Vintage Clothing, new Vintage clothing...

[BellyTank]

I never really was an 'Indy-fan', although, as you can see from my avatar, my inspiration pretty much comes from the same place. The avatar is Alan Lad from the film 'China', and the look, as you can guess is an Indy inspiration. My vintage collecting began with vintage suits and shoes but the occasions to wear the suits were pretty far between, so my interests now tend toward the work-a-day, the workingman's outfit- baggy pants, vintage boots/shoes, a shirt, maybe a tie, a brown vintage leather jacket and sometimes a hat.
I have also always been interested in military gear and have collected a lot of US, British and European militaria and clothing over the years- here comes the point I'm getting at-
-the military re-enactor market is a great source for (new) vintage work/adventurewear- it really is. A lot of the stuff can be got used from eBay for reasonable money and the look and style appeal to me. This stuff is just so much more period correct than the 'vintage style' stuff you see around- although repro vintage is pretty thin on the ground. I recently bought a really nice WW2 German tropical shirt(repro) and it's the biz, SO vintage in cloth, cut and color. Also, there's still a bunch of '40s military surplus out there- I recently picked up a pair of old Swedish Army fatigues- they're baggy, OD/grey straight leg, high waist with a cinch-back- they cost peanuts and they're new-old-stock. This stuff suits my color sensitivities too- the olives, browns, mustards- and of course the brown/olive Fedora...
So- don't underestimate this resource if you're looking for the kind of 'look', I'm talking about.
Which brings me back to my look- I've never been the 'Indy-fan' but my chosen look is pretty much the Indy look- it's just a good look.
Anyone who has seen the book 'The Birth of Hot Rodding' will recognise the way people are dressed- the photos are from the '30s thru post-war '40s and guys are wearing jeans, T-shirts, leather jackets, Fedoras, all manner of 'newsboy' and other caps and army/navy surplus.
And I like it.

BT.

 

[Mycroft]

I am simialar to you BT, but my clothes, at least I think are a mix of the military, high class look (nice suits, shined shoes), and adveturer. I am trying to get into more of a racing (as in old cars)/ classy/adveture look like Billy Fiske.

 

[BellyTank]

International Man of Mystery???

...is that you Mycroft?

I find that my chosen 'look' is relatively casual, even a little slovenly as far as a '30s/'40s impression goes but if everything's smart and ironed it cuts quite a smart/cazh dash in contemporary life- it's the good trousers and shirt thing and I think(hope) people recognise that it's coming from a place of æsthetic good taste and interest in style-past.... That and making an effort that didn't involve going to the Mall, Dept. store or the local branch of Diesel... being a little original, although the 'hey Indy!' thing is getting on my nerves a little. Even if I don't wear this kinda getup, I get 'hey Elvis' and I'm not nearly as handsome as him... It seems that people REALLY like to pigeon-hole people who are different- they search their pea-brain for a nanosecond for a 'category' and then blurt it out- like it makes them clever...
I remember once, on a train from London- out to the suburbs, 2 very drunk girls that were sitting opposite me started singing 'Viva Las Vegas', it was pretty embarrassing, and it was surely just over my hair, as I mentioned, I'm not Elvis-handsome- I think people try to be cruel to be superior- if your not one of them (boring) you're a freak... and freaks are prime bullying territory...

Excuse that ramble my good friend...(fellow freak)
...would you care to elaborate on your look?- your Billy Fiske....
...please do go on...

BT...

 

[Mycroft]

Billy Fiske was an American, who joined the RAF before the USA entered WWII, and was shot down a few mouths before the USA entered the war. He was addicted to speed, so I asume he had a nice leather jacket, like in the Aviator, but I like the racining jackets with a throat latch, so I am considering one. Also, he was a gentlemen, raised in England, and part of a rich family. So he wore nice suits, tails etc., in addtion to his racing clothes. To sum it up his look, a wealthy, young WWII flyboy, with class.

 

[gandydancer]

I can sympathize with you, Bellytank. I used to wear a leather jacket and felt hat. Then Raiders of the Lost Ark came out. Soon I got tired of saying Indiana Jones was imitating me, and quit wearing the jacket and hat at the same time.

Actually I got it from old photos of my dad in the late 30's wearing a fedora, leather jacket, and tie. Seemingly that was considered quite dressy amongst the working classes back then, and apparently a lot of restarants that required a coat and tie agreed. I always thought it looked pretty sharp when you did not want to look like a stock broker.

 

[scotrace]

Just discovered this thread

In my small town, which tends to be judgmental in the extreme (even though I'm a native), it isn't hard to stand out.
I am constantly making sure I am not becoming someone who could be targeted by the "Indiana Jones Wannabe" taunt. But you've hit it on the head, BT: it's a great look that did not originate with the ROTLA films. I'm leaning more and more toward olives and browns, which work great with my skin and hair (which I still have at 42, thank you GOD). My leather jacket and a white shirt and tie and some kind of hat (everything from a fedora to my old leather Bean hunting cap) and I feel comfortable just about anywhere. I DO NOT want to be Indiana Jones. I sure as heck woudn't set about taking a brand new hat or jacket and soiling them to look that way. The character just happened to cherry-pick the best of the looks of the time, and it's a great effect. And that guy had some cool toys.
I have a really great trenchcoat that would be great with a fedora, but that's a no-no cause you look like a copycat, methinks. I want to look like me.
I remember, as a child, a man who lived 'round the block. He drove a late '40's red Ford pickup, wore bib overalls and a crushed newsboy or ratty cap everyday, was a coal miner, had no teeth, smoked cigarettes or a pipe. The cigarette ashes went into the cuff of his rolled up overalls - I bet his wife liked that on wash day. Looked like he never emerged from the Great Depression. When I smell a struck zippo lighter, I think of him still.
There are lots of looks that capture a moment in time. A certain hair style says Elvis, a certain hat/jacket combo says Indiana Jones. A trench coat and fedora say Bogart. It would be very hard to change impressions that are so hard-wired into the culture. But we can adapt them, find new ways to express classic ideas, and make it work, can't we?
There's a small old airfield nearby - complete with a little restaurant that serves 99c burgers - great place to show up now and then. Remind me to tell you the story of how I became the last bloody casualty inflicted by a B-17.

Back to the point. Which is: You're right.
Thanks for the pointers to military surplus.
I have thought for some time that guys like us represent a sizeable market that is being underserved. I think ShangaiJack may be beating me to the punch...

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Well, there are all sort's of unanswered Indy questions such as what would Indy wear in a cold climate or wet weather.

As for the opinions of fools, those have long been notoriously vocal. (As for drunk girls taunting me, I would construe that as a come on. And, regrettably, it has been far too long since anything like that has happened. )

 

[android]

Some people are ignorant. Millions of men wore trenchcoats and still do. It's not a wannabe thing, it's just dressing sensibly.

I find it best to disarm the dumb questions with the obvious response.

"Why are you wearing a hat and trenchcoat?"

"It's raining."

 

[flat-top]

I've documented my tales of woe on this board about living in the suburbs and no one understanding me and my style. But I've also expressed how cool it is that NO ONE else looks like me in my town. So naturally, people's only frame of reference is pop culture,and I too get "Elvis"--I look nothing like Elvis--or even "Back to the Future" comments! And remember the kid in "Clueless" who dressed "retro"? That was a big comparison when that movie came out.
Of course, the people who really KNOW us know that we are just being ourselves, right? That's all that matters.
flat-top

 

[scotrace]

Bwuahahaha!

"Why are you wearing a hat and trenchcoat?"

"It's raining."

Thanks for the great line!

 

[jake431]

I can relate to this thread- I get a lot of crap from some friends because I like vintage-y stuff. Whenever I wear my M-422a, I always get, "hey Maverick!" Which is, to be fair, kind of funny, but also irritating. I like that A-2's and M-422's were made to take abuse and not just be the fashion statement of the season, even though I like to be fashionable. I always cherry pick - take what I can work with and discard what I cannot. But it works out, I don't look like everyone else, I look better. I look like me .

-Jake