly made from brass, although some had cast alloy sliders. Lightning zips were nickel/steel. It is not possible to identify a maker simply by the zips used as a range of zips were used by the same maker. Later in the War Flash Fastener manufactured brass zips, which were used as sleeve zips.

 

[Jonnyboy]

Looking good Søren! Great to see how your jacket is breaking in. I'm still wearing my first test jacket, which is very broken in now! I keep meaning to make myself a new one (as the first test jacket has lots of stitching errors), but I haven't got round to it yet!

Thor - I use zips which are based on the wartime Lightning zips (nickel). I'd love to eventually be able to offer brass Dot zips, but that's a way off yet! I'm also hoping to be be able to offer different sheepskin options in the future too.

Here are a few photos of a size 42 jacket that I finished today.

I absolutely love making these jackets! They're a bugger to make, but it's also very satisfying!

 

[Smithy]

Jon, as I said earlier in this thread, you really make the pinnacle of Irvin reproductions.

I still plan to get one of yours down the line but having just bought a house in Norway and in the process of moving there it'll have to wait a bit for the finances to recover. But the perfect country in the world to own an Irvin - you get to wear it a darn sight more than most places

Beautifully looking pre/early war jacket there. How about some pics of that first test jacket you are still wearing be great to see how it's worn in.

 

[Spitfire]

Spitfire, thanks for posting those pics, I remember when you posted pics of your Aces High Irvin when it was new, and I thought at the time that for cut and color it was the best repro I'd ever seen.
How long was the wait time? I rekin there's no chance of getting one for this winter, but if I order now, it'll all be done and dusted for next winter.

Hi, as far as I remember the wait time was 2 - 3 months. Mostly because Jon was waiting for delivery of the sheepskins. But call Jon and ask him, it all depends on how many orders he has. It's a one man company.

 

[Jonnyboy]

Thanks Smithy - that's very kind of you! I should think Norway is the ideal place to be wearing an Irvin! In fact, my avatar photo is from a May 1940 article in 'Match' magazine about the RAF in Norway!

Big J - the wait time at the moment is around 5 - 6 months. I had to put jacket making to one side this summer, as my other work commitments took up most of my time, mostly design work. I've since decided not to take on any new design projects, so I'm now solely concentrating on jacket making. I have a pipeline of orders which should take me through to next February/March.

Smithy - here are a few photos taken this morning of test jacket number one, as it's looking after a few years of hard use. Don't look too closely at the stitching (it was the first thing I've made with a sewing machine!).

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Spitfire]

It's looking good, Jon. Mine has developed the same worn surface. And of course with much better stitching!!!
So happy for you, that you've got so many orders in the pipeline. After all the work and research you went through, you deserve it.
And I still think your Irvins are the top of repros. I use mine every day from october till april and I get a lot of looks, positive comments and people asking if it's "an old one" - original.

 

[IXL]

.......... Don't look too closely at the stitching (it was the first thing I've made with a sewing machine!).

Cheers,

Jon

This is the result of a first try? Sir, judging from the images, this was an outstanding accomplishment!

 

[thor]

This is the result of a first try? Sir, judging from the images, this was an outstanding accomplishment!

+1

 

[Smithy]

Thanks Smithy - that's very kind of you! I should think Norway is the ideal place to be wearing an Irvin! In fact, my avatar photo is from a May 1940 article in 'Match' magazine about the RAF in Norway!

Big J - the wait time at the moment is around 5 - 6 months. I had to put jacket making to one side this summer, as my other work commitments took up most of my time, mostly design work. I've since decided not to take on any new design projects, so I'm now solely concentrating on jacket making. I have a pipeline of orders which should take me through to next February/March.

Smithy - here are a few photos taken this morning of test jacket number one, as it's looking after a few years of hard use. Don't look too closely at the stitching (it was the first thing I've made with a sewing machine!).

Cheers,

Jon

Jon, that looks amazing! You'd be forgiven thinking that you're looking at a well preserved original there.

And even though your skills will have progressed that one will always hold a special place for you

Just stunning :eusa_clap

 

[Jonnyboy]

Thanks for the kind comments guys!

There's often a lot of discussion regarding the 'typical' sheepskin used on original Irvins, and how accurate various reproductions are. As there was such a variety of different sheepskin used, I thought it might be useful to post a few photos of several pieces of original sheepskin side by side. Hopefully this will help to show just how much variety there was.

Although many pieces look very yellow now, they seem to have started out much more honey/ginger coloured, and often darker. You can see this when you look at the wool nearest the skin, which hasn't been as exposed to sunlight. One of the photos below shows a piece of sheepskin which has a ginger square on it - that's the part which was underneath the label, and hasn't faded, and shows its true colour.

The colour of the outer side of the sheepskins also varied, from a fairly red chestnut brown to more of a dark chocolate brown.

So, as a maker of reproduction Irvins, it's difficult to settle on a 'typical' sheepskin. I'd like to be able to offer several options further down the line, but ultimately I think it all comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer lighter, more close-pile wool, others shaggier ginger wool.

I hope this is helpful!

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Sloan1874]

Thanks for that, Jon. Just goes to prove how varied the world of Irvins is, and the challenges makers have to get it right.

 

[Dav]

WW11 movie on TV, I just had to don the new jacket.

 

[Big J]

Thanks Smithy - that's very kind of you! I should think Norway is the ideal place to be wearing an Irvin! In fact, my avatar photo is from a May 1940 article in 'Match' magazine about the RAF in Norway!

Big J - the wait time at the moment is around 5 - 6 months. I had to put jacket making to one side this summer, as my other work commitments took up most of my time, mostly design work. I've since decided not to take on any new design projects, so I'm now solely concentrating on jacket making. I have a pipeline of orders which should take me through to next February/March.

Smithy - here are a few photos taken this morning of test jacket number one, as it's looking after a few years of hard use. Don't look too closely at the stitching (it was the first thing I've made with a sewing machine!).

Cheers,

Jon

Hi Jon,

I've only just noticed that you responded to my comment. All apologies.
I will order one of your jackets, that are the best repros I've seen. But now I'm thinking about how I could get some brass DOT zips and send them out to you. I'll start hunting!

 

[wdw]

Dav, you cant just stop there. You know that's not allowed. Looking good so far.

 

[Dav]

Aero Pre-War Irvine

Now the sun has come up, here's some fit pics






With this one I just gave my chest/height measurements and left it to Aero, 1.5" has been added to body and arms to allow for height. I think they got it spot on for me.
Pictures are taken wearing a heavy shirt and thick utility shirt underneath, still leaving enough room for a sweater should it be required.

 

[Deacon211]

Unbelievable! That really looks like an original. My Eastman still makes me look like a linty marshmallow! HA!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[wdw]

Looks very good on you. I like mine more than I expected to and also wear it a lot more than I thought I would.