{"product_id":"50s-french-army-camouflage-retailored-windproof-jacket-algerian-war","title":"[~50's] French Army Camouflage Retailored Windproof Jacket \"Algerian War\"","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA ‘Camouflage Retailored Windproof Jacket’ of the French Army, estimated to date from around the 1950s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA super special item has come in.\u003cbr\u003eFirst and above all, this condition. It has survived in a state one would not believe of military wear seventy years old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the jacket that pairs with the trousers we presented previously.\u003cbr\u003eWe have had the lower half in before, but the upper half is a first for our shop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe base is the \"Windproof Pattern\" cloth adopted by the British forces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsed as an offshoot of the Denison smock, its camouflage is marked by a bold pattern that looks as though it were laid on with a brush.\u003cbr\u003eCalled brushstroke, its character lies not in blotches cut from a stencil but in overlapping tones that really do look painted on, coat upon coat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo why is a piece made up in British cloth an item of the French Army?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the most interesting thing about it, and it touches on a most particular set of circumstances within the French Army during the Algerian War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the French Army of the day there was a custom whereby a man would take his issued uniform to a tailor in town and have it remade to his own build and taste.\u003cbr\u003eFor duty, for walking out, and at times for ceremony. And astonishingly, these altered garments are said to have been worn on actual operations as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecords remain of a well-known tailor in Algiers altering military clothing in quantity, on order from the units.\u003cbr\u003eAdjusting the waist, adding belt loops, adding pockets, slimming the silhouette.\u003cbr\u003eThe scope of the alterations was genuinely wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd inside this piece, a label embroidered in gold thread on a green ground has been stitched in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘SADOWY \/ MAITRE TAILLEUR’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"MAITRE TAILLEUR\" means \"master tailor\" in French.\u003cbr\u003eWhich is to say, this is a garment sent out into the world by a craftsman who inscribed his own name upon it.\u003cbr\u003eReady-made issue from the army never carries a label like this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish cloth, remade by a craftsman in Algiers, for a French soldier to wear.\u003cbr\u003eThree lands crossing within one garment.\u003cbr\u003eIs there another piece of clothing like this?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet us look, in turn, at the details that define the model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collar is a small, composed point collar.\u003cbr\u003eIt has a refinement unlike military dress, and by that one detail the whole impression becomes considerably gentler.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth shoulders carry epaulettes.\u003cbr\u003eOriginally these held rank insignia, or kept the belts of equipment from slipping off the shoulder.\u003cbr\u003eOn this piece, that vestige works beautifully as a design element.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe front is a zip closure.\u003cbr\u003eThe slider is stamped \"ECLAIR\", and the brass, grown amber with the years, has a genuinely lovely quality.\u003cbr\u003eÉclair is the old fastener maker that represents France, and that this stamp is present is itself the surest proof that this piece was tailored in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth sides of the chest carry buttoned flap pockets.\u003cbr\u003ePleats stand in place of gussets, so the pockets swell out just enough when something is put in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd what I should particularly like you to note is the vertical zip pocket set on the left front alone.\u003cbr\u003eThere is nothing corresponding to it on the right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hem is elasticated with shirring.\u003cbr\u003eBeing drawn in, roundness arises in the upper body, creating the light silhouette of a blouson. The cuffs button at the wrist, and close it up properly as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cloth is a light, smooth cotton twill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrue to the name windproof, it is designed to keep the wind out by weaving the threads close.\u003cbr\u003eNo thickness, and yet it stops the wind. This functionality was the answer the British forces of the day arrived at.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the touch it is dry and smooth, with the body that comes of its high density.\u003cbr\u003eBeing light, it serves through spring and autumn of course, and as something to throw on during summer evenings as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHigh-density cotton of this kind grows softer the more it is worn, and the outlines of the camouflage grow a little paler by degrees.\u003cbr\u003eThis piece being in good condition, plenty of room to raise it remains — a happy thing, I should think.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe colour is a brushstroke camouflage of brown, olive and pink-beige.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike camouflage of ranged blotches, this is a pattern of large planes overlapping gently, so from a distance it can look like an abstract painting.\u003cbr\u003eThe number of colours being restrained, it is camouflage with a genuinely settled bearing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrown being the main note, it is surprisingly easy to combine, which is part of its appeal.\u003cbr\u003eBeige chinos or black slacks — it quarrels with neither.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShort in length and compactly composed, it looks best of all worn on its own, I think.\u003cbr\u003eThe pattern will take the leading role, so keeping everything else simple is what I would recommend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no size marking, but judging from the measurements I should think it corresponds to a Japanese \"S ~ M\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs it was remade to its wearer's build to begin with, the measurements are considerably neater than one expects of military dress.\u003cbr\u003eThe armholes are narrow as well, so it is a piece I would particularly recommend to those of slighter build.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are signs of use such as fraying and small holes, but no significant damage that would affect wear, so there is plenty of life left in it.\u003cbr\u003eTo repeat myself: for a piece from the Algerian War of seventy years ago, the condition is little short of astonishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe British mill that wove this cloth and the tailor in Algiers who made it up no longer exist.\u003cbr\u003eAnd above all, the very culture of taking army issue to a craftsman in town to have it altered to one's own taste has disappeared.\u003cbr\u003eOne could make the same thing, but a garment with the same history will never be born again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish cloth, a French soldier. And the name of a craftsman in Algiers.\u003cbr\u003eA piece that is at once documentary and practical — one you can literally talk about.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chances of one appearing on the market at all are extremely limited, so if you have been looking, please do not let this opportunity pass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"VIEUX ET NOUVEAU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47982202388658,"sku":"J01104","price":248000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/2140\/3314\/files\/J01104-1_4871c7fa-8c90-457e-b579-2244e3b55363.jpg?v=1788335178","url":"https:\/\/vieuxetnouveau-shop.com\/en\/products\/50s-french-army-camouflage-retailored-windproof-jacket-algerian-war","provider":"VIEUX ET NOUVEAU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}