Duke Mantee

Scotchgrain calfskin with Buttero strap, flap lining and zip reinforcement details, LOXX fastener and antique brass snaps and d-rings

Merry Christmas / happy holidays and all that good stuff - hope everyone has a great time

They are a different cut since they ‘broadly’ represent a different era. They are the same same denim but dyed differently. Levi’s didn’t make jackets to ‘go with’ jeans - neither do FW

Maybe a cold spring day is about the limit IMO I’ve only got the deck zip now - same thing though. I think the problem that I have is the jacket is really all or nothing - after many years of hill walking and mountaineering in shitty highlands weather I’ve just conditioned myself to a different philosophy … layers. Alpaca is comfortable for me but I know some folk find the fibres a wee bit prickly against bare skin on occasion.

Fully fastened with gloves and a hat then easy sub-zero to maybe a cold wind 5°C for me mate. Could be I don’t feel the cold so much, but deck jackets were designed for a purpose - if you’ve ever been on a boat in winter in the middle of the North Sea or Atlantic you’ll know. Definitely keep you warm standing watching the football. I think the jacket design is great, but I just don’t get much wear from them. I’d much rather put on a down jacket or my peacoat or even my mackinaw with a couple of layers.

@MJF9 were you being serious wanting to put a denim jacket under the N1? I can’t wear any type deck jackets with alpaca lining with anything more than a shirt or thermal, even with our winter northerlies - I just find them too warm

Wickett & Craig harness and sand cast English brass

Tremendous work really - and somehow it looks ‘right’ to have such big areas of contrast

Learning to sew badly is one thing, learning to make a proper pattern is something else entirely - many years of learning in that …

I’ve probably had/have more 601XX 51’s than that - anyway it’s hardly a problem when you’ve a pair for each day of the week … Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Today

Correct The loops were used in conjunction with the straps of the dungarees

The Gemsa is a really good shirt - I got the navy purple one a couple of years ago … more like a jacket than a shirt IMO

… I can’t see what that shop is because I can’t get Yahoo Auctions here, but you saying 29” seems to confirm my point about variety of sizing methods. Strangely you didn’t refer McFly measurements despite quoting the shop earlier although Avenue, Speedway and others are also stating 30”+ for a Large I’ve seen denims being measured with enough different approaches to give you an inch or more in size and they probably need to be a bit more precise. Unless you actually need a 60” chest jacket we’re getting to the point of when an inch or so makes no substantial difference. The shoulder width will play a big part in the drape at this stage. FW might be a bit slimmer than an original contract M-1948, but as I said, the variation of sizes depending on the contract year was noticeable. If in actual fact you want to compare to a Real McCoys version that’s an entirely different question. I don’t rate RMC much so I don’t have any substantial knowledge here but a quick google gives one retailer stating a Medium is 63cm (25”) and McFly say a FW Medium is 73cm (29”) … I’d say that was a significant difference.

I see you edited your original post by way of an answer. I didn’t read the McFly store comments. The information I’d collected over the years came from military forums, blogs and auction sites. There’s a bit of variation between contracts and, I’m guessing, how owners have measured. But as an example here a Large M-1948 (actual 1948 pattern since there were many) the pit to pit is 32” and the FW measurement is 31” https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/army-m1948-m48-fishtail-parka-cotton-1788739250 Anyway I guess the real question is what size do you actually need given the chest measurements are hovering around the 5 foot mark.

I wasn’t aware FW version was so much smaller Data I have for medium and large parkas was around 58-61” on the chest which seems to be more or less in line with FW sizing? (allowing for the various methods of measurement and the original contract variations)

Sedgwick bridle and Japanese brass

Horsehide, Vachetta straps and (from the defunct Clayton tannery) mellow tanned pockets

Should be able to get that fixed I’d imagine

Yes - correct ✅

I’ve never heard of him until @buler posted that vid Do you think what he says is technically correct despite being biased? Watching that Alden vid is pretty damning regarding the quality.

I’d send these back - finishing is atrocious and it worries me the seller has used these pics insofar as it’s possible he thinks the standard of build is good. I’ve owned 2 pairs of Alden shoes - one pair similar to the D2614 but with a raised seam on the moc toe which had the seam on different positions so it didn’t look a pair, the other was a plain tie blucher and the sole needed replacing within weeks. My experiences with these mean I’d never buy another of pair of Alden’s. I bought a pair of Rancourt beef rolls many years ago while I was working in the US - a colleague recommended them. They were heavily reduced in a sale. They were probably worth the sale price; I wasn’t really impressed but they were comfortable for the office. I’m pretty sure their shoes are Blake stitched, so that goes some way to keeping their prices down.

Given the strength and durability of a saddle stitch I would suggest it is better placed in a boot than a wallet - I think what we see then is actually how business efficiency (time=money) has convinced us that a handmade boot doesn’t need to be saddle stitched. It used to be a bespoke suit was entirely hand stitched but it’s now not uncommon to find that long seam lines are now machine stitched … it’s still handmade because the rules of engagement have changed to suit the landscape. It’s really not a discussion about quality as such - more the confusion that arises when a customer can’t understand why item A is $X but item B is 3x $X … because item A has a few finishing stitches done by hand and item B is everything done by hand and both ‘legitimately’ claim handmade status. I see it here fairly often - and mostly centred around footwear and larger leather items.

What are you currently wearing?

I like Guidi leathers - they have a nice finish generally Is the belt all horse or backed by cowhide? I like the stitching too

You’re absolutely right - there is no real correct answer. I disagree about sewing the uppers though. For me they should be handsewn; we do it for bags, wallets, belts etc so there’s no reason in my mind that uppers can’t be handsewn. Soles and heels are very difficult so shaping down a heel with a sander could be argued as still being handmade. I think the thing that bothers me most is the businesses are rather disingenuous about what handmade can mean - so really it’s the lack of integrity rather than the lack of skill, because as I’ve said before it takes no little skill to be a good machinist