British Battledress inspired felted wool jacket, seeking tailor

[Ebden]

Hey all,

New here. Found you through Claude of all places, while failing otherwise to find something that doesn't exist. I'm looking for someone who can either modify an original British Battledress jacket to tone it down just a bit, or make a custom from scratch leaning on similar elements.

I had a surplus 1946 UK Battledress jacket for a while, and I don't know why I gave it away. It fit me perfectly. For my height, 5'6", and the structured shoulders, the right amount of sharpness and utility for what I want and I didn't look so squat. Just the original was a scratch too much cosplay, especially with braces and wool pants.

Still, can't beat wool for being out in a scandinavian...any season really short of a few weeks in July.

Claude was pointing me to movie costume designers, or Saville Row... not much in between, other than also throwing this forum into the mix!

And, while I'm thinknig about it, mixing elements from this jacket with the battledress would be superb. Or is this forum all leather only?

https://freewheelers.co.jp/news/woodland-hunting-coat19201930s-style-outdoor-coat/

 

[Edward]

We are very much not leather only in these parts! The Battle Dress blouse is a really practical jacket; I like them worn with civilian togs and a collar and tie myself, as a more casual alternative to a tweed blazer. I currently have a blue denim one from Cathcart that gets worn casually in Warmer weather. Nice bit of kit. The one bit that I think would be lovely to have altered for civilian wear would be the belt bit... for wearing it open, having a plain button at the bottom would sit tidier imo...

Hopefully somebody can help you on a tailor. Though TBH, these days if you're not wearing it with anything else obviously military looking, I'm not sure that it would stick out as that if that's your concern. The other alternative I've considered picking up at some point is the American 'Ike' jacket, which was influenced by the BD, but cut differently to suit the rest of the US Army uniform of the WW2 period:

If that gets you somewhat closer to what you're after, a good quality reproduction will likely work out cheaper than a tailor in the long run.

The only real drawback with these in civilian wear imo is the inevitably limited colour palette. A blue RAF version of the British BD blouse is very slightly less obvious these days. In truth I've also considered picking up a couple of the KD cotton versions to dye in non-available colours, like a bottle green or a deep purple. I did consider a black Heer Panzerwrap, though I'm wary there. I have no problem myself appropriating a single pieces of Axis wear, unbadged, but I'm slightly leery on the offchance somebody else picks up what it is and chooses to take offence at that.

The History Bunker in the UK does civilian as well as military clothing and has quite the range of stuff. https://thehistorybunker.co.uk They might be able to assist? I was thinking of dropping them a line at some point myself and seeing if they could do me a BD blouse in a non-milspec colour. They might even have something off the peg that intrigue you. A BD jacket in the green wool of their Irish Citizen Army uniforms would be interesting if they were up for it.

Do let us know how you get on: there's quite a few of us here who adapt occasional military pieces into our civilian wardrobes, always interesting to see different ideas.

 

[Ebden]

What, these sources, fantastic! I had a quick look while reading and I'll look more closely in a moment.

I found the british battledress the perfect thing. Most coats are just too long on me. I'm a little bit partial to the waist buckle, to each their own. For me it's a little bit retro, a little bit Michael Jackson, and an extra sturdiness for a place that ends up getting stretched when I move. Just today yet another zipper blew from the bottom up. And I'm not on the portly end, and no challenge meant to different body shapes, it's just how I move outside.

I would be wearing this wool while working in the forest, fishing, hunting, building, or also socially.

You got it on the color palette. It's what drew me to that japanese remake of the 1930s hunters jacket, the brown is something I can work with. I've even explored possibly dying an original a darker green. I think I could go darker, find my friends from a nearby textile program to help with the dying, but certainly can't change the color too much.

This is the one, pretty much as it was, listed at the history bunker. I had one from Norway, and I recall the chest pocket buttons came through the ****** pockets, but hidden is even better as a workwear piece. Key detail is being sure the material is the heavier felted wool, and I may be convinced now just to find again one of these surplus models and dye it with help.

That Irish citizen's jacket, if the one pictured below is what you meant, that's just about right, ableit a bit long. Handsome though.

 

[Edward]

What, these sources, fantastic! I had a quick look while reading and I'll look more closely in a moment.

I found the british battledress the perfect thing. Most coats are just too long on me. I'm a little bit partial to the waist buckle, to each their own. For me it's a little bit retro, a little bit Michael Jackson, and an extra sturdiness for a place that ends up getting stretched when I move. Just today yet another zipper blew from the bottom up. And I'm not on the portly end, and no challenge meant to different body shapes, it's just how I move outside.

I would be wearing this wool while working in the forest, fishing, hunting, building, or also socially.

Yeah, it's a great design. The belt is good for keeping it closed (even in those of a ore portly figure like myself would benefit from the belt being a bit longer sometimes... as a rule they're cut for a young Tommy, not those of us who are more in the Captain Mainwaring phase of life... ;-) ). Very practical for a lot of purposes, and I'm a big fan of how they can be worn with a tie as well as workwear.

Much as zips can be convenient, in durability terms there's a lot to be said for buttons that can be easily replaced...

You got it on the color palette. It's what drew me to that japanese remake of the 1930s hunters jacket, the brown is something I can work with. I've even explored possibly dying an original a darker green. I think I could go darker, find my friends from a nearby textile program to help with the dying, but certainly can't change the color too much.

This is the one, pretty much as it was, listed at the history bunker. I had one from Norway, and I recall the chest pocket buttons came through the ****** pockets, but hidden is even better as a workwear piece. Key detail is being sure the material is the heavier felted wool, and I may be convinced now just to find again one of these surplus models and dye it with help.

Yes - the first and second patterns (1939 (sometimes called 1937 pattern - it was first widely issued in 1939) and 1940; the key difference being the latter was refined to a slightly slimmer cut than the former) had a fly over the pocket flaps and the front buttons; the second 1940 'Austerity' pattern (sometimes called the 1942 pattern) didn't. A change obvious brought on in order to save material for all sorts of reasons (not least the need to clothe a vast, conscript army) as the war kicked in hard. Various armies across the world had their own variations, particularly across Commonwealth forces, while on the Axis side, U-boat crews often wore either captured battledress, or had a close copy issued to them in some cases as I understand it.

I really like the post-war 1949 pattern BD:

A lot in common with the American Ike jacket that was itself influenced by Battledress. This is what would have been issued for a long time during the period up to May 1963, when the last British men to be conscripted into National Service finished their tour of duty. These were designed to be worn with collar and tie; a civilianised version of this look would be great in other colours.

That Irish citizen's jacket, if the one pictured below is what you meant, that's just about right, ableit a bit long. Handsome though.

Yes, that's exactly the one. If you look closely, that tunic is actually very similar to British Army Service Dress of the period. The same basic pattern was also used by the Irish Volunteers, in a different shade of green. Obviously a pattern that Irish military tailors were already familiar with at the time those organisations first went looking for uniforms, the Irish army of that period being still a series of regiments within the British Army. That ICA green is the colour I'm tempted to see if the HB would make me a BD jacket with. I know Cathcart at one point were sampling their utility pattern-inspired BD jacket in melton wool and moleskin, but I've not as of yet seen any hint of that reaching the retail operation yet.

 

[Zoo]

In case you didn't catch it, History Bunker also offer variations of the BD in dark blue in their WWII Royal Navy section.

 

[Edward]

In case you didn't catch it, History Bunker also offer variations of the BD in dark blue in their WWII Royal Navy section.

Yes, that's a good option too. Didn't the ARP wear something similar that was such a dark blued it looked black in most lights, or am I misremembering a one-piece garment?