I’m not really a stickler for authenticity when it comes to military reproduction jackets. In fact, the one jacket I currently own that owes anything to mil-spec garments is a vintage Sears Leather Shop A2-style bomber with so many incorrect styling cues it would make a real repro enthusiast weep. That said, I do appreciate the care and thought that go into some of the projects that companies like Eastman Leather Clothing undertake.
So, for your late-Sunday viewing pleasure, some shots of one of their reproduction A2 jackets (in this case, not rife with errors). These are based on a vintage Cable Raincoat Company jacket, and it’s astounding how much effort they’ve put into making a jacket that’s as close as possible to the original.
One of the most interesting parts of the following set of images is the comparison of the Eastman version and the original Cable Raincoat Company version. If it weren’t for the wear on the vintage specimen, I’d be hard pressed to differentiate the original from the reproduction:
Those vintage zips and hardware are just gorgeous.
And one final thing: Horsehide. Holy shit. Just look at how the aging process has brought out all the character in the grain. It keeps getting better the older it gets.
—Jonathan
(All images courtesy of Eastman Leather Clothing)
