British Leather flight jackets?

[John Lever]

The Kapok style life vests, as often seen (in just a slightly different shape) on Luftwaffe aircrew.

I wonder if the vests were for flak protection ?
I think they look very modern, almost Flash Gordon[esque]

 

[Spitfire]

Maybe they ARE Prada after all!!!!!

 

[Windsock]

You'd think the Italian fashionistas of all people would know that vertical lines are far more slimming.

 

[Edward]

After a little searching around I found this pic of an Italian airforcecrew:

Not exactly Prada design!

They look like little bumblebees. lol

At first glance, they put me in mind of a modern puffa jacket:

...but on second look, I think Paddy is right, and that's a lifejacket of some type over another jacket.

 

[Spitfire]

fftopic:
Don't you think the guy at the front looks a bit like Berlusconi as well?lol

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

Hi everyone!

It's been a long time since I've been here last time... well, lots of problems, but's ok.

The jacket underneath the kapok vests (seriously hated by italian pilots, and replced with less bulky german stuff on a regular basis)
were called "Marus", form the name of the firm that made them.
Another firm was Giusti.

As for what I've seen, they were in use since the '30s (Balbo's flights and other transatalntic flights e.g.) and resembled a lot an american B15;
they had slanted front pockets (in a variety of designs, still can't understand what came first... maybe they were issued with a certain degree of casuality);

the mouton or fake mouton collar was removable, as was the interior quilted lining, allowing the winter jackte to douple as a summer one.

Without the fuynny looking vests in this photo, the jackets (I forgot, they also had elastic knitt cuff and waistband)
didn't look any bad; more or less "b10ish" or "b15ish";

but for some reason it looks like pilots had a preference for large sizing (in almst all the photos I0've see the jackets look like one size larger, can't figure why; as this regards pilots of all sizes, tall and short, slim and stout, I'd didn't say it has something to do with problems of issuing).

Also seen photos of italian pilots wearing german kanaljacke (sp.?)

Ciao!!

 

[1stsargent]

They look like little bumblebees. lol

At first glance, they put me in mind of a modern puffa jacket:

...but on second look, I think Paddy is right, and that's a lifejacket of some type over another jacket.

Kapok was used as an insulator and in life vests before synthetic fibers hit the market. So it probably served both functions. The kapok fiber is actually warmer than wool and very buoyant. The down side is it was highly flammable, so much so that in third world countries it is used to stoke the fires in furnaces to this day.

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

Some WWII italian flight jackets:

famous auction site :
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220293877187

(this one has front pockets with the entrance on the side of the zippers; I've seen the same on japanese jakcets)

Many others here:
http://www.eaf51.org/Photo_08_Men51st.htm
(and in all the rest of the site; would be interesting for you aviation aficionados, only in italian unluckily)

Looking for others sources.

Ciao!