Harrington G9

[Retromoto]

I'm new to the forum and have a strong interest in vintage clothing. I'm looking at Harrington G9/ Baracuta jackets for spring in hopes of finding an accurate item, made somewhere other than the far east and without a Teflon coating. I've contacted a few retailers although without success. Any suggestions or experiences on where to look? Thanks in advance.
Retromoto

 

[Edward]

Are you looking for a good jacket in that style, or do you specifically want a Baracuta G9?

 

[Retromoto]

It doesn't have to be that brand. My preference is the style not the brand per se. I'm not interested in anything sourced from the far east and while it would certainly be nice, it doesn't have to come from England where the originals were made. I want something without Teflon as a rain repellent coating although it really doesn't need any coating at the end of the day. I'm also pretty open to colors although British Racing Green would fit the bill.
Retromoto

Are you looking for a good jacket in that style, or do you specifically want a Baracuta G9?

 

[Justhandguns]

Purchased an Harrington from a Brighton shop in the UK. Very reasonable price and is made in England and certainly no Teflon coating. The only difference is the non ventilating back.

 

[Retromoto]

If you have the name of the shop, I could try and track them down online. There used to be several US made Harrington/Baracuta types although they seem to of vanished.
Thanks for the info.
Retromoto

Purchased an Harrington from a Brighton shop in the UK. Very reasonable price and is made in England and certainly no Teflon coating. The only difference is the non ventilating back.

 

[Justhandguns]

If you have the name of the shop, I could try and track them down online. There used to be several US made Harrington/Baracuta types although they seem to of vanished.
Thanks for the info.
Retromoto

FYI

Here is the link: http://www.jumpthegun.co.uk/category/Harrington_jackets

 

[Edward]

The place in Brighton is calledJum The Gun, and they also have an online shop - http://www.jumpthegun.co.uk/category/Harrington_jackets

I've not bought from them or seen these jackets myself in person, but I have heard them highly recommended. I qujite like the look of the navy one in wool. Thery come in a choice of either set-in sleeves, or the same raglan sleeve design as the original Baracutas jackets. FWIW, I've handled quite a lot of jacket in this style over the last few years. The cheapest ones can be hit or miss, some very decent others.... not so. The biggest issue is often the fit, with a lot of the cheaper ones being ridiculously puffy. In and around the GBP50-60 mark you can get some very nice options. I have a couple by Merc of London (manufactured in China - not an issue in the lest for me,but it matters to some) which are superb jackets (all set-in sleeves). Thesecompare well - as I assume the JTG would too - against 'real' Baracutas, though the Baracuta in the UK will usually be in and around GBP130-170. I've even seen new Grenfells for upwards of GBP250. Sometimes eBay UK turns up a new Baracuta for about GBP60-70, if you're lucky with the sizing.

Looking at JTG's website, they seem to be more military olive greens than BRG. Here's another made-in-Englandoption that has a bit http://www.atomretro.com/product_info.cfm?product_id=9174closer shade to BRG...

 

[Retromoto]

Justhandguns and Edward,
Thanks for all the information and links, I'll look into this and possible have a new jacket by the time it quits snowing.........
Retromoto

 

[Edward]

Photos are expected....

I've become something of a fan of these jackets. Originally I looked at them as a cheaper, warm-weather alternative to leather for something with a rockabilly feel- in fact my first one was a bright red model, aping Jimmy Dean's Rebel style in an "inspired by" rather than "screen accurate" way. As I looked into it more, though, I discovered how flexible the style can be (and how great they can look with a collar and tie, a la Sinatra!). Very flexible for a range of vintage looks across my period of interest, as one might expect from a garment first commercially available in 1937, and popular at some point in every decade since.

 

[Retromoto]

I'm not sure of their original intent although through the years I feel they've been used and slightly modified for different purposes and statements. My first exposure to the jacket was before the Harrington G9 tag was applied. This was in the mid-1960's, when in my area of the US, teenagers were going berserk over them, although the navy blue one was the "item" to wear. We referred to them as just "Barracudas". My brother who was a couple years older wore one, I actually remember the night he purchased his at J.C. Penneys. As I aged through the years and the jacket became somewhat obsolete for the times, I still remembered the clean styling and classic look. Approximately 15 years ago, I came across one at a upscale Men's store. It was green(my favorite color) so I purchased it. This one was made by "SportMaster", a USA company. I've wore this since new although have basically wore it out so I'm looking again.

I feel the US versions have always been cut a bit differently than the UK originals, a bit looser for layering over a crewneck sweater or playing 18 holes of golf perhaps. IMO,Lifestyle trends and fads in the UK didn't alter the US version back then.

I think the US items used cotton poplin during the 1960's and cotton poly blends later with the occasional nylon choice. The fabric seems to be a finer & lighter weave than the UK version, perhaps a nod towards different climate conditions. I'm hoping to find a regular cut item rather than a slim as a 60 year old man re-distributes weight through the years, I'm not saying I'm overweight, I'm actually lighter than 35 years ago, it just moves to different locations.

Retromoto

 

[armscye]

I am sure that many posters know this, but the British Baracuta company apparently had trademark issues in the US for many years, and therefore marketed in North America under the trade name "Four Climes." These may be easier to find than the original brand.

Also, as a bit of trivia, the descriptive term "Harrington" is not an old trade name, but rather derived from the windbreaker-wearing character Rodney Harrington, played by Ryan o'Neal, in the Sixties TV series Peyton Place.

 

[chikackik]

Baracuta is now owned by some Italian company (WP lavory or something that sounds like that) and they now market it as a "luxury good" they raised the prices and made it hard for retailers to keep them in stock. The merc london brand has the "Floyd harrington" it doesn t have the red tartant lining and it does have the teflon water repellant but the cut is really nice (reminds me of the G9) the orininal harrington by merc doesn'y have teflon coating they are great and the quality is really good vs other brand of harrington I have seen.

 

[Highwaymanman]

the prices are so stupid now you may as well save a bit more and get an Aero.

 

[Retromoto]

Any idea of country of origin on the Mercs?
Retromoto

Baracuta is now owned by some Italian company (WP lavory or something that sounds like that) and they now market it as a "luxury good" they raised the prices and made it hard for retailers to keep them in stock. The merc london brand has the "Floyd harrington" it doesn t have the red tartant lining and it does have the teflon water repellant but the cut is really nice (reminds me of the G9) the orininal harrington by merc doesn'y have teflon coating they are great and the quality is really good vs other brand of harrington I have seen.

 

[Edward]

I am sure that many posters know this, but the British Baracuta company apparently had trademark issues in the US for many years, and therefore marketed in North America under the trade name "Four Climes." These may be easier to find than the original brand.

Also, as a bit of trivia, the descriptive term "Harrington" is not an old trade name, but rather derived from the windbreaker-wearing character Rodney Harrington, played by Ryan o'Neal, in the Sixties TV series Peyton Place.

Yip. John Simons of John Simons menswear, London, claims to have originated the Harrington nickname.

 

[Edward]

Any idea of country of origin on the Mercs?
Retromoto

Mine are all China (and every bit as good as any overpriced Made in England option...).

 

[Retromoto]

How about the John Simons jacket? Looks like a nice piece on their site. I e-mailed them w/ questions although no reply as of yet.
Retromoto

Mine are all China (and every bit as good as any overpriced Made in England option...).

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yip. John Simons of John Simons menswear, London, claims to have originated the Garrington nickname.

Yeah, that one maybe, but who originated the Harrington name?

 

[Edward]

How about the John Simons jacket? Looks like a nice piece on their site. I e-mailed them w/ questions although no reply as of yet.
Retromoto

I've not handled one in person, though anything else they've put their own label too which I've seen has been good. Pricier than what I'd want to spend on one of these (not hard to find an actual Baracuta G9 for less), but that's to personal taste. It was his shop in Covent Garden where I saw Grenfell Harringtons on sale for GBP250 (and that was the sale price), so he's far from the most expensive option for these.

Yeah, that one maybe, but who originated the Harrington name?

Ha.... you got me before I was able to edit. Damn sausage fingers typing on a phone.... with a hit and miss connection here in Beijing at that!

 

[Retromoto]

I've tried on (2) occasions to contact John Simons without avail. Does anyone have experience with mail ordering through them?
Retromoto

I've not handled one in person, though anything else they've put their own label too which I've seen has been good. Pricier than what I'd want to spend on one of these (not hard to find an actual Baracuta G9 for less), but that's to personal taste. It was his shop in Covent Garden where I saw Grenfell Harringtons on sale for GBP250 (and that was the sale price), so he's far from the most expensive option for these.



Ha.... you got me before I was able to edit. Damn sausage fingers typing on a phone.... with a hit and miss connection here in Beijing at that!