Re: Don't laugh...is there an Indy Halloween costume?

Posted by Laurie Jensen from proxy2.frmt1.sfba.home.com on September 11, 1998 at 15:50:56:

In Reply to: Don't laugh...is there an Indy Halloween costume? posted by Mithrandir on September 10, 1998 at 20:31:13:

: I haven't been trick-or-treating in a while on account of I've had braces for the past for years, so this year I want to go and I want to go as Indy (I'm about the same build, maybe a little thinner). Do they have a full but obviously cheap and very Halloween-costumeish Indy getup somewhere out there (particularly in the San Antonio area) or do I have to individually buy the separate authentic Indy components?

I actually worked in a Halloween costume store a few years ago, and they didn't have any complete Indy type outfits. However, most of those places do sell phony, low-quality leather bullwhips for about $5-7, though I no longer see the tan ones sold-you'll have to settle for black. You should also be able to find some sort of cheap fedora for under $12. Unfortunately, the styling leans more toward the Untouchables than Indiana Jones, and the felt is approximately the same consistancy of a hard hat. If you can go up a little in price, I would recommend buying either the Jawa trader fedora, or better yet, the wool version of the Official Indiana Jones hat, which both run in the $35-36 range. These are better hats, and closer to the look of the real thing, plus they are Indy collectibles that you will want to keep even if you upgrade to a real fur felt at a later date.

As for the rest of the costume, you can come up with some pretty nice stuff at thrift stores. You can find khaki canvas pants with the double flap pockets with a little effort, and a beige or white dress shirt with epaulets to imitate the look of Indy. Both items can probably be had for $1-3 each. Boots can sometimes be found with a little searching (the trick is finding your size), though you'll probably have to settle for a plain-toed boot, since that style is more common right now. The belts are a harder to find, because people don't generally give away a good quality leather belt. Instead, you'll likely find a bunch of vinyl belts, though you can get lucky and find something authentic. Prices vary from about $1-2. As for the web belts, you probably won't find any at a thrift store, but, again, you can occasionally have a good day. Recently, I was at a thrift store helping my brother find items for his Han Solo costume and found two, brand new, military issue khaki web belts (they still had the plastic over the buckly) for a dollar each. Otherwise, they can be had from surplus stores for under $10. A reasonable facsimile of the bag can also be found at most surplus stores; the U.S. army mussette bag is fairly close in style to the Mk VII, especially the newer, larger versions of the bag. I bought one of these bags used for about $5 a few years ago.

The final item, the jacket, is easier to find than you would think. There are a lot of A-2 jackets (which is what the Wested jacket is partially based on) around at thrift stores, surplus stores, and the like. Prices can vary widely, from as little as $15 to as high as $50-60, so you have to shop around. The best A-2 is the recent Navy flier issue that is a very dark brown similiar to the Wested color. However, those can only be found at surplus stores, which tend to have prices on the higher end of the scale. Whatever you do, you'll want to remove the knit cuffs and waist to give yourself a more accurate look.

Hope this helps.

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: : I haven't been trick-or-treating in a while on account of I've had braces for the past for years, so this year I want to go and I want to go as Indy (I'm about the same build, maybe a little thinner).  Do they have a full but obviously cheap and very Halloween-costumeish Indy getup somewhere out there (particularly in the San Antonio area) or do I have to individually buy the separate authentic Indy components?

: I actually worked in a Halloween costume store a few years ago, and they didn't have any complete Indy type outfits.  However, most of those places do sell phony, low-quality leather bullwhips for about $5-7, though I no longer see the tan ones sold-you'll have to settle for black.  You should also be able to find some sort of cheap fedora for under $12.  Unfortunately, the styling leans more toward the Untouchables than Indiana Jones, and the felt is approximately the same consistancy of a hard hat.  If you can go up a little in price, I would recommend buying either the Jawa trader fedora, or better yet, the wool version of the Official Indiana Jones hat, which both run in the $35-36 range.  These are better hats, and closer to the look of the real thing, plus they are Indy collectibles that you will want to keep even if you upgrade to a real fur felt at a later date.

: 
: As for the rest of the costume, you can come up with some pretty nice stuff at thrift stores.  You can find khaki canvas pants with the double flap pockets with a little effort, and a beige or white dress shirt with epaulets to imitate the look of Indy.  Both items can probably be had for $1-3 each.  Boots can sometimes be found with a little searching (the trick is finding your size), though you'll probably have to settle for a plain-toed boot, since that style is more common right now.  The belts are a harder to find, because people don't generally give away a good quality leather belt.  Instead, you'll likely find a bunch of vinyl belts, though you can get lucky and find something authentic.  Prices vary from about $1-2.  As for the web belts, you probably won't find any at a thrift store, but, again, you can occasionally have a good day.  Recently, I was at a thrift store helping my brother find items for his Han Solo costume and found two, brand new, military issue khaki web belts (they still had the plastic over the buckly) for a dollar each.  Otherwise, they can be had from surplus stores for under $10.  A reasonable facsimile of the bag can also be found at most surplus stores; the U.S. army mussette bag is fairly close in style to the Mk VII, especially the newer, larger versions of the bag.  I bought one of these bags used for about $5 a few years ago.

: The final item, the jacket, is easier to find than you would think.  There are a lot of A-2 jackets (which is what the Wested jacket is partially based on) around at thrift stores, surplus stores, and the like.  Prices can vary widely, from as little as $15 to as high as $50-60, so you have to shop around.  The best A-2 is the recent Navy flier issue that is a very dark brown similiar to the Wested color.  However, those can only be found at surplus stores, which tend to have prices on the higher end of the scale.  Whatever you do, you'll want to remove the knit cuffs and waist to give yourself a more accurate look.

: Hope this helps.

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