Comparison of Type A-1 jackets (GW and ELC .50 Cal)

[Sloan1874]

 

[leopardstyle]

Would it be possible to post pics of you wearing them so we could get an idea of the drape of the coats while being worn? They both look great by the way.

 

[Highwaymanman]

By far my favorite style of military jacket. The knit collar and the buttons... just smashing.

 

[Highwaymanman]

Quick general question to the hardcore jacket collectors on here.... how do you find the time to wear these beautiful items? I have a hard enough time trying to break in one. Two of one style.... I'd just never get there.

 

[Dr H]

Just because I thought this might be of interest to those who are, er, interested, I noticed Aero are doing this A-1 at an uber knock-down price. Unfortunately, not my size, otherwise... http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=1094

A zip-fronted horsehide windbreaker jacket in my eyes, but not an A-1.

 

[Dr H]

Excellent review. Personally, I've always thought A-1s should only be made from cape or wool. I think the unique cut of the jacket requires it to be made of a material with a very loose drape, such as...well...cape or wool. But that's just my opinion. My cat, Maggie, thinks that capeskin is a most excellent material for use in almost any kind of jacket. When it comes to leather, she think it sleeps much better than horse or goat.

AF

Yes, trust Maggie's instinct - she knows a capeskin, buttoned A-1 when she sees one - no zipped front for her...

 

[Dr H]

Would it be possible to post pics of you wearing them so we could get an idea of the drape of the coats while being worn? They both look great by the way.

Thank you.
Possibly, I'm not a big fan of posing for shots, but I'll see what I can do.
Both drape very well - the GW is softer, drapes more easily.

 

[Dr H]

Quick general question to the hardcore jacket collectors on here.... how do you find the time to wear these beautiful items? I have a hard enough time trying to break in one. Two of one style.... I'd just never get there.

For me it's easy as I don't have a large collection: a B-15 for the cold, an A-1 for spring/summer/autumn. I'm currently selling my G&F M-422A in the classifieds as its a similar weight to the ELC A-1. I'll be buying a 37J1B repro for warmer summers. That's about it.
I don't keep duplicates so I'm evaluating which of the A-1 stays and which goes. Both appeal on different levels, but I wear my jackets regularly and I tend not to have jackets lying idle.
So, keep your eyes on the classifieds...

 

[leopardstyle]

Thank you.
Possibly, I'm not a big fan of posing for shots, but I'll see what I can do.
Both drape very well - the GW is softer, drapes more easily.

Thank you. I know what you mean about posing for shots. I've been thinking about getting an A-1 for about a year and I'm interested to see how these two fit. But if its not your style to post that, I completely understand.

 

[alladin]

I was thinking of an A1 jacket in goatskin. I know it's not historically correct, but some goatskins I've see are very nice.

 

[Dr H]

Yes, goatskin would work better than horse in my opinion but some cape is just so good - the ELC cape shown here is the best that I've worn.

 

[Dr H]

Thank you. I know what you mean about posing for shots. I've been thinking about getting an A-1 for about a year and I'm interested to see how these two fit. But if its not your style to post that, I completely understand.

What size are you? One of these will be for sale in a while...

 

[Sloan1874]

A zip-fronted horsehide windbreaker jacket in my eyes, but not an A-1.

I know what you mean. It's funny how you remove a feature like that and the whole look changes. I can't imagine why somebody would want a mod like that - must be a pre-Ken jacket, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't go for that.

 

[Highwaymanman]

Aye, the buttons are part of what makes it cool.

 

[leopardstyle]

What size are you? One of these will be for sale in a while...

I'm around a 42/44. So these might be a touch large on me. But they're still very cool.

 

[Dr H]

No, that's about right. My chest is 42.5" and this is a good fit with room for a thin sweater or waistcoat.
John's jackets run small so this is more like a larger vintage 44.

 

[Dr H]

I received a length of knit material (and matching thread) at cost from Alan at ELC yesterday - great service.
I've taken a pattern from the Good Wear collar knit and will get started on the replacement for the ELC (which will be stitched in by hand). The combination will be perfect.
There are period images of the shorter collar on an A-1 contract, but I do prefer the collar to 'roll' slightly and fold.

 

[Dr H]

Just an update to the OP (and with apologies for the poor quality photos (I'll try another set with a better camera later), but this is my .50 cal following surgery.

Don't look too closely for the missed stitches (this took a number of hours by hand and the result is not laser straight, but I've use the original holes in the leather and lining).

It's a small thing if you don't have jacket OCD, but originally the collar lay really poorly as you can see in the original comparison shots with my GW A-1, where John has really nailed the collar pattern.

For my .50 cal, I bought a length of replacement knit from Eastman at cost and had the collar of the GW copied by Dan at Hill4Leather for £10 (as well as one could without dismantling the jacket) and I transferred the buttons from the existing collar when everything was complete. The original stitching had meant that the capeskin loops couldn't be removed without breaking them and so Alan Eastman supplied half a dozen strips and plenty of the right thread for nothing - he was great to deal with. Aside from the different profile (with is just slightly lower at the front, higher at the back), John also has a line of reinforcement stitches to the front edge of the knit. I find that this works really well as a tensioner and I had Dan do the same to the new knit.

This is what the hard effort and stress was for...

I'm wearing the 'Eastwear/Goodman' .50 cal A-1 jacket today with a woollen waistcoat underneath, despite the sub zero temperature and, with the collar up and looped, it's very snug.

I don't exactly go in for bungee jumping or anything too stressful, but I must to admit to a few moments of doubt when I was halfway through (old collar off, shell opened, lining unpicked and no way back). This sort of thing is not for the easily stressed when you stop to consider the cost of the original jacket...

Having said that, my search for my A-1 is now officially over and I'll offer my other for sale in due course.

 

[majormajor]

Excellent stuff, Dr H.

Congrats on the fine job, and thanks for posting

 

[Dr H]

Thank you, OK here's the scary bit - if you ever wondered what was in your A-1...

(make sure there's space behind that sofa before looking too closely).