New ELC RW 1401P

[Warped]

My Eastman RW 1401P arrived this week.

Apart from a size label being incorrect, a great jacket.

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[Windward]

Warped - fantastic color, I love the collar! Fit is spot on!
Please send me your right sleeve - amazing!!!!!

 

[Brettafett]

Very nice indeed. Thanks for the pics, esp the fit pics, we have not seen enough of ELCs 'new' hides. What size was it supposed to be ? How tall are you, if I may ask?

 

[Superfluous]

That's a beauty! Congrats.

 

[Warped]

Very nice indeed. Thanks for the pics, esp the fit pics, we have not seen enough of ELCs 'new' hides. What size was it supposed to be ? How tall are you, if I may ask?

Without having to repeat the whole story, please have a look at my post in VLJ:
http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17057

By the way, I'm 179cm (about 5'10") and weigh about 88kg (193lb).

 

[Warped]

The Jacket is actually a size 44.

I see you need to Register at VLJ.
If you do not want to do this, I have copied the post across here:

Having not owned any leather jacket since my motorcycling days in the late 1970's to early 1980's, it was only after considerable research that I settled on an ELC RW 1401P Warhorse jacket. Next decision was what size? I wear a 42 Regular suit and sports jacket but the cut can be a bit restrictive if I need to wear anything more than a thin cotton shirt. After reading numerous posts on various sites and forums, I thought it prudent to order a size 44. I sent my measurements to Gary Eastman and he confirmed that a 44 was far more likely to be the better size option.

I received the new jacket on Tuesday, 22 July 2014. Imagine my surprise when the first thing I noticed was the size tag - a 42:



Further inspection revealed that the pocket label showed a 44!



What to do? I decided to keep it. I had been tracking the progress of the shipment via Parcelforce and was expecting our "friendly" South African customs officials to get themselves into a knot about customs duties and spend a good few weeks deciding about releasing the parcel. I had heard horror stories about goods being held up or interfered with. In addition, I discovered only in the last week that imported clothing attracts a 40% customs duty! This on top of an exchange rate which is punitive, to say the least. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised to find that the parcel was delivered without any duty, only VAT calculated on one-third of the price! On the waybill the contents were described as “1 Leather Jerkin”. I expect the officials could not find a tariff code for a “Jerkin” and released the shipment without question. Quite a relief!

Gary offered to take the jacket back and replace the label but this would risk the duties being imposed. The result is that a replacement label is being sent to me, which I can keep in the unlikely event that I need to sell the jacket. I do not want to risk trying to get one of the local tailors to replace the label as the stitching is a critical part of the authenticity of the repro.

 

[scotrace]

That's fantastic. I got mine too soon, when the leather the jacket came in was perfect and smooth. It'll never look really aged. Just lighter and scratched in some areas on perfect and smooth leather.

You have a great jacket!

 

[Smithy]

Nothing wrong with that at all Warped. ELC's A-2 leather has really come leaps and bounds over the last few years.

I wouldn't worry about the sizing mislabelling issue, I'd wager you would've seen that on quite a few original wartime A-2s in the rush to fulfil contracts.

Welcome to the Lounge BTW.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[wild_balls]

Wow!

 

[Cooperson]

Very nice, beautiful hide and a great fit!

 

[Fanch]

Simply outstanding. We don't see too many ELC posted here, and yours is a stunner. I would just store the label in a pocket, keeping in mind that sizing is generally arbitrary.

 

[Stand By]

Very nice - great colour and fit on you, Sir. A good choice.
I was just in the UK for two weeks and managed to be in the ELC tent at the air show at RAF Duxford and being in there's a bit like being a dog in a forest ! What a rare delight. An utter indulgence.
I love the terracotta coloured lining on your jacket - and I don't know what that cotton actually is (organic/brushed/whatever), but IMHO, it's so soft it feels like silk! It's absolutely sublime.
Enjoy your jacket !

 

[bn1966]

Great jacket sir...congratulations

 

[bn1966]

Any purchases at Duxford Stand By??

 

[Stand By]

Without hijacking Warped's thread unduly, I can say that the air show at RAF Duxford was one of the finest I have EVER been to.
It began with a near full squadron of Spits - 11 in all - flying about in various formations and peeling off like the leader leading a Tally-Ho. I mean, really. Where else in the world can anyone see that ?!
5 x P-51s, a Hurri, 2 x P-40 Warhawks, 2 x Corsairs, Grumman Hellcats, Gloster Gladiators galore, a Hawker Sea Fury, a couple of Me-109s that aren't but are very like Me-109s, - it was all there - plus the Lancaster, "Sally B" B-17 and B-25 - and lots of others right down to a wee P-26 Peashooter (fantastic) - and at the end, they put the lot of them in the air for a final mass fly past !!! Wow. No, actually that was more like WOW!
For me though, the biggest surprise was seeing the Lockheed Super Constellation. I recognized it when I saw it - have built models since I was 6 and most of the Airfix range as a lad, but never that one. I'd never had any interest in it. But then seeing it ... WOW. It's gorgeous. Such beautiful lines - and quiet too when it flew . What a treat. I can feel a kit coming on ....

And of course, the ELC tent. Always a treat in itself and Gary and crew were very welcoming and happy to see me, which was nice.
I collected my Luftwaffe jacket from them that I'd sent ahead upon my immediate arrival in England to be repaired - the Riri zip had died suddenly last mid-winter - just came apart in my hand one time when I went to put it on. So the zip was replaced with a new Riri one - and it's a PERFECT job. You'd NEVER know - even when you know what to look for! A1+ job.
Got to say though, I'm not liking the new leathers with the glossy, vinyl-like "aged" finish - even on the new Luftwaffe jackets - but that's just me. I wouldn't have another RW B-3 or RW B-6, Irvin or Luftwaffe - I much prefer my old ones in their original finish.
But the Perry mixed-batch B-3 looks really fab and really stood out, as does the ANJ-4. Those I'd have in a heartbeat (funds permitting). I'm not liking most of the A2s these days either, but a few still look great to me (like Warped's A2 here) - and all the A2 linings are sublime.
What did I buy? Well, I was in a nearby stand that sold old avaiation-related books and came upon a MINT (unopened - as it was sort of stuck together like new magazines can be) copy of ELCs "Golden Book" - with a price list inside! So I bought that - for 4 pounds !!! And I darted away lest the lady realized that she'd virtually given something away ...!
I immediately took it to ELC's tent to show Gary and the guys and they said they'd not seen one in many years - and they said it was from around 2006 (according to the prices) and should do well on eBay ...! So I do think it'll go on eBay (as I still have my old copy - battered and falling apart as it is) as I need to recoup some cash as my latest credit card statement showed me later that my Canadian dollars went nowhere against the pound on that trip. Ah well.
But it was a sensational day and well worth the effort to go. And thank Heavens for Factor 50 !