WW1 "TANKER STYLE" LEATHER JACKET

This typical French "tanker style" leather Jacket was introduced in the early 1900's at the beginning of the First World War.Its simple and very functional style was later adopted by various trades, such as firemen and aviators.This style was ,after the war,produced in large quantities with some variations in different hides such as capeskin,goatskin and cowhide and that well up into the 40s .

It goes without saying that the many changes that have occurred throughout the first world war , often every other months , made outfitting the troops very challenging .before being available to soldiers at the front, a piece of garment ,often took from the time of its manufacture ,more than a year before being actually distributed to the "poilu" [French soldier's nickname].

It is in April 1917 at the" Chemin des Dames"in the area of ​​Berry au Bac,that French tanks were used for the first time .

At that time , no specific uniform was intended for tank crews , they were dressed as gunners but without suspension straps and ammo pouches.

Quickly changes were made to adapt to the characteristics of this new weapon .

1 - The Adrian helmet totally inappropriate in the cramped space of the tank undergoes several changes on the front visor and crest ;

2 - Tankers trade their heavy wool coats for a more comfortable and more durable leather jacket as featured on this post.

3 - They get an handgun 

4 - And the famous" Avenger "dagger .........

RESCUED....60'S CONVERSE DECK SHOES

This is how they were found ,buried deep down in a store's basement since 1979

another model but couldn't salvage this one 

original 1963 ad 

A little chlorox spray and a tad of kiwi shoe polish .....voila !!

The shoes featured today are real survivors .i've found them this week in a store's basement,where they've been sitting since 1979.After an hour digging in the dark ,a flash light literally stuck in my mouth and going through piles of canvas shoes,i was able to rescue these babies :1960's dead stock "deck star" converse canvas deck shoes.Took just a little TLC and now,they are back and ready for at least the next 3 summers 

WANNA RACE ......part 3

Keeping up with the theme,here is another jacket shot by Rin the day he passed by the studio .This embroidered 70505 Levi's jacket feels more like a "lone wolf's jacket" to me than your classic car club one .Anyway its little chopped top deuce looks good and is perfect for everyday wear .....

WANNA RACE.....part 2

It's around 2006 that i've met with Rin Tanaka for the first time .For those who still don't know [anyone !?] Rin is the author of "my freedam" books and creator extraordinaire of the now trendy"Inspiration" show. Rin kindly asks me if i was interested in sharing some pieces from my collection for some of his up coming books.Back then,i had no idea that i'll later start my modest block,so didn't mind that much sharing some cool vintage and the idea of being part of such project,kinda porn for vintage clothing collectors,sounded fun to me....So one afternoon,Rin came to my studio and shot for what felt like an eternity to me,asking for leather jackets, ,ww2 jackets,bowling shirts,denim and so on...the result,i've found it in my mailbox later,it was 2 samples of "my freedam" 5 and 6 .

the jacket featured today,was part of the collection shot by Rin that day.No bragging here,but when compared to the others in the book,as 90% of them are wool or cotton,i still feel lucky to have found such a gab jacket .what's even better to me, is that the rabbit's paw was original to it. As usual any info on the club are welcome ....cheers   

WANNA RACE !?....ORIGINAL CAR CLUB JACKET

    Post-war America ,saw the birth of many things that became iconic to us born on the other side of the pond and today's post certainly showcases one of them: an original hot rod/car club jacket. Such a club :"the throttle kings"was probably formed in the early 1950’s . I've tried to research the club for days,but wasn't able to pull any info from the net ,beside the club's plaque baring the same design as the one on the back of that fabulous car club jacket,most likely designed by a club member.Any additional info regarding the club,are more than welcome and will be added/shared on this post.....

VINTAGE WW2 USN SNAPS

MARINE/NAVY PILOTS FAVORITE JACKET ...THE M-421A

today's post is about one of the hardest jacket to get and this in any condition as they were fragile and intensively worn in combat:the M-421A .These classic tan flight jackets are synonymous with US Navy/Marine pilots of the PTO.They were standardized in the late 30's by the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, the jacket was the standard issue summer flight jacket for all Navy and Marine Corp pilots and aircrew during ww2.
 It's light-weight, simple, practical design reminiscent of early windbreakers,was perfect for the Pacific campaign where it saw prevalent use during the early part of the war . Worn over just a shirt, or sometimes as an extra layer over the M-426A flight suit of the same material,.
the M-421A model was replaced by the M-421B around 43 basically the same jacket with the addition of an extra chest pocket ......