There's the pea coat and then there's the oft replicated, iconic Navy issue deck jacket, introduced in the late 40's and refined over the following years to include the storm flap and metal 'lobster clip' for easier closure and resistance to corrosion from the elements that the exposed zipper was prone to. Constructed from a densely woven 13 oz. gros grain deemed 'jungle cloth' or cotton 'bedford' cord and wind-proofed with a layer of organdy between the jungle cloth and wool lining.
Many variations are out there. Buzz Rickson's N-40 and N-1 and the obsessively crafted Mister Freedom designed, Sugar Cane produced N-1H/"Troy" standout for attention to spec detail. 'D' patch pockets, blanket wool lining, storm cuff and band collar. Fleece versions; J. Crew's indigo dyed take, Nigel Cabourn's blanket lined winner, Healthknit's sherpa-lined Classic BOA Fleece. Steven Alan's shawl collar take on it. RL's spring weight replica. Dana Lee's excellent waxed canvas, alpaca-lined F/W offering, the same style made famous by Mr. Newman. A similar Spiewak. Vintage, a collector's Holy Grail. Batten down the hatches. manufactured Credit where it's due: much has been written on this jacket and I found a lot of good stuff out there. For legit Navy-ism posts, click over to Ozzie Freidman, Riveted and especially Sanforized. Second Skin and Cotton Duck cover similar interests. HERE and HERE for some good military related forums including some fairly informative deck jacket threads.
i want one..mmmmmmmm :)
ReplyDeletei live in riga and it's minus 25 degrees celcius at the moment and i have a german issue navy coat which is serving me well in these wintry conditions...but i would love to get my hands on one of these ;)
jacket envy. that Dana Lee piece you'd posted before especially.
ReplyDeleteThis is some downright scholarly work. Nicely done sir.
ReplyDeleteNice post mate...! Great to see some of my jackets & photo from my blog been shared around. You missed the best one i think: http://sanforized.blogspot.com/2010/02/air-v1-8.html
ReplyDeleteSanforized, stoked you like. And yeah, that's a f*ckin' nice one. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteThis past Christmas I was given an N-1 Deck Jacket from my dad, who served in the Navy during the Koran war and was stationed in San Diego, and I'm ecstatic to say the least to find this post!
ReplyDeleteThe jacket is very similar to the one here: http://redcrowqualitygoods.blogspot.com/2009/10/archive-usn-deck-jacket.html
Now I know what this jacket is called, and that I wasn't crazy in thinking that it was odd to find out about a jacket from the Navy that wasn't a peacoat.
Thanks for the info, and keep up the good work.
Wow, that was a lot of good pics. Nice work.
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