Vintage 1970s Gokey's G-1 Style Goatskin Flying Jacket, Mouton Collar

A classic G-1 style flying jacket in chocolate brown goatskin, sold by Gokey's of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and already worn in to the point most people spend years trying to reach.

The G-1 began life as the US Navy's M-422, specified on 28 March 1940, and remains in service today. Until 1965 it was always made in goatskin, and this jacket follows that tradition. Its appeal has always been its balance. The goatskin is light enough for everyday wear yet tough enough to last a lifetime, the mouton collar turns up against the wind, and the bi-swing back lets you reach and move freely. Styled in the manner of the naval original, this jacket follows the pattern closely. It has pebble-grained goatskin, a deep curled mouton collar, twin patch pockets with pointed button flaps, and brown knitted cuffs and waistband.

What sets it apart is the name inside. Gokey's was one of America's oldest sporting outfitters, founded as a bootmaker in New York around 1850. Its hunting boots were worn by Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Ernest Hemingway, and by the early 1980s The Official Preppy Handbook was naming its Saint Paul store and catalogue as a place to shop. Orvis acquired the company in 1990 and closed the store two years later. Gokey continues today as a footwear maker, and jackets bearing the Saint Paul label are now seldom seen. The labels date this one to between the early 1970s and 1990.

Decades of wear have done what no new jacket can. The leather has deepened to a dark chocolate across the body, with lighter wear to the shoulders and back yoke and soft creasing through the sleeves. It is supple, comfortable and ready to wear from the first day, with no breaking in required. The mouton collar has mellowed to a warm tobacco. Inside, broad leather facings frame a rust red lining, with a snap-tab pocket to the left side.

Decades on, it wears exactly as a G-1 should.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition.

The goatskin remains strong and supple, with natural age-related creasing and variation to the finish, particularly across the sleeves and back. The mouton collar is full and well preserved, and the knitted cuffs and waistband remain in very good condition. The lining shows some light marks consistent with age, which do not affect wear.

The jacket has been professionally specialist cleaned in-house and subsequently conditioned in our workshop using our own [conditioner name]. Its naturally developed wear and character have been carefully preserved.

Key Features

• Vintage Gokey's G-1 style flying jacket, c. 1972 to 1990
• Sold by Gokey's of Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded c. 1850
• Named in The Official Preppy Handbook (1980) as a place to shop
• Styled in the manner of the US Navy G-1 (M-422, 1940)
• Chocolate brown pebble-grained goatskin
• Deep curled mouton collar
• Bi-swing action back
• Twin patch pockets with pointed button flaps
• Central zip fastening
• Brown knitted cuffs and waistband
• Leather front facings
• Rust red lining with inside snap-tab pocket
• Green-on-black Gokey's woven label
• Label size 46

Garment Measurements, Laid Flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 24.5" / 62 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 20.5" / 52 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 27" / 68.5 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 22" / 56 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 27" / 68.5 cm

Best suited to: 44" to 46" chest / Size L to XL

Fit: A true-to-size cut that sits on the waist at the knitted band, with the bi-swing back opening across the shoulders to give freedom of movement. It will suit a 46" chest with a shirt or light knit beneath, or a 44" chest with a more relaxed fit and room for layering. Those with a particularly broad back may find it closer fitting across the shoulders.