Good Wear, Fave Contracts.

[Grayland]

I think it looks perfect as well. Beautiful jacket.

 

[zhz]

I am surprised no one mentioned star sports, it's another great contract.

 

[Sloan1874]

Anyone who owns one want to post pics and a pitch for why they love it?

 

[willyto]

Damn you Sloan. Now I'm really tempted to look at GW jackets and make an order while I keep saving... must resist.

 

[handymike]

No, you must get a GW!!!!

 

[Sloan1874]

I'm afraid I caved this evening. The pounds at the best position it's been in months, so decided to bite the bullet. Dubow 23379 contract with dull purple knits. I'm sure this will change numerous times over the next couple of years - I'm already conflicted over the Monarch... I'm keen on the purple, but does anyone think the mid-brown is better? Keen to hear all opinions!

 

[ButteMT61]

I'm thinking of going for a NOS type thing. A faithful repro that looks as if it had been found hidden but unworn at the back of an old surplus cupboard.

Simply then, don't order one from JC. No how, no way, any of those originals were as nice as his are. Not joking, but really, can something made during WWII wartime factory contracts near the art of a GW?

That said, the Perry I had was crazy amazing. It ended up being too short for me but I'd take it out of the closet and just hold it in amazement. I also love the others here, proving there is no right answer. You'll change your mind 10x before the day comes JC says make your final choice. Guaranteed.

*Edit: Well, I waited too long to post this as I see you did it. Congrats. But yes, you'll change over and over again. Not a loser in the bunch I recon.

*Edit II: One more thing about NOS zips. Be careful. Legit yes, but can bet finicky. I'm sure that someone like @aswatland could comment more on this, but I've had a few that look great, but made me want to scream. Luckily, I don't zip them up often, so it didn't break the deal.

 

[Sloan1874]

The thing is, having owned a Cable contract for a short while, I totally get what you're saying: the collar was not only huge, but uneven in finish that I would never accept as jacket, it was quite shocking. The nicest thing on it was the Crown zip. It just shows that there was a real disparity in quality, and the ones we see nowadays as vintage or museum pieces were really the cream of the crop.
I'm sure I'll spend the next couple of years(!) tortured by my choice(s) - hell, if I win the Lottery, I'l just order a set of A-2s to make life easier! But at least I'm no longer harangued by that bit of my brain that keeps telling me that I owe to myself to own one of John's works of art!

 

[bretron]

Looks perfect from the back! Bret, you can just tell people that you're wearing the jacket the same way the originals did: keep going until you get too big for it, then stick in the attic/sell it on/hand it down.

Haha! Nah man, what I did is cold soak it and stretch the mother slugger- I need a few more good wears out of this Good Wear!!!

 

[HPA Rep]

<snip>
Some originals had Talon zips with a rectangular puller and others like this one had the bell shaped puller. It was also the first contract to use large United Carr ring snaps and this jacket has NOS United Carr ones for the collar and pockets.
<snip>

All true, but some originals also feature the earlier zipper puller with full-circle hole in the center vs. the half-circle type. And the 24-line ring snaps were not exclusively used on this contract: the "dot" press studs can also be found.

The overall fit is quite fabulous on yours, Andrew, and it reminds me again that my second vintage A-2 I purchased in the '70's that fit perfectly was a re-dyed, re-issued 16160, which was likely a size 40 based on measurements, but which lacked a size label in the neck; it did have a pocket label that was clearly erroneous, stating size 44.

The vintage 16160's can be extremely grainy, which is evident on any I've seen or owned, and the Claire Chennault example being magnificent in this regard. I also like the light weight I associate to the vintage examples I've encountered, all being under 3 lbs. in my size. These are classic A-2's in this contract that were prominently seen in WWII.

 

[HPA Rep]

This picture has been posted many times before but is the best I have. My J.A. Dubow 20960. Dull russet Shinki. I like Dubow for some reason I can't really quantify. I also have a 27798. No photos though. If I were to get another it would be an SAT because I like it's evolutionary nature.

Oh and that's the USS Hornet behind me that Doolittle's Raiders flew from. Many of whom wore Dubows. In fact Doolittle himself wore one.

I also favor this dull hide on your A-2; it really looks superb, plus your fit is perfection! Dubow A-2's are interesting to many, and I certainly like the earlier ones quite a bit, more than the prolific 27798.

But that's not the HORNET Doolittle flew off for the Tokyo raid. This is CV-12, which is an Essex-Class carrier launched in the summer of '43, while the Doolittle Raiders flew off CV-8, a Yorktown-Class carrier lost in Oct. 1942 in the Battle of Santa Cruz and that also gained infamy for the slaughter of it's Torpedo Eight Squadron (VT-8) at the Battle of Midway.

 

[Gav]

Great... Thanks guys... Now I want a good wear monarch.

 

[devilish]

Charles, you are correct. CV-8 was lost. This Hornet in it's role as a floating museum is educating the public on all 'Hornets' and their place in history and as such is the closest thing to CV-8 we have left. I didn't want to get into this minutiae in my earlier post as it was late and I was just trying to set the mood with a little dramatic license.

 

[HPA Rep]

Charles, you are correct. CV-8 was lost. This Hornet in it's role as a floating museum is educating the public on all 'Hornets' and their place in history and as such is the closest thing to CV-8 we have left. I didn't want to get into this minutiae in my earlier post as it was late and I was just trying to set the mood with a little dramatic license.

And it's a fine museum, though I haven't been in years. Perhaps you know: Are there any artifacts from VT-8 in the collection?

 

[devilish]

Charles, you know I'm honestly not sure? I was there twice last year but there is so much to take in I couldn't tell you if there is VT-8 memorabilia on it or not? It's well worth the visit no matter what though. As is the lesser known museum on shore just a few hundred yards away from the Hornet.

 

[Sloan1874]

Having spoken to John about the knits, I'll be switching to the mid-brown, as the purple ones don't appear until later.

 

[Superfluous]

Having spoken to John about the knits, I'll be switching to the mid-brown, as the purple ones don't appear until later.

Good choice.

 

[devilish]

I would be tempted to go with the purple knit contract. But I do already have earlier Dubows. I love the dark seal brown/purple knit combo. I might have a G-1 made up in that combination, if possible, one day.

 

[pauleway]

The Californian is my favorite Goodwear design. I know I'm in the minority here on the FL, (maybe the only one!) but I never cared for the A-2 design. Too plain, don't like the stand-up collar. I think the Navy G-1 is a much nicer design (later contract with smaller sized russet fur collar) if you go military. JMHO!
No matter what you prefer, you can't go wrong with a J.C. made jacket!

 

[thor]

And it's a fine museum, though I haven't been in years. Perhaps you know: Are there any artifacts from VT-8 in the collection?

Hi Charles, if you're looking for a special VT-8 artifact, the Smithsonian museum has the M-421 cotton jacket worn by Ensign George Gay (sole survivor of VT-8) on display. It's faded, a bit dirty and quite weathered, but after his exploits at the Battle of Midway, it's amazing that the cloth jacket is still intact and in decent shape. The sight of his jacket, worn in combat during the Battle of Midway and the harrowing 30 hours adrift in the Pacific after ditching (and subsequent strafing by Japanese fighter planes!) gave me goosebumps.