Field Jacket: Unlikely Beginnings

Most everyone loves a field jacket. J.Crew makes a nice one, Fjallraven makes a nice waxed one that I own, Alpha Industries has made the civilian M-65 forever. They are utilitarian, stylish and hell, they make you look cool.

Oban - this is the one I have (well, the model I have).

This is the J.Crew Garrison Fatigue Jacket, being worn by some, like, model dude.

The good old Alpha Industries M-65. What up.

Would you believe these jackets, these iconic pieces of menswear, actually can trace their existence to this coat?

It's the M-41 field jacket! Oh snap!

The M-41 field jacket (a reproduction above) was issued to US military personnel in the early days of World War II (any guesses what the 41 stands for? That's right, year), and a outright success it wasn't. Sure, it had hand warmer pockets, but made of cotton and lined with wool, despite the wind flap guarded zipper, it wasn't warm. And you couldn't carry shit with it. It looked cool, which was why soldiers liked it, and if you weren't in the front, that would be cool. Paratroopers were issued their own uniform, the M42, and if you've seen Band of Brothers, you know what that looks like. It looks like this:

M42 - Look, pockets!

This could carry your gear. Worn through Normandy, by Market Garden in September 1944, paratroopers, and everyone else, began wearing the M-43 field jacket. Which had buttons instead of a zipper, but otherwise looked much like what everyone thinks a field jacket should look like these days.

M-43: There are buttons under that flap. That's what She said.

The M-51 was the M-43, but with a zipper:

M-51, this one being a reproduction that US Wings sells

And after this was the M-65, which everyone knows. Thus ends the lecture! Well, if you want some extra credit, here are more pictures of my M-41 (which has moved on since those pics were taken):

New Years Evolution: Chicago in Photos

With the turning of the year, and my interest in history, I naturally think about the passage of time, and the changing of things. Time marches on, and though day to day life seems the same, that is just an illusion.

Located as I am in Chicago, I'm always interested in looking back and buildings and places that are familiar to me, yet viewed in the past, somehow out of context. Fortunately, the fine collection of Charles Weever Cushman's Kodachrome slides at Indiana University is available to peruse online. I've often viewed it, looking at great scans of his shots; Kodachrome is truly vivid and wonderful in it's presentation of color. I've taken some of my favorite shots from his collections - all taken from 1941 through 1944, and paired them up with contemporary shots of the same locations. Human beings cannot experience geologic time, but with photography like this can serve as a metaphor - how something as seemingly timeless as a cityscape, can, in the span of a human life, change profoundly.

Diamond Dave!

No, not that Diamond Dave; no early Van Halen here (although that would be fine with me, 1984 and earlier Van Halen are a good time). I'm talking about Dave, the president of Diamond Cap Company. If you are in the market for a "crusher" - a stunning reproduction of the caps pilots wore during World War 2 - look no further than the Diamond Cap Co.

Another World War 2 era item that Dave makes is reproductions of 1940's style Army Air Force t-shirts, often worn during physical training. Similar styled shirts can be seen in the first episode of Band of Brothers, when the paratroopers are in training running up Currahee. Dave's t-shirts are made on "American made and 100% "ring-spun" cotton, by a USA company that specializes in Wholesale manufacturing." - as you can see from the pictures below, the shirts used are American Apparel, which when laundered have a very vintage, trim shape, much like the original t-shirts. Also, the ink is direct printed to the shirt, not screened on, so as the shirt ages, the images age much like originals. All Dave needs to know is what field you want, and where it was (here is a good website that shows the locations of WW2 era fields. I chose to have the standard winged prop as with my Grandfather's advanced training field. Dave can also print front and back, so on the back is my Grandfather's name, serial number and flight school class. Enough talk; it's time to let the pictures do the talking:


Detail Shots of the direct printed ink:




Another item Dave is developing is a "Wild Ones" cap for motorcycle fans, or just fans of Marlon Brando. They're being worked up in black and taupe, and others colors later. Check out the photos below:





Anyone interested in any of the goodies above should reach out to Dave at info@diamondcapco.com.