Leather M-65 Field Jacket (by FCL), anyone?

[TREEMAN]

That is the idea behind M-65.

Sure about that ?

 

[navetsea]

the waist drawstring is on our true waistline (approximately if the jacket bought more or less in our true size) so when cinched it will give a nice taper toward the waist and hemline, but it would wrinkle alot, I'm curious how it looks on leather

 

[Jasonissm]

Sure about that ?

Main thing is they are not trim and cut in a way that they fit the most people. This philosophy embodies a lot of military uniform design and also the boot design with Munson last being designed for fit as many people as possible and having a sorta weird lookin shape. M65 looks better and more authentic worn a bit big since they're designed to fit a liner underneath as well.

It's the modern repro like Buzz Rickson and Iron Heart that slim them down.

 

[Jasonissm]

Just did a search and Iron Heart has also sold a leather M-65, this one goat skin, this one much more tailored trim fit, less slouchy fit like the FCL. Also less M-65 details like the original cuff design on that FCL one, also no hood. Rare occasion where I prefer the FCL to another brand

 

[Monitor]

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Just did a search and Iron Heart has also sold a leather M-65, this one goat skin, this one much more tailored trim fit, less slouchy fit like the FCL. Also less M-65 details like the original cuff design on that FCL one, also no hood. Rare occasion where I prefer the FCL to another brand

Yeah, that's the thing. Cutting down on details that make an M-65 is just gonna get you a Belstaff Trialmaster knock-off so I gotta hand it to FCL this time, they've done an impressive thing.

 

[Tom71]

Yeah, that's the thing. Cutting down on details that make an M-65 is just gonna get you a Belstaff Trialmaster knock-off so I gotta hand it to FCL this time, they've done an impressive thing.

Totally agree!

I have read with great interest, so far.

Finally, FCL is getting some credit for doing a faithful repro. it always struck me as odd that they have always been accused of copy-catting, while others have taken full scorn if their copies (err - repros) were not faithful enough.

I absolutely don’t think one should judge the actual fit from just one promo shot. Skinny models wearing oversized jackets are all over the place (my P.A. being one of them in her grotesquely poorly made Perfecto knock-off five sizes too big), and this doesn’t tell me how it would look on me in the right size.

Full disclosure : I wouldn’t buy it, but I think it’s very impressively done. A bold product!

 

[TLW '90]

I know why I wouldn't be talking about it, because for me it's genuine USGI or nothing.
Beyond that it's not going to age like a real M65 does, and I just don't think it'll really have the same utility as a real m65.
It may have most of the details / features but I just don't imagine it being the same in leather, I don't see how would act the same and to me an M65 is a tool not some counterculture fashion piece.
Does it accept a liner ?

 

[Nacho]

Lol
I just wake up my inner youth. Wearing my 50yo boot camp one now.
There was a time you couldn’t wear one of these without getting spit on or called a baby killer.
Travis wore it well.

Did you serve in Nam, B?

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Did you serve in Nam, B?

No and i thank God i didn’t.
I served 73-76. I saw what came home from that war and served with many of those warriors.
I was no warrior and never claimed to be. To this day it terrorizes me to think of what those men went through.
What they came back to was an unempathetic society at it’s lowest.

On an M65 note:
People didn’t wear M65s back then very much. They had a social stigma attached. Those that did were anti-establishment folks and did so as a middle finger to society.
They were boxed away until fashion drew them out for what they were.
I took me a long time to pull mine out.

Funny how we casually talk about something that has such significance to so many from a FL perspective.

The green FCL Monitor posted is a worthy tribute to such an iconic symbol to anyone who earned an M65.
B

 

[Nacho]

No and i thank God i didn’t.
I served 73-76. I saw what came home from that war and served with many of those warriors.
I was no warrior and never claimed to be. To this day it terrorizes me to think of what those men went through.
What they came back to was an unempathetic society at it’s lowest.

On an M65 note:
People didn’t wear M65s back then very much. They had a social stigma attached. Those that did were anti-establishment folks and did so as a middle finger to society.
They were boxed away until fashion drew them out for what they were.
I took me a long time to pull mine out.

Funny how we casually talk about something that has such significance to so many from a FL perspective.

The green FCL Monitor posted is a worthy tribute to such an iconic symbol to anyone who earned an M65.
B

Nixon pulled out in ‘73. You dodged a bullet there. A big one. More like a missile. God bless you, B!

 

[Monitor]

Just when I had something nice to say about FCL. Let me see Self Edge and Clutch Cafe try to sell this shit.

 

[Jasonissm]

Just when I had something nice to say about FCL. Let me see Self Edge and Clutch Cafe try to sell this shit.

The PT jacket in leather, what the heck lol, looking straight out of a dodgy street market

 

[JMax]

The PT jacket in leather, what the heck lol, looking straight out of a dodgy street market

High School sports teams in the 80s and 90s rocked them lol. That caught my eye too. Horrible. Horrendous. Disgusting. An old high school coach use to repeat those three words whenever we effed up. Same here imho.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Their take on the M-51 fishtail parka is most definitely a miss.
No comment on the others.

 

[navetsea]

wow that turns into leather trashbag very quickly

 

[Marc mndt]

So how do we feel about this 'Blue Willow'?

Having a halfbelt, the collar and back gussets of a '60s cafe racer, zipped handwarmer pockets of a crosszip motorcycle jacket and '30s style zippers I think it's fair to call this a Frankenstein 2.0 jacket.

But that's how purists like myself will look at it. I have to admit that overall it looks like a coherent design if you're not bothered by historical accuracy.

 

[JMax]

So how do we feel about this 'Blue Willow'?

Having a halfbelt, the collar and back gussets of a '60s cafe racer, zipped handwarmer pockets of a crosszip motorcycle jacket and '30s style zippers I think it's fair to call this a Frankenstein 2.0 jacket.

But that's how purists like myself will look at it. I have to admit that overall it looks like a coherent design if you're not bothered by historical accuracy.

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I agree with you, it isn’t horrendous to look at. Would you prefer it if it embraced the HB theme with the ability to cinch the back?

 

[Marc mndt]

Would you prefer it if it embraced the HB theme with the ability to cinch the back?

I'm not sure side adjusters would look good on this jacket.

I think the jacket would look better with chest pockets instead of handwarmer pockets.

 

[Jasonissm]

I'm not sure side adjusters would look good on this jacket.

I think the jacket would look better with chest pockets instead of handwarmer pockets.

I think so too, for some reason I think the hand warmer pockets make the jacket look a little bottom heavy?

Kinda looks like a generic mall jacket, but to be fair cafe racers are a pretty basic design.

 

[Will Zach]

So how do we feel about this 'Blue Willow'?

Having a halfbelt, the collar and back gussets of a '60s cafe racer, zipped handwarmer pockets of a crosszip motorcycle jacket and '30s style zippers I think it's fair to call this a Frankenstein 2.0 jacket.

But that's how purists like myself will look at it. I have to admit that overall it looks like a coherent design if you're not bothered by historical accuracy.

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Overall quite okay, but the front sleeve zippers bother me on it for some reason. The rest is okay.