Become Indiana Jones: Part I, The Look

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 22, 2008

If you’ve ever watched an Indiana Jones movie then, like me, you probably got the sudden urge to swing on a whip, wear a leather jacket, and put on a fedora. Well, the good news is that Indy is about to burst back on the scene as cool as ever and hats are on their way back. I think it’s time to make the transformation complete.

The Shirt

Dr. Jones was a fan of Safari type shirts, and with good reason. The neutral colors and thin fabric allow for great breathability and air flow, which is essential for day work in the desert. The shirt also features two breast pockets, which come in handy for tucking away your notes, pencils, or secret keys to unlocking history. The shirt worn by Indiana had vertical pleating down the front for added style and was a light khaki color. Fairly accurate reproductions are available and many similar type shirts can still be found.

The Pants

When hurtling over ravines or leaping out of airplanes in a raft, you don’t want your pants to bunch, catch, make you sweat, or lack the durability to hold up to your rough and tumble lifestyle. Indiana opts for the sensible choice in a dark khaki-wool pant with a button fly and a high hem on the pant cuff. The pants derive their origin from British World War II slacks and maintain their rugged stylings to this day. Again, this material allows superior all-weather durability, keeping the wearer warm in the evening but sufficiently cool during escapes from rolling boulders.

The Jacket

While battling Nazis and hunting for archaeological treasures, it only makes sense that you pick up some military garb along the way, and the leather jacket is no exception. Indy wears a custom leather jacket based on the Military A2 leather bomber jacket, standard issue to pilots for a long period of time. The traditional A2 features a knit at the wrists and hips, something removed from the Indiana jacket, mostly for style, partly for better breathability in the hot climates – or so I would guess, coming from a realistic standpoint. These jackets are undoubtedly tough and have been a fixture with air crews from World War II til now and will always be in style. Durable, rugged, and stylish, there’s ample pocket room for large medallions and as a bonus, they look even better covered in dust.

The Hat

My my my. How everyone loves the hat. Simple, durable, functional, elegant. The fedora is many things, and cool is at the top of the list. Now, Indiana wasn’t the first to wear one, and he won’t be the last, but he perhaps is owed the most credit for popularizing it. While walking through any store featuring hats, the fedora begs to be placed upon your head. A soft-skin beaver or rabbit pelt hat, the fedora features nearly 3 inches of brim to shield your eyes from the glaring sun while making your escape by aeroplane all without trapping excess heat. Style wise, this head topper is at home in the air, at sea, in the field, in the class room, or even matched with a shirt and bow tie. If you’ve got $350 to spend, you can have your own custom crafted Fedora from the Adventurebilt Hat Company, the same guys responsible for crafting the new Indy hat for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If that’s just a touch too pricey, retailers such as Village Hat Shop sell licensed copies featuring an Indiana Jones side pin for around $100.

The Body

Let it be known that professional adventurer is a demanding job. A look at Indiana lets you know he means business and is full of functional strength. While he’s not the kind of guy that will flip over a car, he’s shown an ability to fall without dying, swim, run, and pull his own body, and sometimes additional, weight while climbing. If you want to muscle up like Indiana, do the things he does – in the safety of your own home, neighborhood or gym. For endurance in escaping Nazis and boulders, wind sprints and jogging on a treadmill. For catching up to or escaping from vessels, submarines, or cargo ships, swimming laps in an Olympic sized pool. Perhaps mostly importantly if you plan on whipping yourself around the world, pull ups of all kinds. Grasp the bar with a wide over hand grip or a narrow under hand grip or with alternating grips and pull yourself up. Throw a towel over the bar and hoist yourself towards safety as if your whip had latched onto a sturdy tree branch. With key body weight exercises and some cardiovascular conditioning, you too can toss passengers from a blimp.

The Mind

Just having the body isn’t enough to make the ladies fall in love, you need that Professor Jones charm. Indiana exudes that “been there, done that” confidence that men and women alike find charming. While strong, he’s no muscle head either, he’s got a lot going on under that fedora. One must of course read up on everything under the sun to be this well balanced, with an emphasis on history of course. Never stop learning and you’ll always have the right answer near your finger tips. Combining a winning half-smile with confidence in yourself is key to coming out of any situation on top and with the girl on your arm. To master your inner Indy, you’ve got to roll with the punches and realize that it’s not that bad. When your smile disarms, you only have to rely on your pistol for sword twirling quasi-ninjas. The real key here is confidence in yourself and compassion for others. Indy knows what he’s doing, and he projects strength to those around him, knows when to use a firm voice and when to whisper. Pick up a few tips from him, avoid the dates, and dress like an adventurer and you’re well on your way to developing some real movie style.

FYI

In case you were wondering, yes, I own a khaki safari shirt, yes I’ve got my leather jacket in the closet, and while I don’t have the fedora, I feel my will to resist its charm fading everyday. Indiana Jones is the epitome of movie style with a perfect mix of class and adventure.

Click Here to Read Part II of our Becoming Indiana Jones Feature: The Attitude

Contributing Source: IndyGear

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