A very nice Willis & Geiger A-2 flight jacket, size 40, although it fits and measures out much larger than a typical size 40 A-2 and fits nearly like a 44 in the upper shoulders. May be horsehide but is most likely steerhide as most of the horsehide W&G A-2s I have seen are a lighter brown, but the jacket is certainly not the common goatskin version with is smooth leather finish as to the bumpy texture of goatskin.
This is one of W&G's earlier A-2s from the time of Burt Avedon as opposed to the later Land's End garbage. The coat has been worn and the very minor wear items to some of the high spots of the leather and some minor wear to the rayon at the collar. This is illustrated in the pictures. There is absolutely no pilling or damage to the knit. It comes from a smoke free, pet free home and has no odd aroma aside from it natural leather smell.
While Willis and Geiger never actually supplied A-2s to the USAAC/USAAF, the jacket has some noteworthy designs similar to the Perry Sportswear version of the originals including the stand collar, collar flap shape, pocket shape and box stitching as opposed to triangular stitching exclusively found on Perry jackets. As described on John Chapman's Goodwear leather site: "The Perry design is very athletic and sharp, which compliments those who wear it. It's also roomy in the shoulders and sleeve tops, more like a modern jacket. The stitching style seen on Perrys [sic] is unique. The pocket flap top stitching has a wide gap from the edge, and that stitching only goes through two layers of leather (not the folded leather edge as most other makers), and the top stitching around the zipper and collar is quite close to the edge. No triangle stitching was done at the base of the zipper."
This jacket contains all these features. Now, I am not saying that the W&G jacket holds a candle to the Goodwear jacket and I am not drawing that comparison, it is just an interesting fact that the Willis and Geiger A-2s have a uncanny design similarities to the Perry jacket, that one has to wonder if that's the jacket the W&G was modeled after.
In any case, while the jacket is tagged a 40, here are the measurements:
Chest: Pit to pit--22"
Back: Base of collarstand ring to top of knit--22.75"
Sleeve: Shoulder seam to top of knit--24"
Shoulders (seam to seam across back): 20"
Zipper Length: 20"
Not a bad jacket for an entry level A-2 from a historic manufacturer.
$165 shipped USPS Priority Mail in the US. International buyer to pay exact shipping via USPS Global Priority. I take PayPal
As mentioned in the listing for the other A-2s I have for sale, I realize I am somewhat new around here, but you can view my eBay feedback under AHRMA17L, on eBay since 1998 with 100% positive feedback, with nearly 2,400 comments.
This is one of W&G's earlier A-2s from the time of Burt Avedon as opposed to the later Land's End garbage. The coat has been worn and the very minor wear items to some of the high spots of the leather and some minor wear to the rayon at the collar. This is illustrated in the pictures. There is absolutely no pilling or damage to the knit. It comes from a smoke free, pet free home and has no odd aroma aside from it natural leather smell.
While Willis and Geiger never actually supplied A-2s to the USAAC/USAAF, the jacket has some noteworthy designs similar to the Perry Sportswear version of the originals including the stand collar, collar flap shape, pocket shape and box stitching as opposed to triangular stitching exclusively found on Perry jackets. As described on John Chapman's Goodwear leather site: "The Perry design is very athletic and sharp, which compliments those who wear it. It's also roomy in the shoulders and sleeve tops, more like a modern jacket. The stitching style seen on Perrys [sic] is unique. The pocket flap top stitching has a wide gap from the edge, and that stitching only goes through two layers of leather (not the folded leather edge as most other makers), and the top stitching around the zipper and collar is quite close to the edge. No triangle stitching was done at the base of the zipper."
This jacket contains all these features. Now, I am not saying that the W&G jacket holds a candle to the Goodwear jacket and I am not drawing that comparison, it is just an interesting fact that the Willis and Geiger A-2s have a uncanny design similarities to the Perry jacket, that one has to wonder if that's the jacket the W&G was modeled after.
In any case, while the jacket is tagged a 40, here are the measurements:
Chest: Pit to pit--22"
Back: Base of collarstand ring to top of knit--22.75"
Sleeve: Shoulder seam to top of knit--24"
Shoulders (seam to seam across back): 20"
Zipper Length: 20"
Not a bad jacket for an entry level A-2 from a historic manufacturer.
$165 shipped USPS Priority Mail in the US. International buyer to pay exact shipping via USPS Global Priority. I take PayPal
As mentioned in the listing for the other A-2s I have for sale, I realize I am somewhat new around here, but you can view my eBay feedback under AHRMA17L, on eBay since 1998 with 100% positive feedback, with nearly 2,400 comments.
