CliffBar_no9
New in Town
- Messages
- 15
- Location
- Dekalb, IL
I’ve been interested in sheepskin bomber jackets for some time now. The cost of a new article from Schott or otherwise was always a hurdle I could not get over. The inverse of that, are the vintage offerings on Ebay, much cheaper, but of questionable condition.
I recently found and purchased B-3 bomber jacket from a member here on FedoraLounge. The jacket checked all the boxes from sizing, condition, and make. The jacket is manufactured by Aero and is a recreation of the B-3 with brown sheepskin and horsehide trim. The seller estimated the year of manufacture being in the 2010-2015. Which I would guess is fairly accurate given the condition of the jacket. The leather is beginning to patina where the trim is darkening slightly, and the sheepskin is revealing a lighter caramel color.
It is nearing the shoulder season in the Midwest. It won’t truly be cold enough to wear this jacket out until or after mid-November. But while trying the jacket on, I can tell it will be very warm, as to be expected. The shearling is thick and measures around an inch in the body. This of course makes the jacket fit tighter than the measurements suggest, here is my experience with sizing.
This B-3 has a tag size of 36 and has a chest measurement across the armpits of 22 inches. My chest size while wearing a t-shirt is 37 inches. In the photos included here I am wearing an undershirt and thin wool turtleneck which pushes my chest size out by one inch. With this as the layer underneath the jacket. The fit is comfortable snug while maintaining full mobility. If I wanted to layer beyond this, I would size up to a 38. Aero doesn’t publish measurement ranged for each tag size, but Thurston Bros does for their stock jackets. They have a size 40 with a measured pit measurement of 23.75 inches. Which would be oversized by a bit even when wearing my thickest sweaters.
In terms of styling, there are some examples out there. The classic pairing is likely a plain long sleeve tee or flannel with selvedge denim or fatigues. While I enjoy these casual pairings, personally I like to dress things up a bit. I could certainly see myself wearing this with a pair of flannel trousers, a button down, and wool tie. This would lean into the period aesthetic without becoming too cosplay. Within my personal style this is a line I try not to tow often, especially when it comes to military clothing.
The final thing to note about this jacket is care and cleaning. While the jacket arrived in the condition the seller stated, it is still a pre-owned jacket. The shearling was not visibly dirty but had accumulated a fair amount of dust during wear or storage. The was overall in good shape. The sheepskin and horsehide were not papery or dry but the straps which look to be a veg tan leather was.
For the exterior of the jacket, I started by brushing off the jacket with a horsehair brush. Then I applied a moderate amount of Bick 4 leather conditioner. I let the leather take in the conditioner before wiping off any excess and have the jacket another brush.
Cleaning the interior of the jacket was a bit more involved. Yes, it’s worth noting going to a leather specialist to clean the whole jacket would likely be the best course of action. However, if you’ve got the right tools around and a gentle hand, it was easy enough to do at home. I used the combination of Eucalan Woolwash detergent and a portable carpet cleaner. Through some research I found the Eucalan brand. They offer a no-rinse lanolin enriched detergent, specifically designed for wool. The carpet cleaner is a perfect tool for this because it is easy to remove the water to quickly dry the shearling. The process was simple. Spray the interior of the jacket, wait 15 minutes, vacuum/comb the hair. I found the rubber comb to disturb the shearling less than the nylon bristle attachment. I repeated this process twice until the water vacuumed up was mostly clear. The same process was followed for the sleeves. However, it can be difficult to turn the sleeves inside out. So be careful as to not rip the sheepskin here. The final stage of the process is de-matting and separating any hairs. They make dedicated brushes for sheepskin, but I found that the slicker style brushes found at any pet store do a good job as well.
I started down this path unsure about the look of these jackets and the care that would go along with a pre-owned/vintage jacket. Ultimately, I am very happy with the choice and am excited to wear this B-3 over the course of the upcoming Chicago winter.
I recently found and purchased B-3 bomber jacket from a member here on FedoraLounge. The jacket checked all the boxes from sizing, condition, and make. The jacket is manufactured by Aero and is a recreation of the B-3 with brown sheepskin and horsehide trim. The seller estimated the year of manufacture being in the 2010-2015. Which I would guess is fairly accurate given the condition of the jacket. The leather is beginning to patina where the trim is darkening slightly, and the sheepskin is revealing a lighter caramel color.
It is nearing the shoulder season in the Midwest. It won’t truly be cold enough to wear this jacket out until or after mid-November. But while trying the jacket on, I can tell it will be very warm, as to be expected. The shearling is thick and measures around an inch in the body. This of course makes the jacket fit tighter than the measurements suggest, here is my experience with sizing.
This B-3 has a tag size of 36 and has a chest measurement across the armpits of 22 inches. My chest size while wearing a t-shirt is 37 inches. In the photos included here I am wearing an undershirt and thin wool turtleneck which pushes my chest size out by one inch. With this as the layer underneath the jacket. The fit is comfortable snug while maintaining full mobility. If I wanted to layer beyond this, I would size up to a 38. Aero doesn’t publish measurement ranged for each tag size, but Thurston Bros does for their stock jackets. They have a size 40 with a measured pit measurement of 23.75 inches. Which would be oversized by a bit even when wearing my thickest sweaters.
| Jacket | ||
| Chest | 38” | 44” | |
| Shoulder | 16.5” | 19.5 | |
| Back | 24” | 26” | |
| Sleeve | 23” | 25” | |
| Waist | 35” | 42” |
In terms of styling, there are some examples out there. The classic pairing is likely a plain long sleeve tee or flannel with selvedge denim or fatigues. While I enjoy these casual pairings, personally I like to dress things up a bit. I could certainly see myself wearing this with a pair of flannel trousers, a button down, and wool tie. This would lean into the period aesthetic without becoming too cosplay. Within my personal style this is a line I try not to tow often, especially when it comes to military clothing.
The final thing to note about this jacket is care and cleaning. While the jacket arrived in the condition the seller stated, it is still a pre-owned jacket. The shearling was not visibly dirty but had accumulated a fair amount of dust during wear or storage. The was overall in good shape. The sheepskin and horsehide were not papery or dry but the straps which look to be a veg tan leather was.
For the exterior of the jacket, I started by brushing off the jacket with a horsehair brush. Then I applied a moderate amount of Bick 4 leather conditioner. I let the leather take in the conditioner before wiping off any excess and have the jacket another brush.
Cleaning the interior of the jacket was a bit more involved. Yes, it’s worth noting going to a leather specialist to clean the whole jacket would likely be the best course of action. However, if you’ve got the right tools around and a gentle hand, it was easy enough to do at home. I used the combination of Eucalan Woolwash detergent and a portable carpet cleaner. Through some research I found the Eucalan brand. They offer a no-rinse lanolin enriched detergent, specifically designed for wool. The carpet cleaner is a perfect tool for this because it is easy to remove the water to quickly dry the shearling. The process was simple. Spray the interior of the jacket, wait 15 minutes, vacuum/comb the hair. I found the rubber comb to disturb the shearling less than the nylon bristle attachment. I repeated this process twice until the water vacuumed up was mostly clear. The same process was followed for the sleeves. However, it can be difficult to turn the sleeves inside out. So be careful as to not rip the sheepskin here. The final stage of the process is de-matting and separating any hairs. They make dedicated brushes for sheepskin, but I found that the slicker style brushes found at any pet store do a good job as well.
I started down this path unsure about the look of these jackets and the care that would go along with a pre-owned/vintage jacket. Ultimately, I am very happy with the choice and am excited to wear this B-3 over the course of the upcoming Chicago winter.
