The McQueen model is the “A-2” flying jacket, it was standardised by the U.S. Army Air Corps as the successor to the Type A-1 flying jacket adopted in 1927. The Type Designation Sheet lists the dates for Service Test as September 20, 1930, and Standardized (adopted as standard issue) on May 9, 1931. Broadly similar in construction to the A-1, it replaced the A-1's buttoned front and pocket flaps with a zipper and hidden snap fasteners (although some very early A-2's retained the pocket buttons). The A-1's stand-up knitted collar, which buttoned closed, was supplanted in the A-2 by a shirt-style leather collar, with hidden snaps at the points and a hook-and-eye latch at the throat. Stitched-down shoulder straps were also added to the design. This style is most commonly seen as the jacket with paintings on the back; these paintings could be provocative pin-up girls, or comic cartoon characters such as Buzz Bunny. During WWII, many young men were enlisted in the Army Air Corps; these badass A-2 leather jackets became canvases for them to draw and express their rugged individuality. Some images included the name of the planes they flew, the mission they have accomplished and the number of missiles indicating designated missions flown. The McQueen A-2 is a versatile jacket that you can pair it up classily with a spread-away collar shirt, pleated and cuffed trousers or a henley and jeans if you are feeling to dress down and have a rugged look. It is the jacket that the style icons like James Dean and Steve McQueen are always seen in. It is one of the essential items in every men’s closets if you don’t already have one.