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My New Rainbow Country x Mushmans A2 and a Question on Modified A2 Jackets

How do you feel about non-traditional A2 jackets?


  • Total voters
    54

dudewuttheheck

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4,520
I had to do a double take also. I thought to myself, I thought this dude was around a 44 or so. I had to ask myself, size 36 can't be right. Isn't this a Japanese brand also, aren't they made smaller from the start. Then I had to ask myself, maybe this is Jin431 posting or something. Maybe my mind is still in a fog after the Browns game. lol.

Nope, this was Dude in a Japanese size 36! Wow! Congratz my friend. You look great in this jacket. Those boots are crazy. I would be afraid to go off road with them.

I voted never buy an A2. Take that with a grain of salt. I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't a cross zip.

Great review as always.
It is slightly snug, but otherwise it fits great. I pretty much always have to size down in the chest at this point. Haha well I'm glad you like how mine looks on me then :D

Nice jacket. A-2s are my favorite. It’s an airplane thing.

Thank you!

Looks great, Jake! The slim silhouette and ever so slightly longer body work extremely well on your physique. The color is out of this world!

It’s fine zipped up too but looks a bit restrictive over the chest. Not a visual issue for sure, but I hope it doesn’t bother you.

I much like A-2’s. I insist on accuracy but only in the following sense: An A-2 needs to follow mil-spec, i.e. it must have all the features so it COULD HAVE BEEN an actual contract. I don’t care about accurate repros of actual contracts. In this - very subjective- sense, your jacket is absolutely fine.

Another cool look, and once again another unique piece!

Yes it is a little restrictive in the chest. It is significantly sized down in the chest, but I will almost never actually zip it up so it's not too much of an issue. This will also mostly be worn with t shirts and thin button ups because of my climate.

Also, size measurements deviated commonly then. So theoretically, if you were to order a custom A-2 today with an inch added, it could have fallen within spec from back then. They’re discussing this on VLJ with Platon’s A-2s, where he does not offer anything except for stock sizes. However, original J.A. Dubow examples probably exist in the same size that are longer than Platon’s stock measurements. So it’s not totally un-authentic to order a jacket slightly longer or shorter. If I’m wrong I stand corrected.

That's a great point! I had not really thought about that. Thanks for pointing that out!

Flight jackets are the OG of cool leather jackets. The history and the graphics that came with them are never dull either. Burgundy brown takes that A2 jacket up to a new level. Very nice jacket!
I voted for modified or customized A2. There were already many different contracts then, it doesn't hurt to have some variations now.

I would love to get a good original one with the graphics on them. They look amazing.

You wear it well! Congratulations on another great jacket Jake.

Thank you very much!

Awesome jacket, awesome fit and unique color to boot!

Thanks man much appreciated!

By the way, I always enjoy reading your reviews. Very informative. Thank you.

Thanks. Are you referring to my short write up here or the blog? Just curious.

These boots, man. Work of art. So much so that any scuff on them would hurt me like a wound. I know that they are meant to be worn hard, age, yadda yadda. Jake, how do you deal with that? They still look new.

Haha well I've beat up the other pair I have from him so I know these will get broken in eventually too. He is an artist. I just wear them and am generally light on my feet so it takes my boots a while to get scuffed for the most part.


Fits nice and trim compared to some in the small knowledge I have of the accurate
A-2 repro rabbit hole. Very nice!

Yeah this is definitely slimmer. I also sized down.

I am more into the civilian side as you can imagine, but this looks good!

Historical accuracy has never been a concern of mine, I just want the jacket to look good on me :)

As for the belt, I think the colour works really well with red, I would certainly not call it a gaffe, quite the opposite in fact. I would push this further by saying that your boots have a really beautiful shade of burgundy/red. I woud wear such boots with many colours!

Yeah I don't think the belt looks awful, I just pointed it out because technically it was a gaffe on my part :p

That jacket looks incredible. Fit is spot on also. Not to mention, the color on that leather is great!!

congrats on such a beauty!

Thanks! I'm very pleased with how well it matches the boots.
 

ABCD

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7,462
Thanks. Are you referring to my short write up here or the blog? Just curious.
The write ups here. I have read a couple of your blog posts as well and some of them were really helpful, like the top 10 leather jacket brand list: I first learned about a lot of these niche leather jacket makers through your blog. But on some subjects I think you tend to overthink things. Like your article about cuffing vs hemming, or when you discuss color matching your outfits. Personally, I'd say let's forget about clothing rules. Just wear whatever you like and wear it however you like to wear it.
 

Worf

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5,222
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Troy, New York, USA
I've enough A2's and A1's. I wear them in early Spring and late Fall. When I first got into leather jackets, A2's were all I was interested in, now I wear them only occasionally and do not see myself ever buying another.

Worf
 
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17,613
Location
Chicago
I'm not a fan of A-2's, to me these are the pinnacle of least flattering fit for any jacket. They always seem to look bulbous and make the wearer look sort of round/onion shaped, droopy shoulders, bloated gut, etc. I like the leather on yours dude, and I think the trimmer fit certainly helps a bit.
 

El Marro

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California
Congratulations Dude, those boots absolutely steal the show! I am naturally skeptical when I read a sentence claiming that someone is the “best bootmaker in the world”, but looking at the photos you posted I can certainly see why you say that and I wouldn’t argue with you.
The jacket is nice and it fits very well for an A-2. This was one of the styles that brought me into leather jackets and I learned early how tricky it can be to get one that fits as well as yours.
 

Fireflame

One of the Regulars
Messages
142
Forgot to ask, how was the ordering process with Mushmans. I know in the past I’ve seen jackets I loved but wasn’t sure how the transaction would have turned out so never went through with it.
 

dudewuttheheck

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4,520
The write ups here. I have read a couple of your blog posts as well and some of them were really helpful, like the top 10 leather jacket brand list: I first learned about a lot of these niche leather jacket makers through your blog. But on some subjects I think you tend to overthink things. Like your article about cuffing vs hemming, or when you discuss color matching your outfits. Personally, I'd say let's forget about clothing rules. Just wear whatever you like and wear it however you like to wear it.

Ah OK thanks! I appreciate the feedback. That's really good to know! It looks like we will have to agree to disagree on those last points though :D . I quite strongly disagree. We all adhere to clothing rules to some degree. All of our comments on jacket fit follows some sort of clothing "rule." You are just drawing the line in a different place than I am which is totally fine, but let's be honest, we are all overthinking this whole clothing thing. I am just also thinking more about other aspects as well such as color coordination and trouser length. Those articles certainly aren't for everything of course, but they are my favorites to write.

I've enough A2's and A1's. I wear them in early Spring and late Fall. When I first got into leather jackets, A2's were all I was interested in, now I wear them only occasionally and do not see myself ever buying another.

Worf

Would you say that you sort of got them out of your system in a way?

I'm not a fan of A-2's, to me these are the pinnacle of least flattering fit for any jacket. They always seem to look bulbous and make the wearer look sort of round/onion shaped, droopy shoulders, bloated gut, etc. I like the leather on yours dude, and I think the trimmer fit certainly helps a bit.

That's a very fair point. I do think it's kind of hilarious how most articles and write ups talk about how slim/trim A2s were, but to me they always look baggy in original photos. That's why I quite like the slimmed up Japanese versions.

Congratulations Dude, those boots absolutely steal the show! I am naturally skeptical when I read a sentence claiming that someone is the “best bootmaker in the world”, but looking at the photos you posted I can certainly see why you say that and I wouldn’t argue with you.
The jacket is nice and it fits very well for an A-2. This was one of the styles that brought me into leather jackets and I learned early how tricky it can be to get one that fits as well as yours.

Yeah I can understand the skepticism, but I feel pretty darn confident about him. Also, I do clarify that it's only for casual style boots. I would assume there are dress shoe makers who also make boots who are even better. I'm quite happy with how this fits.

Forgot to ask, how was the ordering process with Mushmans. I know in the past I’ve seen jackets I loved but wasn’t sure how the transaction would have turned out so never went through with it.

I did not order this one from Mushmans as this one is used, but I have ordered from them before. I started the process on instagram and then it went to email. It was pretty straightforward. I am sure you could just email them.
 

navetsea

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your A2 looks slim that huge plus, and you wear it as already look broken in, most I see have muffin top /blouse fit, perhaps with military badges and harness and that yellow vest thing they wore in the war, it look the part as a uniform piece. but when worn without all those accompanying pieces, it looks round and make the wearer looks unnecessarily fatter especially when brand new like few years ago around here.
 

dudewuttheheck

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4,520
your A2 looks slim that huge plus, and you wear it as already look broken in, most I see have muffin top /blouse fit, perhaps with military badges and harness and that yellow vest thing they wore in the war, it look the part as a uniform piece. but when worn without all those accompanying pieces, it looks round and make the wearer looks unnecessarily fatter especially when brand new like few years ago around here.

Yeah the muffin top thing was something that I wanted to avoid and I think I managed to accomplish that with this jacket. It also helps that the jacket is well broken in. As you said, these jackets can make people look rounder when brand new... like with my Aero A-1

Unsnap the collar and it will look better.

The leather looks great but I’m not a fan of A2 anymore.

It might, but I actually like how the collar looks right now to be honest. Do you think unsnapped it would be more casual or something?
 
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10,692
If everyone has their own rules, there are no rules. Lol. Seriously though, I know my preference. I know when a jacket meets my expectation and when it doesn’t. I know when it feels right and when it doesn’t. I rarely post fit pics and focus on the jackets. They are why I come here. It what I want prefer to look at. Thats me though. I get the whole concept of fit pics etc.

This style of jacket is not for me, but I gotta say, this one has me thinking a bit. A little bit, but hey, it’s a start. There is a vintage HH civilian flight jacket that has my interest. I may go for it. And this one does look good on you dude. And I appreciate the quality of your pics, for sure.
 

El Marro

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It might, but I actually like how the collar looks right now to be honest. Do you think unsnapped it would be more casual or something?
First off, I think the collar looks just fine as it is and if you like it that way leave it alone!
From my past immersion into the world of A-2 collectors and collecting I seem to remember that there is an unwritten rule that the collar is to be worn unsnapped. It is more authentic that way or something…
I personally think that it looks a little neater buttoned up and I have one A-2 jacket that I only wear that way myself because I don’t like the way the collar flops when it is unbuttoned.
 

jeepTj98

One of the Regulars
Messages
122
I am quite pleased to say that I was recently able to obtain a leather jacket that will actually match my burgundy shell cordovan White Kloud boots. First of all, why does this even matter?

For those that haven't seen, I received a new pair of White Kloud boots in Ogawa shell cordovan a few months ago. These are made by the best bootmaker (not dress shoe maker) in the world and in an incredibly special leather. They are the crown jewel of my clothing collection and needless to say, they are my favorite boots.

You may still be quite fairly asking what this has to do with a leather jacket. I'm pretty obsessive about matching the leather of my jackets to the leather color of my boots. I generally strongly dislike when my boots don't match well with my leather jackets. I bought the boots in this burgundy color because I love burgundy and I thought it would look great and they look even better than I thought they would. However, they didn't match any of my leather jackets.

At first, I tried to just wear them with some of my other jackets and while they look OK with some of my jackets, I soon realized that I really needed to have a jacket that matched better. The difficult part was actually finding one. There aren't exactly a lot of good red/burgundy leather jackets available. Thedi's red is too bright, Aero has burgundy, but it's chrome tanned and Aero's patterns just don't seem to work for me. My favorite maker, Freewheelers, doesn't even seem to make anything close.

After a few months of searching and pondering options, I resigned myself to just wait for something to pop up on the used market. Fortunately, that's exactly what happened. I came across this Rainbow Country A2 collaboration with Mushmans in a unique red/burgundy color horsehide exclusive to Mushmans.

This seemed perfect for me for several reasons.

1. I really missed having an A2 jacket in my collection.
2. Rainbow Country jackets are made in the same shop that Freewheelers jackets are made and therefore are the highest quality available in terms of stitching and finishing.
3. The color met my needs and as an added bonus, is a limited edition version of horsehide. I believe it is Shinki as well given its characteristics. If it isn't, I still quite like it, but I'm fairly sure it is.

The jacket is a size 36 which fits me quite well in terms of sleeve and body length as well as waist width. It's not super form fitting there, but it's an A2 so it shouldn't be too tight there. The chest is a bit tight as expected, but I can zip up the jacket and still move around. The sleeves are quite slim and I think this is actually what restricts my movement the most in this jacket. Still, as of now I am satisfied with the fit and am thrilled with how it looks in terms of fit. It also looks fantastic with my White Kloud boots and allows me to consider ordering some other burgundy boots that I have had my eye on.

The construction is unsurprisingly fantastic. Stitching is tight and neat and a joy to stare at for a stitch-peeper like myself. The seems are well done too and despite the fact that the jacket has been well used, it is still in great condition. The leather seems to be some type of tea core and the lining appears to be a standard A2 repro cotton liner. Knits are wool, but incredibly comfortable even for someone like me who is fairly sensitive to wool. I also like how they are also burgundy. On that note, while the color is described as burgundy, it's a rather light burgundy. This works though because the Ogawa shell on my White Klouds is brighter than most burgundy leathers as well.

This brings me to a related topic which is that of modified A2 jackets. Many people that like A2 jackets seem to be pretty adamant about them being as accurate as possible. There have been quite a few arguments that I have seen around the internet around the subject of which maker/makers makes the most accurate A2 repro jackets. I am surprisingly not all that into exacting A2 reproductions. I love exacting reproductions of vintage WII-era Levis jeans, but with A2s, I don't mind some modifications.

My new Rainbow Country A2 is red first of all, but it's also probably slimmer than an actual Rough Wear contract A2 which is what this is a repro of. In all likelihood it is longer too. I despise when Type I and Type II denim jackets are made significantly longer and have handwarmer pockets added. However, for some odd reason I don't mind when A2 jackets are changed all that much.

With that said, I don't like when they look completely different and are significantly modified. What is interesting though is that while accurate details matter to many people, it seems that most people still are OK with custom sizing which is inherently not period correct. I actually don't understand how people can want exacting details on Good Wear jackets and then go with custom measurements, thus making the jacket not period correct. If I were ever to get a Good Wear, I would ask him to recreate the pattern as accurately as possible and just figure out what size I would be. That's how I do it for jeans and denim jackets. If you are someone who does this, I am sure there are reasons that it makes sense. It's just something that I am personally a little confused by.

This jacket isn't trying to be exactly accurate and so I don't mind if several aspects are changed. I'm actually shocked how good it looks in the fit pics. I've never had an A2 look this slim on me, but then again, I've never been this slim before. Anyway, here are the fit pics. You will notice that despite talking so much about matching leathers, I managed to grab the wrong belt in these fit pics... I don't have time to take new pics until the next weekend and I'm too excited to share this jacket so you all can just make fun of me for my ironic gaffe. At least the jacket matches my Well Dressed Head cap fairly well.

Here are the boots that I was trying to match:
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I think I did a pretty good job.
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I know this is an old thread but I was looking up a2 jackets because I bought a lost worlds a2 recently. That’s a great outfit man, well done as usual. Not many people here in ohio dress this well. It gets old seeing everyone in sweat pants, especially the older guys like me in their 50’s lol..
 

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