Vintage Cirrus RAF Irvin Sheepskin Shearling Flight Jacket, Made in England

One hide, two faces. Dark brown leather outside, honey-gold fleece in, and nothing between them but the skin itself. Pick it up and the weight tells you the rest: this is sheepskin cut thick, the way it used to be.

The pattern is older than most of the people who wear it. In 1932 the British Air Ministry approved a sheepskin flying jacket designed by Leslie Irvin, a former Hollywood stuntman who had turned to making parachutes. Cockpits had no heating, even in the Spitfires and Hurricanes that flew the Battle of Britain in 1940, so the pilot brought his own warmth. The collar was large enough to turn up around the neck. The zip was heavy brass. Buckles and straps at the cuffs and waist closed the gaps. Nothing on it was there for show.

This is a Cirrus, made in England in the 1990s, and it follows the Irvin closely. The collar is deep enough to bury your chin in, with a leather throat strap that fastens with a buckle. The waist belt draws the body in. The sleeves zip at the cuffs, and grommets under the arms let the heat out. Two angled hand-warmer pockets sit low on the front, where cold hands go. The back is cut in broad panels that show the grain of the skin and how it has softened with wear.

The leather is a deep brown, with a fine natural grain and gentle creasing instead of cracking. The fleece is dense and clean, and it shows at the collar, cuffs and hem, where the colour contrast does the work. Inside, a woven Cirrus Original label reads “The Spirit of Adventure Clothing”, and a Cirrus-embossed leather tab sits on the chest panel.

It isn’t a wartime original, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s the pattern as it was meant to be worn: heavy, warm and plain.

The weather hasn’t changed. Neither has the answer.

Condition & Restoration

Excellent vintage condition. The heavyweight sheepskin is strong, supple and sound throughout, with fine natural grain and soft creasing. There is no cracking or damage to the leather. The fleece is dense, clean and full at the collar, cuffs and hem. The main zip and the cuff zips run smoothly, and the buckles, throat strap and belt are all present and work. Cleaned and conditioned in the workshop. Ready to wear.

Key Features

• Cirrus RAF Irvin flying jacket, 1990s, made in England
• Heavyweight double-faced sheepskin
• Deep brown leather face, dense honey-gold fleece
• Oversized fleece collar with leather throat strap and buckle
• Heavy brass-toned main zip
• Zipped sleeve cuffs
• Underarm grommets
• Full leather waist belt with buckle
• Two angled hand-warmer pockets
• Broad panelled back
• Fleece collar, cuffs and hem
• Cirrus Original woven label and embossed chest tab

Size & Fit

All measurements are taken with the garment laid flat.

• Chest (armpit to armpit): 25 in / 63.5 cm
• Shoulders (seam to seam): 20 in / 50.8 cm
• Sleeve (shoulder seam to cuff): 25.5 in / 64.8 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 20 in / 50.8 cm
• Back length (base of collar to hem): 27 in / 68.6 cm

Best suited to: a 44" chest, Size L.

Fit: A generous, boxy Irvin cut, roomy through the body to take a thick knit under the weight of the sheepskin. The belt draws in the waist. Please go by the measurements above.