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"Aviator" shirts

Bruce Wayne

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23SkidooWithYou said:
Dinerman said:
_1264378865723.jpg
Shirt, shmirt...the LABEL is awesome!

He kinda looks like Quagmire.
 

Trotsky

A-List Customer
Messages
421
Looks like the German Panzer Uniform. Which was designed from Alpine Skiing clothing of the period. Going from that, the design makes sense.

I REALLY love the Bob Hope cartoon though.
 

andy b.

One of the Regulars
Messages
191
Location
PA, USA
Marc Chevalier said:
.


Guys were wearing stuff like this again (but with parachute pants and 'Zodiac' boots with metal toe guards) in 1987. Four decades had not improved the design.

.

Man, you NAILED that!!!! The year is exactly correct. My parachute pants are long gone, but the Zodiac boots are still in the closet. Too bad I doubt I'll ever find an excuse to wear them again.

andy b.
 

AntonAAK

Practically Family
Messages
628
Location
London, UK
I had a shirt very similar to that in white in the late eighties and quite liked it until my sister told me it made me look like a chef.

No offence to chefs but it wasn't the look I was going for. I'm not sure what was actually...
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK
Bruce Wayne said:
He kinda looks like Quagmire.

Giggity!

Trotsky said:
Looks like the German Panzer Uniform. Which was designed from Alpine Skiing clothing of the period. Going from that, the design makes sense.

I can see this and the trenchcoat comment... Comparing the photos, to me it's a ways away from the Monkees shirt, which is more a relative of the John Wayne cowboy thang, surely? The actual bib-front cowboy shirts are a whole nother beast, the bib being a separate "chest plate" piece that buttons on.

I've not seen one of these Bob Hope shirts before, and frankly the first thing that sprang to mind was to view it as a sort of cross breed between a shirt and a Perfecto-style motorcycle jacket.... This is probably why the Panzerwrap comparison rings true to me, as those in turn are, to my eye at least, a stylistic relative of the Perfecto, albeit their wholly different origins. I can see it being a very practical alternative to a jacket in hot climates... think similar application to the classic safari shirt-jacket. Fro someone like me who feels naked without a jacket, that could be very useful indeed. I've even given serious consideration to having someone copy a Panzerwrap in a tan drill cotton for me for that sort of wear (I have one of the cotton repros I picked up for a song on the 'Bay, but I tend to shy away from camo most of the time, so I don't know that it'll get worn much).
 

repeatclicks

Practically Family
Messages
606
What about 'Tailspin' Shirts from the 40s? Does anyone on here own one? I have this one in a nice tan with leather 'arrows' on the pocket. Very cool shirt, and even cooler logo!

If I can find it, I have a photo of a guy with his gal on their 1940s flathead harley in front of their house, and he is wearing a Tailspin shirt.

tailspin3.jpg


tailspin1.jpg


tailspin2.jpg
 

Wash In Lux

One of the Regulars
Messages
177
Location
Lockhart, Texas
repeatclicks said:
What about 'Tailspin' Shirts from the 40s? Does anyone on here own one? I have this one in a nice tan with leather 'arrows' on the pocket. Very cool shirt, and even cooler logo!

If I can find it, I have a photo of a guy with his gal on their 1940s flathead harley in front of their house, and he is wearing a Tailspin shirt.

That's a cool shirt. I have one in gray. It's not a Cavu though. It has a scalloped flap pocket with pearl snap and pearl snap cuffs.
I've only ever come across that Cavu brand one other time and if memory serves, it was that seafoam green, western styled dress shirt I sold a few months back in the classifieds.
 

23SkidooWithYou

Practically Family
Messages
533
Location
Pennsylvania
What was the function of a Tailspin shirt?

Was it just about design or was it a windbreaker or specialized for aviation?
Inquiring minds want to know!
 

Wash In Lux

One of the Regulars
Messages
177
Location
Lockhart, Texas
23SkidooWithYou said:
What was the function of a Tailspin shirt?

Was it just about design or was it a windbreaker or specialized for aviation?
Inquiring minds want to know!

I think the "Tailspin" is just a Cavu thing. Seems like the Cavu shirt I sold had airplanes on the label as well. Seeing the one shown above and comparing to the one I have along with others I've seen over the years, they're predominately "western" styled. Just a style. Alright, looking thru my pics, back in a flash...
Yep, here it is. Looks like Cavu was just into airplanes.
Dsc04739.jpg
 

J.J. Gittes

A-List Customer
Messages
375
Location
Chinatown
Wash In Lux said:
I think the "Tailspin" is just a Cavu thing. Seems like the Cavu shirt I sold had airplanes on the label as well. Seeing the one shown above and comparing to the one I have along with others I've seen over the years, they're predominately "western" styled. Just a style. Alright, looking thru my pics, back in a flash...
Yep, here it is. Looks like Cavu was just into airplanes.
Dsc04739.jpg

I know that shirt! :D
 

Wash In Lux

One of the Regulars
Messages
177
Location
Lockhart, Texas
Fletch said:
There's a reason for that, too. The name used to be a familiar acronym: Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited.

Huh. Learn something new every day. Is that an Air Force or civilian thing? I'm a 13 year navy airdale and have never seen that acronym.
 

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