Just a few quick shots of my new Headwinds 37J1 jacket.
Overall, a nice effort on a not very common jacket. Time from order to arrival was about a month. Jay is making these as he goes along I believe so mine was made for me in particular (i.e. it didn't come out of stock).
Leather: I went with the goatskin as I figured it'd be more durable. Capeskin was also available. The goat is supple and thin, replicating capeskin well I would think. I'm no expert on capeskin though. The weight is substantially lighter than any G-1 or A-2 I've ever seen just for reference sake.
Collar and cuffs: I guess Jay originally had poly and wool knits available but switched to all wool in the end. These are nice and substantial.
Fit: The original 48 I ordered was a bit snug in the chest. Jay offered to remake the jacket for me adding two inches to the chest and I believe was planning to add the same to all of the larger sizes in the future. I think that the two inches was primarily added to the front seam as the back still feels a bit close [EDIT: Be advised that I do tend towards a broad back so this may skew this opinion somewhat] and the pockets are a bit wider than the first jacket had them (and just a bit wider than I think would look optimum). I think my jacket was the first effort at this upsizing however. So I'm going to pass these notes on to Jay and I suspect he will continue to refine the pattern as he goes along.
The sleeves are also relatively narrow, which may be somewhat historical. After all, no one wants loose sleeves flapping in the breeze of an open cockpit at 100 knots. Overall though it makes for a not completely roomy jacket; as compared to a G-1 particularly. Again, there is a certain amount of historical accuracy at work here from what I can tell based on pics of originals. But I thought I'd mention it for fitting purposes.
The collar, unlike the A-1, looks best worn closed, IMO. I flipped the collar over a few times, but just didn't think it looked quite right since the knits are rounded rather than pointed. As such, if you prefer open collars then the A-1 is probably more your style. This may change as the collar breaks in a bit. On the other hand, the shawl collar excels at what the jacket was designed for...keeping the wind out and the warm in. For such a thin jacket, the cozy wool collar really makes the jacket warmer than you would think when first putting it on. It's a great item for those windy fall days when it's sitting in the 50s (say 13-15C).
That's about it. This is a very reasonable jacket, nicely made and is a great choice for those looking for a light early fall jacket or those who lean more towards the barnstormer era than the war years. It has a certain Hughesian panache and I think it will be perfect with jeans as in the pictures or even dressed up with a collared shirt and tie.
Here is a pic of the original and a few shots of mine. Sorry for the low quality. As I can, I will upload some better shots.
Overall, a nice effort on a not very common jacket. Time from order to arrival was about a month. Jay is making these as he goes along I believe so mine was made for me in particular (i.e. it didn't come out of stock).
Leather: I went with the goatskin as I figured it'd be more durable. Capeskin was also available. The goat is supple and thin, replicating capeskin well I would think. I'm no expert on capeskin though. The weight is substantially lighter than any G-1 or A-2 I've ever seen just for reference sake.
Collar and cuffs: I guess Jay originally had poly and wool knits available but switched to all wool in the end. These are nice and substantial.
Fit: The original 48 I ordered was a bit snug in the chest. Jay offered to remake the jacket for me adding two inches to the chest and I believe was planning to add the same to all of the larger sizes in the future. I think that the two inches was primarily added to the front seam as the back still feels a bit close [EDIT: Be advised that I do tend towards a broad back so this may skew this opinion somewhat] and the pockets are a bit wider than the first jacket had them (and just a bit wider than I think would look optimum). I think my jacket was the first effort at this upsizing however. So I'm going to pass these notes on to Jay and I suspect he will continue to refine the pattern as he goes along.
The sleeves are also relatively narrow, which may be somewhat historical. After all, no one wants loose sleeves flapping in the breeze of an open cockpit at 100 knots. Overall though it makes for a not completely roomy jacket; as compared to a G-1 particularly. Again, there is a certain amount of historical accuracy at work here from what I can tell based on pics of originals. But I thought I'd mention it for fitting purposes.
The collar, unlike the A-1, looks best worn closed, IMO. I flipped the collar over a few times, but just didn't think it looked quite right since the knits are rounded rather than pointed. As such, if you prefer open collars then the A-1 is probably more your style. This may change as the collar breaks in a bit. On the other hand, the shawl collar excels at what the jacket was designed for...keeping the wind out and the warm in. For such a thin jacket, the cozy wool collar really makes the jacket warmer than you would think when first putting it on. It's a great item for those windy fall days when it's sitting in the 50s (say 13-15C).
That's about it. This is a very reasonable jacket, nicely made and is a great choice for those looking for a light early fall jacket or those who lean more towards the barnstormer era than the war years. It has a certain Hughesian panache and I think it will be perfect with jeans as in the pictures or even dressed up with a collared shirt and tie.
Here is a pic of the original and a few shots of mine. Sorry for the low quality. As I can, I will upload some better shots.
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