FORGET BUDDY LEE...

Shorter arms and a fractured skull ,i had to have him ....
great attention to details,look at the button -hole .........
Gotta love that ol' denim ........
These boots are made for walking ....

Forget the mass produced "kewpie doll" faced BUDDY LEE .I'd rather go with something more original, unique and hand made anytime.I've always been on the look out for great "self taught" paintings, sculptures or folk art related items while at my local flea market.That's why i couldn't resist buying this little guy ,as he pretty much sums up everything i love about art and vintage in general .

AN AMERICAN CLASSIC :the hunting/game jacket

Straight from the pages of an old 1917 Ward mail order catalog .A traditional simple and functional hunting jacket .No brand name here, just the product. i've found the exact same jacket featured in a 1909 Sears catalog too.........
The actual jacket.One of the oldest in my collection .It's nice when you're actually able to date,with more or less accuracy, such an item .A classic early 20th century fit with it's narrow shoulder and "A" shape body, still based on the European tailoring techniques and cuts....Note the nice and unusual double compartments frontal pocket......

The pocket's separation has been reinforced by the addition of a leather tab underneath the flap
Old and so fragile celluloid button ..... leather all over the jacket to reinforce it's weakest points....

One might have noticed by now, that MADE IN AMERICA is making a noticeable come back on the fashion scene.Are the good ol' days, when "made in America" or "union made" meant something to the average consumer,back to stay !?? one never knows!? we can only dream.Strange to see though,that some of these "come backs" have been orchestrated by some of the most passionate foreign designers ,either from Japan ,England ,Italy and even the usually very conservative France... let's hope that it's not just another fad and that woolrich ,filson ,duxbak among other iconic figures of the great american garment industry ,are back to stay .

IF ONLY WE KNEW....

In the ever growing series :"if only we knew", aka : things dreams are made of,here's another one from the archives .This ad was featured in the December 1946 issue of Esquire magazine .Perry sportswear, as an original ww2 contractor took advantage like many of his peers, of the popularity of the famous jacket in a post war consumer crazy America. Those of you who've been looking for a decent original ,will without a doubt laugh at the ridiculous price......

A COLLECTOR'S DREAM

From top to bottom.

winter jackets either: M445A orANJ4 AN6552

intermediate jackets either:M422 or ANJ3A

summer jackets :likely M421A

While browsing "the archives", i came upon a juicy little cliche of aWW2 naval clothing supply depot and its racks of naval aviator's jackets .The ultimate dead stock.....a collector's dream indeed .

THE WW2 PEACOAT

Sailors on the Alameda naval base in 1945......
The rare Brooklyn depot tag ,is the only way to tell the size on a WW2 peacoat.It was sewn on the rayon lining underneath the "hang loop".Unfortunately they are ,most of the time ,missing due to their "cheese cloth" like material......

The one and only preWW2 and WW2 NAVAL CLOTHING FACTORY tag .An easy detail to look for while hunting for one true gem ....
The 10 "fouled anchor" buttons are factory hand sewn [never go through] and always in a z pattern .Showing here,different shades of kersey wool.A dead stock example and above it, one that has been there......
Another revealing detail: the 2 rows of stitching on the sleeves roughly 3" apart ......

The purpose of this post won't be about schooling you into becoming the ultimate "peacoat expert" on the planet, but more about giving you pointers on how to be sure you have the real deal:the WW2 USN peacoat.....

The pea coat is a true American classic,a garment that seems to transcend many different styles, tastes and genders as working for almost everyone .Perhaps because it is a great example of how function always rules over frivolity in the style stakes.It has been copied so many times over the last decades that i've lost track .Legions of modern manufacturers will come up with a nice story, telling you they were "the one".For me the WW2 US NAVAL CLOTHING FACTORY standard issue is only one.

The pea coat is actually a British or Dutch invention dating back to the 18th Century.It gets its name from the Dutch word: 'pij' used for this kind of coat or jacket,hence 'P-Cloth', 'P-Coat' etc. The fabric is a heavy, coarse, usually 32 ounce, twilled dark blue kersey wool.

The 10 buttons are the easiest way to tell a WW2 era coat from afar{ after WW2 they started making them with 8 buttons}. The reason for this is it extended the lapel so with it un-buttoned at the top it could be worn like a double breasted suit with the lapel lying flat against the front of the coat. This is one of the great things about the pea coat, it can be worn different ways and still look good.Small buttons under the collars, and an attached throat latch allowed the coat to be tightly buttoned at the throat. There was one row of stitching approximately 3" above the cuff, which also had a single row of stitching just above the cuff. The hand warmer pockets were lined with tan or light brown corduroy.The coats were lined with a rayon like fabric,baring the “Manufactured By NAVAL CLOTHING FACTORY” tag on the right inside breast pocket (on the outside of the pocket) with a line for the name and a line for the rate. There was an anchor in the upper right hand corner and the upper left hand corner of the tag.

Now armed with this humble knowledge you should be able to get your hands on a true American classic: the ww2 USN peacoat .........good hunting

AROUND MY FINGER ....about ww2 military rings

This is a rare WW2 RAF ring. Over the years i've probably seen a handful of British rings .this example was made out of a RAF brass button .The base is silver......
Nice combo of WW2 theater made DI and 1944 dated silver CBI ring .
Close up showing the glass on silver inclusion ......
WW2 north African campaign theater made silver ring ........
An early example of 20/ 30's air corps silver locket ring .......
A beautiful WW2 AAF flight engineer gold ring .Above it a 1950's air force sterling silver band...

Such rings have been around as long as there has been a military.

In ancient time,conquering soldiers would wear the jewelry of those they conquered as their badge of honor.

Even the most battle tested soldier wants to take something away to remember his time in service. A military ring is something that many military personnel had made or bought for such a purpose. Some decorated their rings with the battles they have fought and the events they feel have shaped their time in the military.Those that served,have their jewelry passed on to the next generation and those that have lost their lives are usually remembered for the rings they wore. Military jewelry can be a very emotional items.

The Air Force,Army,Navy, Marines and most military divisions have/had their own logos and designs showcased on rings made and worn by the soldiers that have served. You can always tell what branch of service someone was in,by the ring that they wore to commemorate their service.

THE FIRST A-2....

The 313th fighter 9th AAF sq. patch and an original star and wings felt shoulder patch to complete the look...
The artwork was inspired by an original 9th AF P-47 thunderbolt "nose art"....
A close up of 'Panchito" from Disney's 1944 animated feature :"the 3 caballeros"....

Back in the early 90's as i didn't want to ruin a perfectly good original A-2, i decided to get a copy just for every day use .It seemed quit impossible at the time, to find a repro to satisfy my discriminating taste ..there was always something wrong back then,with the handful of brands catering to such a market.Neither Sefton,Nor the now world famous Eastman[whose catalog was at the time heavily inspired by Mc coy's to say the least] were good enough.So while working as a designer for a famous French clothing company ,i decided to take advantage of my easy access to their factory and talked the owner into letting me do a prototype on my own "dineros" for the up coming season .The result can be seen above......Well !! 20 years after i still think it's not so bad for a first try.