Destination Tokyo - 1932 style

[Fletch]

Thought I'd throw you a look at a jacket you will likely never get to wear even a halfway decent copy of, especially if you're a big grain fed Yank like yrs truly.

This baby appeared on an auction catalog in 2006 from a Seattle outfit called Heller's Cafe. They say they've "provided the best American collector vintage clothing to Japan for over 20 years." (no comment...counting to ten here...god bless capitalism...7...8...9...holy gee, I think I'm turning into a cross between Stu Clurman and Lou Dobbs. )

Price realized: $3,500. Highest in the whole auction (mostly denim and icky shirts, with a few stand-up ad displays thrown in.)

It's a very modern and practical design, really - basically an A-1 in cloth with a zipper and bellows pockets. Sort of an A-11/2. I think they made some in leather too. The sort of thing you'd think you could find anywhere, but turns out to be pure 24 karat unobtainium.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

In addition to all the militaria, denim, rayon, leather, and sweatshirt stuff, hoards of the wildest, rarest vintage 1930s and '40s "collegiate" suits and shoes --the stuff you see in those old Sears Roebuck catalogs, but never in real life-- have been shipped to Japan. In the 1990s, buyers from Japan would fly to the U.S. all the time, scouring the Midwest for dusty old store warehouses holding deadstock vintage clothing and accessories. Twice, I've been lucky enough to see in person some of the '30s menswear that they've found. Let's just say that the Sears catalogs weren't lying.


Know what's weird? Those '30s-'40s suits and shoes never seem show up in catalogs or auctions aimed at the Japanese market. I've always wondered how the stuff gets sold, where it gets sold, and who buys it. Seems like a very underground market. [huh]

.

 

[Fletch]

We won the war, and took over their country.
In turn, they won the depression, and took over our past.

Irony abounds. [huh]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

A variation on an old maxim: "Wanna succeed? Lose a war against America."

.

 

[David Conwill]

I saw this thread on Google and was hoping for a novel about Keystone bombers taking off from the USS Lexington. :/

Cool jacket, though!

-Dave

 

[GHQ1]

DARN! Wrong letters on this one . . .

 

[The Good]

That jacket reminds me a bit of the WWII tanker and A-1 jacket. Looks like a comfortable, and practical design. Is this really supposed to be the first U.S. Navy issued flight jacket?

 

[Fletch]

The original spec 37J1, ca. 1927, was for a brown capeskin jacket like the Army's A-1 (adopted at about the same time), except with pockets at mid-chest, instead of waist level as the A-1 had.

Charles Lindbergh with the Navy High Hats aerobatic team, 1929

The 1932 cloth jacket was actually spec 37J1A, but not labeled as such.
There was a further modification about 1935, 37J1B, with changes to the collar closure.
Both the A & B jackets were made of Jungle Cloth, a heavy-weight, water-repellent, bedford cord cotton.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Australian military had a similar jacket in the early 1950s in khaki drill. I'll try to knock together some pics of my Aussie jackets in this pattern.

bk

 

[PADDY]

Interesting info.

 

[Dr H]

Another original slice of unobtanium (this time from Sigmund Eisner & Co.) - I'm really getting into this contract.

The images aren't great, but they've been reposted from a Japanese blog.

Currently waiting on my Willis & Geiger NA-1 from the US, but already contemplating selling it on and buying a RM Japan 37J1B Zielinski & Co.

 

[Dr H]

Just took delivery of this one - the Willis & Geiger copy of the 37J1B (given the fictitious number NA-1, navy A-1?), which I had hoped would be a useful summer jacket when it gets too warm for the capeskin A-1.

I'll preface the comments by saying that it's not in the league of the much pricier Buzz Rickson 37J1 or Real McCoy's 37J1B (the latter copied from John Chapman's original - pure unobtanium as a wise man once said, and rarer than rocking horse poop...) .

Better images and a review to follow, but this is taken with an iPhone under fluorescent light - more buff coloured in natural light.

The good news is that I'm very impressed with the quality of the tailoring - I'd feared this would be a flimsy summer jacket, but the weight of Bedford cord is not at all bad and all the bits are present and working nicely. Cuffs and waistband are a good weight and elasticity - buttons have a good dished profile, good copy of a period Talon.

The bad news is the size. I wear a vintage 44 in most things and as a 46 it's just a bit too baggy/wide on the shoulders (i.e. it fits as a 46).

I'll take some more images and review it, but then it's on to the Buy/Sell Board...

I've decided to bite the bullet and ask a Japanese friend to source an RM 37J1B Zielinski.

 

[Edward]

In addition to all the militaria, denim, rayon, leather, and sweatshirt stuff, hoards of the wildest, rarest vintage 1930s and '40s "collegiate" suits and shoes --the stuff you see in those old Sears Roebuck catalogs, but never in real life-- have been shipped to Japan. In the 1990s, buyers from Japan would fly to the U.S. all the time, scouring the Midwest for dusty old store warehouses holding deadstock vintage clothing and accessories. Twice, I've been lucky enough to see in person some of the '30s menswear that they've found. Let's just say that the Sears catalogs weren't lying.


Know what's weird? Those '30s-'40s suits and shoes never seem show up in catalogs or auctions aimed at the Japanese market. I've always wondered how the stuff gets sold, where it gets sold, and who buys it. Seems like a very underground market. [huh]

.

I remember reading that in the early days of e-commerce it was an uphill battle in Japan as culturally the Japanese preferred to use cash for everything. No idea if that's still the case, but it could be that this stuff is all being sold through specialist real-world shops if that is what the local market prefers.

 

[David Conwill]

I just stumbled across this one without the stencil. Kinda cool, but almost seven times the price I'd consider paying for something I might actually wear. Cool jacket, though.

 

[Ishmael]

Heller's Cafe is a division of the Japanese company Warehouse, not really a Seattle based outfit. It's kinda like how my Rainbow Country jacket, made just up the road in Noda City, Chiba, says Oakland CA on it.......

 

[Xenophon]

Blueingreen is a lovely shop. They stock one pair of Samurai jeans dyed with kakishibu (persimmon), t's pictured on their site (true colour is less pink than how it shows) but carries a hefty tag and importing it in the EU would be madness, duties and VAT being what they are. Warmly recommended whenever one visits NY (alas, not on the cards for yours truly).