Now this is a beauty, and an incredibly rare opportunity to see one of these on the open market. I imagine most people reading this will know about the British WW2 windproof camouflage, but fewer may know that this was used extensively by the French in both Indochina and Algeria. Initially the French would take the smock & trouser suits, slightly modifying them by removing the hoods, and making the trousers fit better (anyone who owns an original pair will know how badly they fit!). However, by the time of the Algerian war, they were fully retailoring them into new uniforms... So the story goes, in 1956 before whilst in Cyprus waiting for deployment to Suez and Algeria, the French 10th Parachute Division acquired a large stash of British windproof trousers. But what do with such ill-fitting garments? Retailor into something a little more dashing was the answer, and many of these blouson style garments were made as part of sets for officers and NCOs. The last picture is legendary French commander Marcel Bigeard aka Bruno wearing a very very similar design from the same tailor, his appears to be zip closure and has epaulettes.
Condition
This is in perfect condition. Good strong colours to the camouflage, no holes or areas of wear. Obviously there are areas where you can see lines of unpicked stitching from the original trousers these were made from. One button is missing, but I would suggest removing the bottom button and moving it up if needed.
Size
- No tag, but fits small
- Pit to pit 19"
- Shoulder to shoulder 18"
- Shoulder to cuff 22.5"
- Collar to hem 19.5"