Review of the Eastman 'Luftwaffe' jacket, NEW

[johnnyjohnny]

well, i waited a long time to do this, write a review of the jacket i coveted ever since first seeing it on the eastman website several years ago.

i came to the fedlounge already primed to be a fanatic, having started wearing military clothing in high school, surplus stuff whilst the vietnam war was going on, and just coming of age prior to having had to face a draft

my fascination with militariana seasoned after i got into selling vintage watches and ended up focusing on actual mil issue stuff...a special fascination developed over german ww2 issue watches, not only selling them but keeping a healthy supply for myself including a number of 'dh' (deutsch heer, the dh marking on the back signifying a swiss made german ordnanced ww2 mil watch) such as zenith and doxa, very premium brands

so when i started buying a-2 and g-1 jackets again, a few years back, and came to this venerable forum, it wasn't long before i fixated on the 'luftwaffe jacket'

i wanted one

the first i ever saw was that on the eastman website. i liked the plain luftwaffe, not the hartmann jacket....the hartmann, though specific and worn by a famous ace, simply didn't have the clean lines and bad boy imprint, futzed up by the little button pockets on the bottom that looked like women's purses attached to an otherwise fine creation

i tried other routes prior to pulling the trigger on the eastman, first trying an aero highwayman...then a lewis leathers dominator, pretty much the jacket 'the battle of britain' bought from lewis for their actors in that production, filmed in england, in the sixties

however, the highwayman was not a luftwaffe jacket despite it's beauty, and the lewis dominator, though close, did show it's rocker elements...two superbly fine jackets...but the eastman still called to me like a messerschmitt beckoning an spitfire to 'come play' in the clouds over europe decades ago

when a good week in my line of work came in late november, i didn't wait for the boldness to leave my fingers...i went to the computer keyboard, then to the eastman website, and punched in my credit card number

of course i verified if i needed a special order, or an off the rack size...all the 44s i kept seeing on ebay of the eastman luftwaffe jackets were about an inch too small in the armpit to armpit...so when rob from eastman wrote back that their stock 46 would give me the 26" back and the 26" armpit to armpit i wore...and that it would ship in a day or so, and get to me within the week...i bit

i would have waited the 3 months that an aero takes if i'd had to, but this felicity was too perfect

so today i picked it up, fighting L.A. traffic that seemed slower than usual. the box was wrapped in brown paper, which when peeled off, revealed quite a presentation, replete with plastic carrying handle and eastman logo making it appear to be a piece of fine luggage.

inside, the jacket itself was sealed in padded bag, and when i finally got to it i found an old style tag on the puller, and a beautiful enveloped accompanying letter with jacket info...hours later i would also find in one of the pockets 'the airman's guide to ww2' cd that eastman put there as well...nice touches

as for the jacket, i guarded myself from buying into the notion that everything was beautiful about it. i had too many jackets to mention where they all looked fine, until discovering the nick in the leather, the mis-sown seam, the less than wonderful fit...followed by the need to either accept, or send it back...you all know the feeling i'm sure

well, such never happened with the eastman. as it turned out, the jacket is better than even the prose and pictures on the eastman website.

it appears to be a piece of history that has come through a time warp unused, not of this time period. as a jacket fanatic i can enjoy it, but as a vintage watch collector and seller, i can appreciate authenticity when i see it...finally not just in photos, but a finish and construction, as well as shape and cut, that is from the past...but it's new...i've seen it new in pictures, but in person i've only seen such authenticity in well worn fifty year old survivors...not fresh and strong as they were meant to be used

i've spent enough time waxing, so i'll get to it...

the leather is horsehide, and it looks as if it were from the late 30s/early 40s...in a word, it looks as bad, as evil, as in those pictures of the bad guy fliers...not the more generically processed leather of modern jackets

compared to the lewis leather dominator that i had briefly, that jacket had authenticity, but it's authenticity was not of the luftwaffe of the forties, but the leather looked like it had popped out of the 60s, meant for some brit rocker...which, in fact, was what that jacket was all about

so, in the post office, i could see i finally got what i'd been seeking.

the fit seemed cut for me...i'd have to wait until i got home to measure it, but looking at myself in the post office mirrored windows, the jacket looked clean and as if fitted...as i'm sure it would for anyone who ordered one...one note, i didn't even have to pull in the side straps to eat up extra waist size that most modern moto jackets have...i could see already that this had a bit more 'v' taper to it than modern jackets that are built more for the post war food indulgent crowd...when measured at home, i saw the larger chest to waist drop than on modern jackets...so my side straps remain uncinched, despite my 45.5" chest and 34" waist...make a note if you choose to order one of these

living in lalaland, where the weather is allegedly warm to hot, i put the jacket on immediately in the 58 degree day we had today, and went to starbux for a coffee (decaf...how sad, i know)

the jacket would be tested right away. not just by squeezing into my '82 280zx with me, and operating supplely in the 'cockpit', but at starbux, the schoolkidz had just gotten out and taken over the coffe shop with their computers....so i needed to have my decaf outdoors...the jacket kept me warm enough that there were no problems until i was ready to leave...the jacket is a short jacket as these are, and rode up a bit in the back as i curled in my outdoor starbux chair, and my shirt had also tucked out of the back of my pants, but i was comfortable and warm enough with the textured cotton lining to hang until i was ready to split...still, i could tell, this light jacket would NOT be as overly warm during other times as perhaps a wool lined highwayman would

as for the leather, it is horsehide...though i thought it would be cow when i ordered...this horse is very supple, almost soft and buttery, and barely more thick than a good goat jacket...not at all heavy on...quite a surprise, a pleasant one...oh, and definitely warmer than my a-2 or even g-1 would have been today

as much as i loved my lewis leather jacket prior to selling it to get a netbook, i have taken to the look and fit of this more...such wonderful jackets cannot be compared, but my sensibilities are to the true 'luftwaffian' style, and despite chides from bellytank on the forum, i must say that in person this is the real deal...it has a shine, but much more of a mat quality that you might expect from one of these if you went back in time and saw a german pilot's jacket laying there...the pix on the eastman site look shiny and wonderful, but they almost look too wonderful to convey that this is not just a stereotypically manufactured jacket...it looks as if from a flight museum, except without all the wear

so the fit, cut, weight, warmth and texture were all remarkable. i knew that people who saw me in the bank, or in line at starbux, or at the market later, hadn't a clue i was wearing anything of import, but i don't doubt for a moment that subconsciously, as we all do, something must have registered as being different about 'that guy with the different jacket'...not that it mattered to me...i wear the watches i wear for me, and the jackets i wear for me...i can appreciate what i have on, and, like with you all i'm sure, provides enough satisfaction

but i still got the feeling that this jacket had a unique quality in how it appeared, that at some level it was registering with people who happened to look at it...like someone who knows nothing about cars seeing, nevertheless, a rare 50s mercedes in traffic...something registers at some level that there is something different than the norm

or maybe i had inadvertently dropped acid (not)

as for the measurements, i was curious to find out with a tape measure when i got home

what i could tell from wearing it, prior to getting home, was that this did not have the neanderthallic long arms that modern motorcycle jackets have...i had seen many of the actual luftwaffe jackets in pix over the last year, and noticed they had much shorter sleeves than i thought looked best...but often in those pix the pilots had jackets that were spray painted on...a smaller size than i would think right

and so this had sleeves that were about 3/4" short of my knuckles on each arm...more the length of a real jacket, not the orangutanian distance i had become used to with motorcycle jackets...including the lewis leather dominator i had owned

at first appalled at the long arms of moto jackets, i grew to like the look...so now i had to backstep to appreciate what i had on...and because i didn't get this jacket too tight, the sleeve length is still long enough to be fine...when eventually measured at home, it turned out to be 25" from top shoulder seam to cuff vs. 26" for my dyer leather motorcycle jacket which does come to my knuckles...or the 26" that was my aero highwayman, also a knuckle dragger

as for the other measurments...whilst wearing the jacket i had the feeling that it was a perfect length for a short waisted jacket...25" is what some of my milspec a-2s are, but when put to tape, this turned out to be 25 3/4" to 26" from collar seam in the back to the end of waist...basically perfect

then i would have to test my intuition, which was that the jacket seemed to have more of a taper than any jacket i had worn...

immediately i saw i did not need to use the side buckles to cinch in the sides as i must on most motorcycle jackets that come with that option...most modern moto jackets have a 6" drop from chest to waist...so with the 26" armpit to armpit, or 52" chest this has, one would in modern jackets expect a 46" waist, or 23" waist one side...this was slightly over 22", for a perhaps 44 1/2" waist vs. a modern jacket's 46" waist...i liked that...but if that's not your shape, be aware when ordering...you may need a custom cut one made

whilst the chest at 52" gives me a little room for ease of movement, the shoulders at about 22" are beautifully just slightly oversize, though maybe a bit less than the truly oversize shoulders you see on too many jackets these days...they're about 1/2" past the actual shoulder on each side

all in all, this jacket is a perfect fit for me, given that i like a slightly comfortable fit...it's a 46, so that may give you some idea how other sizes might fit...i know many of the 44 eastman luftwaffes i'd seen on ebay had 24" or at most 25" armpit to armpits

the workmanship doesn't have to be mentioned, so all i'll say about it is that the thing appears as if straight out of a museum...the proper snaps and zips are immaculate...the sewing is perfection...i'm guessing all of eastman's leather jackets are like this, and if they are, this company is one of the elite

as for the lufwaffian (or more properly, the french motorcycle) jacket elements, they are a joy and authentically different than what i've seen in modern jackets...the neck strap, the waist strap, beautifully crafted, neither too big nor too small as on so many less expensive replicas

the zip/snap cuffs are fascinating and interesting to have on your wrist, they look of another time period, as of course they are...like 65 years ago...they are a redundant but delightful and excellently crafted feature of this jacket.

needless to say, i love it. i must credit eastman and those who made this piece for their respect of history and standards from another time and place

other elite jackets such as aero, lewis etc. may be on a par with eastman, but from what i've seen here, i cannot imagine a jacket being superiour to this...as i sit writing, the buttery soft, supple but strong, light but substantial leather is a joy to have about me

pictures will follow in a day or two.

finally, let me thank eastman for making such a product, not just for me, but for others who may purchase their wares, others for whom superiour craftsmanship is not enough, but who desire a respect and reverence for history as well...good work

 

[P5640blouson]

Lewis Leather frenzy

I'll have to say I am envious that you have the opportunity to compare LL to the Eastman. I have 2 LL jackets and cannot see how any other jacket can possess the provenance and uniqueness that a 100+ year company like LL can only produce. Lewis supplied the RAF and have gone on to make jackets used by motorists, flyers, cyle riders/ racers, the movies, even making its way to the fashion industry in Japan, no repros here, only originals and all sourced in England. I briefly read your review but will read in detail tonight, just after Top Chef finally with my family. I too am interested in the Eastman among others like the Real McCoys Buco J-100 padded, but in initially my gut tells me that Lewis Leathers is unique unto itself, possessing characteristics that cannot be found in combination nor in singularity in other makes. That is my opinion for now. YMMV.

Congrats on the Eastman HH Cycle jacket.

 

[number6]

Eastman jacket

Enjoyed reading your review JJ .
I have a Hartmann, Eastman do make a fine jacket don't they.

Paul.

 

[Edward]

I'll have to say I am envious that you have the opportunity to compare LL to the Eastman. I have 2 LL jackets and cannot see how any other jacket can possess the provenance and uniqueness that a 100+ year company like LL can only produce. Lewis supplied the RAF and have gone on to make jackets used by motorists, flyers, cyle riders/ racers, the movies, even making its way to the fashion industry in Japan, no repros here, only originals and all sourced in England. I briefly read your review but will read in detail tonight, just after Top Chef finally with my family. I too am interested in the Eastman among others like the Real McCoys Buco J-100 padded, but in initially my gut tells me that Lewis Leathers is unique unto itself, possessing characteristics that cannot be found in combination nor in singularity in other makes. That is my opinion for now. YMMV.

I think the biggest difference between Lewis and Eastman is just as you say: Lewis are producing their own product to their own designs without any concern for period as such, while Eastman's business is based entirely on the idea of accurately reproducing jackets from a specific time period. That said, the entire Lewis line looks very 60s to me... Then there's the small matter of Eastman being almost entirely a (re)producer of military styles (and civilian styles adopted by military, as in this case), whereas Lewis' line is all civilian clothing. Two very different beasts, to be sure. That being the case, I imagine they will appeal to two very different markets. Were I to be looking for something "Luftwaffe-style", I think I'd opt either for the Hartman, which is indeed a beautiful jacket, or possibly an Aero 30s Halfbelt. The Hartman has more of a typical period feel in my imagining, though obviously - as photos show clearly - jackets of this ELC "Luftwaffe" style were also widely worn. I think the main difference to my eye is that Jonny's style of jacket have less an obivious 'vintage' look, and more a 'timeless' look: You could, in my opinion, pair it with modern or vintage clothing, and it wouldn't look immediately out of place the way some older designs might be clearly an older look. Much like the Brando style of jacket in that respect, though no doubt a good deal more flexible in how it can be worn. None of which is to say anything to its detriment - on the contrary, I think it's an extremely fetching jacket. Indeed, I looked at just one of these a few years ago.... at the time I was looking for a leather jacket to wear to work with a collar, tie and trousers semi-casual ensemble, for days in the warmer months when a blazer doesn't quite cut it and an overcoat is too much... At the time I wasn't specifically seeking a vintage look, but I did want something that was "tidier" than a Brando and didn't have the overly boxy / batwing cut of most offerings on the market. At the time I coludn't afford the LW jacket, but it would have been ideal for my purposes, an A2 having been ruled out by a then ex-girlfriend with whom I obviously spent a lot of time and who complained most bitterly about "looking stupid" when I looked at anything in leather with knit cuffs, a la an A2 (I'm glad she's long gone lol ). These days, my favourites are predominantly in Aero's civilian range, but maybe one day when I'm a rich rock star p that didn't sound so far fetched twenty years ago...) I'll go looking at the Hartmann again....

As to quality, I've handled both Lewis and Eastman. I found them much of a muchness myself. Lewis seem considerably more expensive, though one must factor into that the notion that there are more alternative sources of jackets in that general style and of a high quality than would be the case for Eastman. Lewis are also, from what I hear, typically more open to a degree of customisation, while Eastman by reputation prefer to stick to the stock patterns (which makes a lot of sense when what you're reproducing is a military issue item, and accuracy to the original is one of your key selling points). Horses for courses, it seems to me.

Johnny: next step: photos of the jacket, and you in it! Don't Eastman package things beautifully? I just recently took delivery of a B2 cap, and was really impressed with the Eastman box, and the labelled, sealed paper bag therein, containing the hat.

 

[havocpaul]

Many thanks for such a detailed and 'atmospheric' review. The ELC Luftwaffe jacket has been around for a couple of decades now but only in recent times available in horsehide (and the brown option). Their attention to detail, especially the hardware (zips, snaps, buckles) is second-to-none IMO. Comparisons to Lewis Leathers is interesting, I have for some time wanted to order a custom 'Battle of Britain' film Luftwaffe jacket but they are very expensive (£625). I haven't worn a Lewis jacket since my punk days of 1976/77 but they have always been the very best bike jackets and carry iconic images of early British bikers. As for their wartime heritage, I haven't found any proof they supplied the RAF with any jackets as such, after all, the RAF only had Irvins unless the lucky pilot had managed to secure an A-2 from his training in the USA or from a fellow pilot on a USAAF base; some may also have 'captured' a leather jacket from a Luftwaffe pilot but as for what the Air Ministry gave them...battledress and/or an Irvin. I am looking forward to seeing your pictures, but in the meantime your prose has warmed my cockles here in cold, damp London Town....thank you!

 

[P5640blouson]

I will inquire with LL about their history during WWII

Leather flying helmets pre and during WWII. On first inspection I find it very common for companies who run successfull commercial branding to steer away from their wartime contributions, especially when marketing towards non military consumers. No doubt LL has a lionshare invested in civilian sport clothes and the leather used by LL is consistently the highest grade leather available. They use to advertise it as "Gryfe" leathers, and is most recently referred to as their supreme hide. LL is easily regarded as equipment rather than fashion, although their designs possess the highest qualities in terms of fashion. Repro v.s. original JMO

 

[deanglen]

WoNderful ReviEw, JJ.









dean

 

[johnnyjohnny]

initially my gut tells me that Lewis Leathers is unique unto itself, possessing characteristics that cannot be found in combination nor in singularity in other makes.---P5640blouson

answered precisely by edward:

Lewis are producing their own product to their own designs without any concern for period as such, while Eastman's business is based entirely on the idea of accurately reproducing jackets from a specific time period. That said, the entire Lewis line looks very 60s to me---edward

i love when i don't have to write a word, but i love writing, so...sufferrr...
no, really, i adore both companies' jackets, and edward had it right on...i love the 60s, and adored my lewis dominator, and it totally was a jacket of the 60s...but my reason for getting it was perhaps off the wall in hoping it would be a luftwaffe jacket...it was very good at that, but i really wanted a 'replica', and this iS what eastman does...both are superb, but edward hit it on the head

as to the point edward made about the luftwaffe vs. the hartmann being usably modern, i totally agree that the luftwaffe version had a timeless, hence usably modern, quality...not that such was at all a consideration for me, but as edward points out, it is a timeless design...the redundant zip/snap sleeve fastener blows my mind, and is such a minute accent that it doesn't make the jacket look of another era except to the astute on this forum...same for the neck and waist closure...the eastman luftwaffe is like a 67 jag xke, will be a classic until the universe ends...and here in the states we see some of these car styles being recycled to great success, most notably the new barracuda, very close to the 70 classic barracuda that fetches $50,000 and up these days

classic style is timeless

and havocpaul, thanks for your kind words about my often verbose prose, tho i try to keep it in check

one final thing (yah right) about style...timeless style is recognized by those with a timeless eye themselves...they leave it pure, don't pervert it...i think lewis' dominator and other jackets harken back to the clean 30s-40s motor jackets, but add something 60s, which as a child of the 60s, i praise as highly as one can...being a watch person, it became obvious early on that watch companies did this mercilessly...the purest style, imho, being the rolex submariner, which sprang up in the 50s

hence, they were the most copied company around in subsequent years, and one company, invicta, made their resurgence in the 90s solely on copying the submariner design and selling it cheap (but not without some decent quality)...however, one can always spot the true hommages to timeless style...for the submariner, the blancpain 50 fathoms is a superlative design in the same manner...perhaps because the 50 fathom came out almost at the same time as the submariner

so i see lewis and eastman...both parlaying their versions of timeless beauty into their own variations...and both doing a wonderful job...and, whilst i'm at it, aero's route 66 hits the mark with a third variation...superb as well...all these companies do not only jacket lovers a service, but anyone who enjoys great design and craftsmanship

p.s. dean, thanks for the kind words too, but i have given up the cartoon letters...by special request of paddy, however, being a fan of e.e. cummings, and having my fill of correcting typos as an editor for 10 years, i now stick to the lower cases, usually

 

[P5640blouson]

Ok I'm almost sold

Ok I'm almost sold, pics please.

 

[RP McMurphy]

Jacket overload..

Darn it all, now I want the Hartman in addition to the 30's Halfbelt I'm ordering from Aero...

Johnny, the jacket sounds awesome. I like that there are still places around that will make that mean of a cut in a jacket... while still using vintage-style horsehide rather than washed-out lambskin. Classic style is, as you say, irrefutable.


Wear in good health!

 

[johnnyjohnny]

PiXXXXXXXXX

thanks mcmurphy...i'm wearing it as i post these pix of the eastman luftwaffe...for those who recall the pix i put up of the lewis dominator, basically the same style jacket, i am astounded at how different the two jackets look (to me anyway)...the lewis has a total 60s rocker look, and the eastman luftwaffe is a full on 40s vintage look, without being in any way antiquated...and it does look, if you pardon the word as i mean it as a compliment...the eastman does look 'evil'

the pix:

(meow)

ta dahhh

 

[Peacoat]

JJ: Really nice coat; I hope you got the "cat proof" option that's available on some high end leather jackets!

You really ought to make that first pic your avatar on the Forum.

 

[deanglen]

You know, there is something different about the look of that jacket. I wonder if I can put it into words as well as you, JJ. It is the garb of a guy who flew like the devil, so to speak, at high speed and with ruthlessness, but it looks like it took a while to make. It has a the precision and fussiness about the details that a BMW has, even if driven like a mad man's at the wheel. The stitching is tight, precise, deliberate. The angles of the collar, the pieces around the snaps and on the sleeves, and the waist buckles, so fastidiously crafted. Yet, the broad expanses of the chest flow so smoothly and softly, the same with the back, its folds so well draped and gathered at the waist. Honestly, that jacket has energy dynamics sew in! It looks like the definition of control...in leather. An A-2 is a whole other beast to this sharkskin technician's topper. It isn't just beautiful. It's dangerous.






dean

 

[gyrobroyeur]

JJ: Really nice coat; I hope you got the "cat proof" option that's available on some high end leather jackets!

You really ought to make that first pic your avatar on the Forum.

... There is no cat on the pics, just a fur removable collar...

 

[johnnyjohnny]

peacoat...kitty seems more interested in sleeping and eating than attacking the luftwaffe...or any of my other jackets...thank goodness

deanglen...a wordsmith, ehhhhh? i think you covered the point more fully, and more elegantly than i certainly did...yes, there is quite a difference in this and a normally constructed jacket (and i'm talking about the $300 variety even)...i love the rudimentary qualities of your run of the mill expensive jacket in the $300 range (schotts, dyers, cockpitusa's, etc), and they in fact were the same level of manufacture as the wartime production a-2s we all so much love, but this piece is on a different dimension...it is not a perfectly crafted replica of a jacket that, when actually made was built to more primitive wartime standards...but this is an expensively and superbly crafted private purchase jacket that would have actually been made to this higher level of construction in the day, and that members of an armed branch, the luftwaffe pilots, would have spent their hard and dangerously earned pay for...so in that sense it may be more authentic than the $1000 replica a-2s...tho i'm sure there were less beautifully crafted jackets private purchased by the luftwaffe pilots...and, of course, i'd love to have a $1000 replica a-2 ;D

gyrobroyeur...i won't tell kitty you said that

p.s. peacoat,

You really ought to make that first pic your avatar on the Forum

are you saying i should go over to the dark side?

 

[Peacoat]

JJ wrote: "are you saying i should go over to the dark side?"

Not sure what you mean. I usually understand your oblique references, but this one has lost even me. What I do know is that my wife saw that first shot and said: "He's cute." I patiently explained to her that it was just a picture of Ole jOhnnyJOhnny and that I didn't see anything cute about it. It is a good picture though. The avatar you are using now makes you look a bit addled. Go ahead and give yourself a new, and better, persona.

I showed my wife your thread and the pictures to let her see a really nice jacket and to know there are people even worse than I am. Didn't seem to placate her much.

A word of caution about the cat. They can go for years perfectly content to eat, sleep and dream of chasing mice. And then it happens.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

answers for peacoat

peacoat, i must answer some of the points you make:

1. me? oblique? nevahhhhhhhhh...
2. but seriously, a nasty luftwaffe jacket, icon of the proud, brave fliers who nevertheless gave their lives and allegiance for the black mark of the 20th century...a nice jewish kid like me use THAT as my avatar? changing from my cheerful face on the red white and blue?

sure, why not!

3. do i really look addled? i guess 125ml of gray goose before pictures aren't a good idea
4. your wife thought i was 'cute'? you wouldn't have her phone number...would you?
5. but seriously (had to add that for my own health...you look badass yourself with that copter)...your wife wasn't placated by a dead horse fashioned into the shape of a ww2 luftwaffe pilot's best friend next to his plane? what's HER problem!
6. when you said, "They can go for years perfectly content to eat, sleep and dream of chasing mice. And then it happens," ...were you talking about cats...or women? uh...same difference...never mind
(i'm in trouble now)

 

[Stearmen]

Jacket

Well Johnny it is a disease with no known cure! I just bought a Barbour International wax jacket, and now you have me looking around the house for things to slap on ebay for some coins! No cats to sell right now. You sure the cats not trying to figure out how to get into the jacket! Isn't that where Cool Cats come from? I know, bad pun!

 

[Johnnynotoes]

Iconic ain't it! Still, uncommon enough to get those second glances and recognition of something truly different. Noice jaggit!

 

[aswatland]

Nice jacket which appears up to ELC's usual high standard of workmanship. Personally I prefer the Hartmann with its additonal lower pockets.