Vintage 1970s Schott 674 Flight Jacket | "The Thing" MacReady Style

Antarctica, winter 1982, or as near as Hollywood could get. In John Carpenter’s The Thing, Kurt Russell’s MacReady faces down the cold and something far worse in a dark brown leather flight jacket with a fur collar and a silver Talon zip. Film-costume researchers have since identified it as the model you’re looking at: the Schott 674.

Schott made it on New York’s Lower East Side from 1971 to 1987, the same family firm that had already given the world the Perfecto. This one comes from the 1970s, the first decade of that run. That’s confirmed by its Flight label and its big, heavy Talon zip, both of which Schott used during those years. The label is laid out like a military issue tag, I-S-674-M-S Flight Jacket, complete with a line for the wearer’s name that was never filled in. It’s Schott’s own take on the American flying jacket, made for civilians rather than the services: short in the body, full through the chest, and finished with knitted cuffs and waistband to seal out the cold.

It’s cut from steerhide, the heavier, tougher grade of cowhide Schott favoured for its best jackets, and fifty years have given it real character. The deep chocolate hide has worn into creases at the elbows and across the back, and it has rubbed through to a warm brown along the seams, the epaulettes and the pocket edges.

The details are proper ones. A thick pile collar turns up against the wind, and a snap tab at the throat holds it shut. The Talon zip carries its name stamped on the pull and runs under a leather storm flap. Two bellowed pockets sit on the chest under snap-down flaps, with slanted hand-warmer pockets tucked in behind them. There are epaulettes at the shoulders and a snap at the waistband, and inside it’s lined in olive quilting.

MacReady wore one to the end of the world. You’ll only need it to the end of the street.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition, with a beautifully worn patina throughout. There is light, honest wear to the sleeves and along the seam edges, and a few small surface marks, as you would expect from a jacket of this age. All are shown in the images.

The steerhide remains strong and the seams are sound. The quilted lining is in fantastic condition, with only a couple of small marks.

Specialist cleaned and conditioned in-house. All of the knitted ribbing at the cuffs and waistband has been refurbished. The Talon zip has been cleaned, polished and waxed, and runs smoothly, and all snaps fasten as they should.

Key Features

• Vintage Schott 674 flight jacket, 1970s
• The model identified as worn by Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
• Original “I-S-674-M-S Flight Jacket, Mfg. by Schott N.Y.C.” label
• Heavy steerhide with a naturally worn patina
• Thick pile collar with snap throat tab
• Big, heavy Talon main zip with stamped pull, under a leather storm flap
• Bellowed chest pockets with snap-down flaps
• Slanted hand-warmer pockets
• Leather epaulettes
• Refurbished knitted cuffs and waistband
• Olive diamond-quilted lining
• Label size 44

Size & Fit

Measurements, laid flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 24" / 61 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 19" / 48.3 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 26" / 66 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 18" / 45.7 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 24" / 61 cm

Best suited to: 42" chest regular, or a 44" chest as a slim fit / Size L

Fit: The label reads 44, but men were built slimmer in the 1970s, so today it wears as a relaxed 42 or a snug 44. It’s a classic short flight jacket cut, full through the chest, with the knit waistband gathering it at the hip. Please go by the measurements above, and compare them with a jacket you already own.