Vintage 1990s English Sheepskin B-3 Flying Jacket – Heavyweight Tan Shearling

A properly heavy sheepskin brings a particular kind of silence. You shrug it on, the collar rises past your ears, and the weather simply stops being your concern.

This one was made in England in the 1990s by someone who clearly saw no reason to economise. The skins are thick and dense, and the fleece is deep enough to lose your fingers in. You can feel how well it was built before you’ve even done up the zip. The pattern is pure B-3, the bomber-crew jacket that has set the standard for cold-weather flying since the 1930s. Here it’s cut from tan suede-out sheepskin, with dark brown leather binding tracing every panel seam, front and back.

The surface has the look so many makers try to fake and rarely manage. It’s a mottled, crackled tan with darker tones breaking through, like an old saddle or a well-thumbed map. Turn the collar up and buckle the twin throat straps, and you’re wrapped in shearling to the jaw. Leave it open, and it falls back into the broad, unmistakable collar that has signalled “flying jacket” for nearly a century.

Thick enough to make January feel like a rumour.

Condition & Restoration

In excellent vintage condition. The hide is sound throughout, with no splits or weak spots, and the leather binding is intact on every seam. The shearling lining is full, with the natural variations in tone you’d expect from genuine sheepskin. It has been cleaned and conditioned in our workshop. The brass zip has been polished and waxed, and runs smoothly. The throat straps, buckles and waist adjusters are all present and working, and the original care label is still inside.

Key Features

• Heavyweight sheepskin with a distressed tan finish
• Deep, dense natural shearling lining throughout
• Classic B-3 pattern with dark brown leather seam binding
• Large shearling collar with twin buckled throat straps
• Heavy brass front zip
• Two slanted hand-warmer pockets
• Buckled waist adjusters at each side
• Turned-back shearling cuffs
• Leather hanging loop at the collar
  

Size & Fit

All measurements are taken with the garment laid flat.

• Chest (armpit to armpit): 26 in / 66 cm
• Shoulders (seam to seam): 22 in / 56 cm
• Sleeve (shoulder seam to cuff): 27.5 in / 70 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 20 in / 51 cm
• Back length (base of collar to hem): 28 in / 71 cm

Best suited to: a 46" chest, Size XL.

Fit: A true B-3 cut, broad through the shoulders and full in the body. The fleece is thick and takes up room inside, so on a 46" chest it sits as it was meant to, with space for a shirt or a light knit underneath. Buckle the waist straps to draw it in.