Achieving the Indiana Jones look...without looking in costume??

[Wesley Milton Dagwell III]

Without a hat I don't believe anyone will make the Indy connection.

 

[scottyrocks]

There's nothing wrong with wearing all the Indy-type clothing. If you want to not look too Indy-ish, change the colors. Wear a darker shirt and/or pants. Or a different color all together on either of those garments. A blue button-down, for instance, changes the vibe.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I suppose it boils down to do you want people looking at you, yes/no? I have days when i just want to be invisible and wear "casual" other times i want to be noticed

 

[Edward]

Without a hat I don't believe anyone will make the Indy connection.

Agreed. I recently bought a used Wested Raiders for those Summer days when it is just cool enough for goat, but the knits of an A2 are too much. Worn it a few days with tan trousers and shirt... even a shoulderbag. Nobody picked up on the Indy thing at all. The shoulder bag is a much brighter green than Indy's, different style.... also, I was wearing tan and cream co-respondents and an eight-panel, linen cap. If you want to dress like Indy but not make it obvious or look like you're in costume, I'd ditch the fedora in favour of a cap. Or you could, I suppose, go hatless. If you're weird. (Take that last comment with a pinch of salt - In the last four years I've left the house without a hat on on three occasions - all of which involved me being in zombie costume, with full head make-up).

There's nothing wrong with wearing all the Indy-type clothing. If you want to not look too Indy-ish, change the colors. Wear a darker shirt and/or pants. Or a different color all together on either of those garments. A blue button-down, for instance, changes the vibe.

That's another option too.

 

[Marshall]

^ I concur with Edward, wearing a cap would likely stop anyone from thinking you're wearing an Indy costume, while still allowing you to wear the jacket, pants, and shirt.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yeah, it is about the hat. Without that no one will make the link.

No one really understands that costume and why should they? Most think Indy wears an A2 and a cowboy hat. The pants and shirt are of little consequence.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I wear an M1943 jacket from At the Front with my Stetson Temple (Indy hat) all winter and no one said a thing, BUT I wore it with a navy blue hoodie at 4H and got called Dr. Jones all day. PERSONALLY if you're going to be outside and / or travelling, which is the reason Indy was wearing what he did, you need a hat, good boots, a shirt with pockets, and tough pants. You don't NEED the leather jacket, or the exact gas mask bag Indy carried. I'd suggest a fedora in ANY COLOR BUT BROWN. Stetson makes the Temple in Sage and a light tan, which are good outdoor 3 season colors.

My alternate winter wear is a black fedora and a black leather jacket. No Indy there either.

later

 

[djd]

It's funny. I've never had an Indy comment when wearing my Indy hats. Maybe it's my moustache that makes people think I'm not being Indy??

 

[Interbak]

I am an Indy fan as well, and go for the style without the costume mentality. I do wear my Adventurebilt fedora almost every day, although there are several other hats in the rotation in various colors and styles. Usually it's with jeans and a button up shirt, often a safari style, but not always. I own an Indy jacket, but don't usually wear it with the hat, other leathers are fair game, today it's with a russet Aero A-2. The Indy comments can come at any time, but not very often. I travel a fair bit and got an Indy comment from a customs agent one time when wearing the hat and a seal brown A-2, I just ignored him, and he felt the need to repeat himself, so I just said, sure everything but the whip and kept going. Recently I was boarding a plane for Africa and the check-in agent made an Indy comment. I was wearing jeans, a travel vest and no hat all, so it obviously doesn't make a difference to some people if you're in a perfect costume, or in some case not even an attempt. Dress how you feel comfortable.
A couple of years ago i was waiting for a plane in Chicago and a guy came running through the airport in full Indy gear, hat, jacket, pants, shoes, bag, the whole nine yards, everything but the gun belt and whip. I must admit, it looked pretty silly and out of place.

Just my thoughts and observations, Brian

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

All I had was just a brown wool fedora (50 cent yard sale special) and I STILL got Indiana Jones comments. [huh]

 

[nihil]

It seems I'm not the only one trying to incorporate some Indy-ish aspects in my everyday wardrobe.
What I try to attempt myself, is an adventure-ish look, but without it looking too out of place or trying to look like Dr. Jones.
The hat is the most difficult part. I have come to the conclusion myself, that unless I'm wearing something longer than a jacket or if it's part of a suit, some people will always make the Indy connection. And it doesn't matter if it's completely different colors cloth and a light gray hat. Hat + short jacket = Indy. Very annoying as I don't want to be perceived as I'm wearing a costume, and yet I really like to wear hats.
What I have discovered is that I can wear dark khaki trousers, light khaki shirt, brown leather boots and belt, and a shoulder bag, without it being terribly Indy, just by adding sunglasses and a neckerchief, instead of the hat.Also other colors of trousers and shirt work very well. And without a jacket, it also works with a hat.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I think the general consensus is that Indy's look was taken from various sources, to include aviators, and two movie characters..Harry Steele from "Secret of the Incas"
http://www.secretoftheincas.co.uk/page6.html

and Humphrey Bogart from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"

Maybe Cagney in White Heat too? Well it's less adventure and more work wear. Maybe you could look out for inspiration there too.

(Note to self: watch it again soon.)

 

[Hugh Beaumont]

I think Clooney makes it work in "The Men Who Stare at Goats"...

 

[scottyrocks]

I am so not concerned with the Indy connection. I wear a fedora every day, a brown Fed IV 99% of the time. I feel naked without it. I couldn't care less what people think or say.

 

[The Good]

I am so not concerned with the Indy connection. I wear a fedora every day, a brown Fed IV 99% of the time. I feel naked without it. I couldn't care less what people think or say.

I think that's cool. Apparently, you've made it a part of your style. Not all of us have the nerve to do that on most days though. I know I still haven't become accustomed to wearing one every day, even though there isn't anything really wrong with it, outside of maybe embarrassing two or three family members. I think this summer, I'll be wearing hats more often again.

On another note, this is an Indiana Jones look that may be easier for me to pull off in a academic environment, which is also a look I'm trying to go for eventually.

Not nearly as iconic as his field gear, though. It would suggest professor more than anything. Oh wait, Dr. Jones is supposed to be one.

Look here, to me not even Harrison Ford pulled of the look in that film. The jacket looked like a pre-distressed job from a costume maker and the rest of the costume looked new and baggy on him. HF looked like a fan dressed up as his favourite character...

Yeah, I see what you're saying. That particular picture from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not the best example I could have selected. I just quickly chose it off my Google images search. You're right, he doesn't look nearly as cool as he did in Raiders, Temple, and Crusade. More like an older man trying to affect a more youthful appearance from the prime of his life, although even he does that very well...

 

[Tomasso]

Those lapels are rather skimpy for the 30's.

 

[Chrome]

It seems I'm not the only one trying to incorporate some Indy-ish aspects in my everyday wardrobe.
What I try to attempt myself, is an adventure-ish look, but without it looking too out of place or trying to look like Dr. Jones.
The hat is the most difficult part. I have come to the conclusion myself, that unless I'm wearing something longer than a jacket or if it's part of a suit, some people will always make the Indy connection. And it doesn't matter if it's completely different colors cloth and a light gray hat. Hat + short jacket = Indy. Very annoying as I don't want to be perceived as I'm wearing a costume, and yet I really like to wear hats.
What I have discovered is that I can wear dark khaki trousers, light khaki shirt, brown leather boots and belt, and a shoulder bag, without it being terribly Indy, just by adding sunglasses and a neckerchief, instead of the hat.Also other colors of trousers and shirt work very well. And without a jacket, it also works with a hat.

Sir,

It seems that you are your worst enemy You just think too much about it. Think about all those fifties rockers, are they aware to the connection between their style and Marlon Brando or James Dean. Gap between a style and costume is loosing the whip and gun. Most people are just regular people who don't think that you look like movie character. You can find movie character style in everybody's style if you really want

 

[The Good]

Those lapels are rather skimpy for the 30's.

Right, it's likely just a coat from the 1980s, not vintage, but couldn't such exceptions to the rule have existed even then? Nowadays, you see both narrow, moderate, and wide lapel jackets being manufactured. Now it seems, sartorially we live in a more "tolerant" society. Would this have been practiced to some extent during the 1930s too, or did virtually everything conform to certain fashion standards?

 

[MikeBravo]

Let's not forget, Indy had more than one look

 

[nihil]

Sir,

It seems that you are your worst enemy You just think too much about it. Think about all those fifties rockers, are they aware to the connection between their style and Marlon Brando or James Dean. Gap between a style and costume is loosing the whip and gun. Most people are just regular people who don't think that you look like movie character. You can find movie character style in everybody's style if you really want

What I wrote might came out sounding like I'm desperately trying to avoid certain looks, on the grounds on how others might perceive me. That's not the case I am however, much aware of how I want to be perceived, and part of that is avoiding looking like I'm wearing a costume, but rather that what I'm wearing is part of my own style. For that style, I draw heavy inspiration from many sources, including Dr. Jones and 1920-40s explorers.
I do really like the Indy look, but it's not something I can pull off myself, without looking particularly 'in costume'.