Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Search results

  1. Ralph_Phillips

    US Authentic (flightjacket.com) A2 fit.

    Shaul recommended two sizes to me and I haven't ordered the custom one yet. One of his recommendations was 48R for a roomier fit (which is what I prefer so I can move) and based on actual jacket measurements, that 48R should be perfect at the top, or a 46R for a slim fit. For reference, I'm...
  2. Ralph_Phillips

    US Authentic (flightjacket.com) A2 fit.

    The size concept of thin and tight fit ignores the fact that people back in the 1930's and 1940's were scrawny as can be, and trying to squeeze into the same sizes they wore is a mistake. If anyone remembers the film "12 O'Clock High" wherein Gregory Peck went full on monkey bar mode and...
  3. Ralph_Phillips

    How about that vintage western look

    The infamous ultimate Hollywood/Nashville cowboy suit, known as the Nudie suit, this one worn by Nudie Cohn himself. Nudie Cohn by Ralph_Phillips posted Nov 3, 2015 at 11:37 AM
  4. Ralph_Phillips

    Aviator Sunglasses

    I've owned both and severely abused both and all of mine have had the 55mm neutral grey lens with gold frames. The design of the AO's and Randolph's is identical because they were made for a military specification. I've got both, and supposedly the Randolph frames are built a little better than...
  5. Ralph_Phillips

    Denim is Inappropriate for the Golden Era

    Also of note, my grandfather (born 1903) was a farmer, and until the 1960's, if he had to go to town, he would always return to the house first to change out of denim and into a suit.
  7. Ralph_Phillips

    Denim is Inappropriate for the Golden Era

    It was a bit later, but sometime during the 1940's or 1950's, Bing Crosby went on a hunting trip in Canada and was wearing jeans. The hotel where he was staying, or the hotel restaurant, kicked him out because he wasn't wearing formal attire. Levi Strauss then made Bing a formal suit out of blue...
  8. Ralph_Phillips

    What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

    The red, white, and blue Beech !8 I saw sitting on the ramp in Lancaster, Texas, in 1967. I was three years old and ready to buy it and fly it but my mother got in the way of that. It was the very first flying machine I ever noticed and I knew it had to be the fastest thing on earth.
  9. Ralph_Phillips

    How warm is the A2 and M422 / G1?

    For some reason when living in Melb it always seemed more of a chill to me than far colder climates (I'm an American and grew up walking outside into the snow and ice to feed cows) even though the thermometers in the back yard in Melb never got below about 4C. I usually wore either an A-2 or a...
  10. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2 Jacket

    Another size 48/50 here. That means everything costs more and then they'll try to size it for a pear shaped circus monster with a fat waist.
  11. Ralph_Phillips

    New Real McCoys Red Silk A2

    WOW... the red silk lining really is RED. Very nice. Most impressive though is mention of comfortably wearing a silk lined horsehide at 85 F, so apparently silk must have a wider temperature comfort range than the more common cotton linings. My understanding is that silk is also warmer at low...
  13. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2, part two. Time to go shopping.

    One reason for the lower quality of the government issue item is the "100% made in USA with USA materials" requirement (not certain if it's actually 100%) on certain things, and most American goats are pretty ratty compared to some of the foreign goats. If you buy the "identical" over the...
  14. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2, part two. Time to go shopping.

    I haven't seen that one you mentioned but you are indeed correct regarding most of the upper end flight jackets. They seem to have gone upscale with the whole "soft luxurious leather" thing more suited to an upscale gigolo in Rome. No offense intended toward European gigolos, but the cultured...
  15. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2, part two. Time to go shopping.

    G&B from what I understand is not inclined to do any customization of their jackets even though they'll do any alterations you want on a flight suit. That may be an issue if you want an A-2 with custom interior pockets or anything else different than the stock item. Also if just looking for one...
  16. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2, part two. Time to go shopping.

    There might have been plenty of draft horses in Indiana but in a lot of places mules were more commonly used as farm implements. My guess is plenty of those horsehide A2's were actually mule hides back then but mule hide doesn't sound quite as upscale as horsehide even if they're both identical...
  17. Ralph_Phillips

    A-2, part two. Time to go shopping.

    Horsehide was more likely chosen not so much for the cost, but rather the fact that at that time, horsehide was the best choice for serious protective clothing. That is also why a lot of bikers still prefer it over any other leather. Not that anyone in their right mind actually wants to have an...
  19. Ralph_Phillips

    My Modified A-2; how's the fit?

    I think you also said you did some interior pockets, if out of the ordinary, how many and what location? I'm curious because I'm trying to decide the best interior pocket combination for a custom order.
  20. Ralph_Phillips

    My Modified A-2; how's the fit?

    If horsehide is too tough for the gussets, having gussets made out of seal brown soft goatskin might do it and would allow a close match to the seal brown horsehide. If having another one made, a custom size might be in order to both allow movement and be as trim a fit as possible near the...
  21. Ralph_Phillips

    Alpha A2 fit pic

    Australia. The taxes went way up in Australia on tobacco sometime around 2009 or 2010. He's not kidding when he says $20 or $30 for a pack of cigarettes.
  22. Ralph_Phillips

    Identify this jacket?

    I bet that came from one of the millions of places in the USA that sells leather to bikers and was probably aged by a prop department.
  23. Ralph_Phillips

    A boonie hat which follows the 'vintage fedora' sensibility?

    I own one Tilley and the big negative about it is that it is extremely hot. I've tried wearing it in winter with temperatures around 5 C / 40 F and poured sweat. I don't normally have that problem with a pure felt Akubra during the summer so I avoid the Tilley.

Latest posts

Members online

... and 48 more.
Total: 3,289 (members: 98, guests: 3,191)

Forum statistics

Threads
109,144
Messages
3,075,065
Members
54,124
Latest member
usedxPielt
Top