Buzz Rickson's M-65 No Hood Fish Tail Parka Olive

The Japanese brand Buzz Rickson's are today counted among the few high-end reproduction manufacturers of military and casual garments in the world! They strive to make true replicas by carefully researching and analyzing original vintage garments, taking great care to duplicate the material while paying close attention to technique and quality with the goal to bring back old forgotten techniques and machines needed to make garments of outstanding quality without compromises.

The M-65 Parka, also known as the "Fish Tail Parka" is the successor of the M-51 parka that was originally issued for the US Army during the Korean war 1950-53. In 1965 the parka was redesigned and got it's new name M-65. 

The previous cold weather parka known as the "N-3B" was a lot heavier and not optimal for the Korean weather, and that became the birth of the iconic M-51 Fish Tail Parka. The new model adopted the lighter and durable cotton nylon Oxford fabric. In different from the previous thicker cotton fabric used in the M-51, the idea was that this fabric would dry faster if the jacket was worn in wet weather. Another difference is that the M-51 parka had a hood that was attached to the body, while the M-65 parka had a detachable hood. In this version the hood is not included, as this jacket became more popular to wear without its hood.

A fun fact is that it wasn't the army who gave the jacket it's iconic status. Today it's hard to mention the M-65 parka without thinking of the British mod subculture in the 1950s and 60s. The parka along with a slim cut suit, modern jazz music and riding a Vespa or Lambretta was the way of life for this growing subculture.

The name Fish Tail comes from the split back that looks like the tail of a fish. The design allows the garment to be fastened around each leg for added warmth.

Buzz Rickson's has carefully reproduced this garment according to the original one with all the wartime specifications. We would even say that this reproduction is even better than the originals when it comes to the construction and the stitching of the garment. 

Douglas is 180 cm tall with a weight of 95 kilos and wears a size L.

Norma is wearing a size S and measures 167 cm tall. Her waist measures 66 cm, hips 82 cm and seat 97 cm.  

- Buzz Rickson's M-65 No Hood Fish Tail Parka Olive
- BR14719
- Warp cotton fabric 50% cotton / 50 % nylon 
- Pocket lining 90% wool / 10% nylon
- Zipper
- Two hand warmer pockets
- Made in Japan

All measurements are in centimeters and measured on a flat surface. Width is measured straight across the chest from armpit to armpit, length is measured at the back of the garment from the neck down and the sleeve length is measured on the underarm from the armpit to the end of the cuff.