How do I get my A2 to look broken in and worn?

[ausreenactor]

I get 4-5 hours of wear in to the Monarch most days. It's paying off. Fits like a glove. Down side is a stunning BR 23380 and BR 18190 don't get a look in.

 

[Silver Surfer]

then again, if haveta, gotta, must give your jacket that "worn" look, you can always do it by going the route of the hells angels mc clubs when initiating new members. ya invite [wearing mask makes it kinkier] a whole bunch or your buds over for a beer blast, and when they gotta piss, they piss on your jacket...whether you are wearing it or not. no washee, ya gotta wear it as is. yeah, sooner or later the sweet smell of success will go away...sorta

 

[Officer Dibley]

Where on earth are you buying your A-2s?????????????????

Knits should last 20 years hard wear, my A-2 ,very badly treated and very regularly worn is still on it's original knits, one tiny hole caused by a blunt needle while they were originally being fitted ................that's it apart from discolouring/dirty marks

There’s been several threads on here about the cost of re-lining and re-cuffing so i don’t need to cover old ground.
New jackets are £1,000 and up for good makers ...... second hand value lower of course.
If you are trying to give your jacket 20 years worth of wear on the outside (whilst wearing it), you can expect the liner & knits to take a beating. Every well worn original has replacement knits and liners or at least badly damaged.
Too much wear will reduce re-sale value the same way name tags, decal, patches etc do.
I mention it all as a consideration, nothing more. People can take it or leave it, i could care less... but i’m sure many folk are like me and didn’t buy an expensive A-2 as a work jacket. I have a Carhartt for that.

 

[Micawber]

Agree with the philosophy, a well worn jacket looks cooler. Just factor in the cost of regular new knits and a re-lining (£350) when you mis-treat your £1,000+ jacket..... the lads back in the day probably thought they weren’t going to live long enough to have to get those things done bless ‘em and it was free for them if they did.
For me i’ll let it wear at the speed my life style permits- i’m not going to find & wrestle horses / roll around on concrete to get it dirty any more than a young gunner would have done back in the day. . Also my budget: “abusing” something expensive is a luxury i can’t afford.
It’s also ok to take our time to wear our jackets in and personally, i want mine to last longer than i do. So does my son
Whatever works for y’all

Aye, it would be a boring old world if we all did things the same and held the same opinions.

BTW you are welcome to come and try wrestling with one of my big ladies anytime Dave but in reality there's no wrestling here, just kindness and calm words, you can't compete with something that weighs nigh on a ton and could do serious damage if she had a mind

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

I think an overlooked element in the worn in look is sun exposure, UV light breaks down near enough anything. On a jacket the finish and pigments will fade and loosen, they will get lighter and more susceptible to abrasions. Those awesome looking originals have by now had a lot of sunlight exposure. Of course the UV will also degrade the wool knits and thread too...but there's no point worrying about that... So just wear the jacket outdoors

 

[Cocker]

Thought about this topic yesterday. I was taking a walk in the woods near our house with my daughter, and we slipped and fell together in the mud while going down a steep slope. Needless to say, my Five star 55J14 was caked in mud!! I'm not sure how one of those guys that baby sit their jacket would have reacted.

Oh well, now that's it's dry, I'll scrub it and will wash any trace that's left!

 

[bn1966]

Sold a Buzz nylon on because I was so petrified I’d mark it, spill beer, rest on a coffee or grease marked table. Wore my first ELC RW A-2 to death and enjoyed it thoroughly, ended up needing a replacement of lining and knits, did reasonable stuff in it and out in all weather, avoided car oil changes, wrestling matches and the like though. Some how I ended up with an ELC A-1 not too long ago...must admit the Cape hide threw me a bit at first and I wore it with caution and stressed over it, a trip to a restaurant, careless table staff & a few drips of olive oil cured my issues & I now relax following its christening

 

[fleet16b]

Like others have said , wear the crap out of it don’t baby it
Definitely DO NOT buy time worn stuff that’s cheating . You need to earn that weathered broken in look
My 2004 Eastman Rw1401p A2 has over 2,000 flight hours piloting vintage aircraft. Unfortunately not everyone can do that but they can do it in other ways.
This jacket is on its second zipper and knits . Lining is starting to go around the neck as is typical of the wartime jacket issues you find on originals

 

[ausreenactor]

Like others have said , wear the crap out of it don’t baby it
Definitely DO NOT buy time worn stuff that’s cheating . You need to earn that weathered broken in look
My 2004 Eastman Rw1401p A2 has over 2,000 flight hours piloting vintage aircraft. Unfortunately not everyone can do that but they can do it in other ways.
This jacket is on its second zipper and knits . Lining is starting to go around the neck as is typical of the wartime jacket issues you find on originals

Bulk 'cred' Sir!

 

[Southoftheborder]

BTW you are welcome to come and try wrestling with one of my big ladies anytime Dave but in reality there's no wrestling here, just kindness and calm words, you can't compete with something that weighs nigh on a ton and could do serious damage if she had a mind

Sounds like an ex girlfriend of mine....