Which film jacket is your favorite?

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:04 pm

Which film jacket made a lasting impression on you?

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:36 pm

Definitely the Last Crusade jacket, that´s the jacket I think of when I think of Indy´s jacket.
It may also have something to do with the fact that it was the first Indy movie I ever saw and the first picture of Indy I ever had my collection was the LC promo shoot together with Sean Connery.
And it is just a great looking jacket!

Indyzane · Post by **Indyzane** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:11 am

RAIDERS

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:23 am

I really couldn't pick one as a favorite. They each appeal to me for one reason or another - equally, but for different reasons.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:15 am

Very close for me between Raiders and LC, but I think I'm gonna go with LC......Just love the larger fit and the thicker leather....JMO..

Ian

The Numenorean · Post by **The Numenorean** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:29 am

Got to be Raiders. You always remember your first right!

CM · Post by CM » Tue Jun 07, 2011 4:40 am

All three, but I don't like them distressed to the point of phoney stupidity (al la LC). But the honest answer is I thought they were all the same pattern till I got on here a few years back.

yuji · Post by **yuji** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:23 am

Definitely Raiders!

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:17 am

Of course, the Raiders jacket takes its inspiration from an A-2, yet the other jackets take their inspiration from the Raiders jacket. The LC jacket is distinctive enough to basically hold its own.

Mark Raats · Post by **Mark Raats** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:25 am

TOD for me….

Regards

MARK

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:48 am

I have to agree with you there Mark, TOD all the way.

For me it's the wrinkled sleeves and the fact that it looks like it's been to Hades and back.

-TS

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:14 am

In thinking back, I have tried to figure out when it was that I first noticed the Indy jacket, and it was when he was holding up the map. I remember viewing the thickness of the cuffs. But I really noticed the jacket at the entrance to the temple scene, when he is talking with Satipo and filling his bag with sand. Equally memorable was the 'on the front bumper of the truck' scene, when the leather was flapping in the breeze, and you get a good shot of the back panel. Maybe Coyle was right, this was 'the jacket that made the world fall in love with leather jackets' all over again? How a guy could wear a leather jacket in 120 degree heat, I don't know, but it works!

Mark Raats · Post by **Mark Raats** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:20 am

Tennessee Smith wrote:I have to agree with you there Mark, TOD all the way.

For me it's the wrinkled sleeves and the fact that it looks like it's been to Hades and back.

-TS

That's it exactly - cheers mate.

Best

MARK

Mitch LaRue · Post by **Mitch LaRue** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:53 am

The Numenorean wrote:Got to be Raiders. You always remember your first right!

Right there withya, brother... I'm a RaidersJacketMan.

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:57 am

KramStaar wrote:
Tennessee Smith wrote:I have to agree with you there Mark, TOD all the way.

For me it's the wrinkled sleeves and the fact that it looks like it's been to Hades and back.

-TS
That's it exactly - cheers mate.

Best

MARK

Indiana Bugs · Post by **Indiana Bugs** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:23 pm

The one he wore in the Imam's house in Raiders.

irishjones · Post by **irishjones** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:27 pm

I really don't know which one I could choose. Well, it's definitely NOT the ToD jacket. Never liked that one. It'd actually be a tie between the Raiders and Crystal Skull jacket. If the pockets on the LC jacket weren't so weird, it'd be that hands down. Y'know what? I'm gonna be different and go with the CS jacket! LOL.

wwhisko · Post by **wwhisko** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:02 pm

I voted TOD...but for me it's almost a toss up between that and Raiders. If pressed, I'd have to go with TOD. It's a very tough question, because I do love every incarnation of Indy's outfit.

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:27 am

I like all of them. But if I had to choose one, it'd be Raiders. But I also like how the TOD looks. I like that battered, worn, wrinkled look. And I like how it fits. The distressing of the LC is cool too.

Indiana Jake · Post by **Indiana Jake** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:13 am

I'm going with the 'Original' look of the Raiders Jacket. couldn't tell you which scene. I've seen more of the jacket on this site than I have while watching the movie. I like the pocket flap shape best, and the striated lamb? leather really has a great look. I also never cared for the excess of distressing on the LC jacket.

Jake

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:02 am

To tell you the truth, I don't even know the minute differences of each of the film jackets.

So far, all I've picked up was the difference of the TOD pockets compared to the other two. Didn't know that until I really read through the posts here. Usually i just skim through the threads... not even knowing who posted what or what they mean (especially jacket terms).

The LC jacket looks a little baggy to me compared to the slim fit of the Raiders jacket.

I think I like the look of the Raiders jacket the best... but I doubt any jacket with me in it could look "slim" anyway. Hahaha!

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:24 am

I marked the 'Raiders' jacket, as without it's original impact and influence on me, I would have never abandoned my regular companion A2 jacket. I always looked at the others as just iterations of the original first film jacket myself.

That said, as I've kind of aged along with Ford (Indy) from the beginning, I look at the jacket(s) a little differently anymore. Rather than 'style', I look more at function than I once did.

The Raiders 'jacket' and TofD jacket is more of an 'action' cut for a very active individual. The shoulders are more pulled back to allow free forward movement, and when you add action pleats and working gussets, it's a design for a really active and energetic (ie: young) person.

As one ages, you remain 'active', but the energy is dying down. The 'intensity' is still there, but the body ain't quite as willing as it used to be, and it takes a bit longer to recover. The LC jacket still has that 'ease of movement' design, but it has more 'comfort' features built into the jacket. Larger collar to turn up against the wind....as well as the supposedly deeper pockets to hold more of the 'junk' we tend to carry as we get older.

The CS jacket was specifically made for the older man. It's generous in size and design....though the action pleats are still there, the gussets are now gone. The sleeves are longer too.

All in all, it's built for comfort...and warmth. I'll admit it.....when the wind blows now, I don't like to get cold. Last winter when the the temps were in the teens, I was wearing my TN CS as it had more room for me to push back into out of the wind, and PLENTY of space to layer. It's an 'older gentleman's jacket/coat. I was also been able to duplicate that with my size 44 Long G&B Expedition which I also wore a LOT last winter for the same reason.....comfort.

Not saying this was even in their thinking.....but in MY world, that's what I've discovered in owning a version of each design over the years....and each design has worked perfectly for each period of MY life as I've aged....and oddly enough, the CS more matches what I want....comfort and function over form. (I hold the same argument regarding the reason the bag strap appeared OUTSIDE the jacket in CS rather than inside as in the other 3 films. Too dang hard to take the jacket on and off to get to the bag, so why bother anymore?...but I digress...

)

My favorite is still the Raiders due to it's history....but in terms of 'comfort', the CS design just feels 'better' as I see my 60's approaching in a few years. (Ick)

In order to 'match' that comfort in a G&B, I've found that a 'long' replicates that comfort I'm looking for, so I have the best of both worlds....Raiders design with the CS comfort my old bones need when it gets cold.

One can only wonder if this was also in Tony's and Ford's mind when the CS jacket was made, especially if we believe the information that the same jacket was chosen by Ford from the Skywalker collection to pattern both the LC AND CS jacket from. You can't say one replicates the other when they plainly don't. I'd say comfort level may, JUST may, have had a hand in this.

I can actually 'hear' those conversations in my mind between Ford and SS as time progresses from film to film over these jackets:

Raiders: "That jacket? Yes sir, anything you say. Get it from wardrobe? Very good! Hand it here!"

TofD: "That jacket? Well, ok, it's hot and doesn't fit, but I'll do it for the product placement contracts if you say...."

Last Crusade: "I like this jacket, Steve. It fits. Can I keep it after we're done?" $\:D/$

CS: "Look Steve/Bernie, I have to wear the @#$% thing, so I'LL tell Tony what I want. You got that? Chill...."

Anyway, just my random rambling about the subject.....but based on my personal experience with the jackets over the years...and my personal practice.

Regards! Michaelson

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:51 am

Yep, function over form these days.

The VERY best looking jacket I ever put on me was the bison U. S. Wings Legend. It looked like it was tailored for me in every way.

Problem was, I couldn't lean over, I couldn't move in the car, and I couldn't wear my cell phone on my belt or reach my pocket watch if the jacket was zipped. In essence, it looked gread, and was absolutely useless in terms of function.

It now is being worn by a VERY happy member down southwest of me on an almost daily basis. It FITS him.

Regards! Michaelson

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:03 am

Still the best system in the world.....pass it along when you can....

Ravenswood · Post by **Ravenswood** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:32 pm

Raiders all the way for me

I am still of the age where style over substance has the edge, although I greatly enjoyed reading Michaelson's descriptors for the more comfortable and most certainly WARMer jackets that appeared in Last Crusade and Crystal Skull.

To be specific, my absolute favorite jacket out of the Raiders bunch is the one from the Temple, specifically the Idol grab scene. I still get a kick out of watching the leather's distinctive flapping motion on the bottom hem as Indy reaches up and adjusts his hat. Then we are greeted with an excellent shot of the back of the jacket as he pirouettes to begin the journey back across those tiles. I LOVE the lighting that was used, giving everything a slight golden hue, bringing out the richness of the color of the leather.
The characteristic "flapping" motion of the leather is a dead giveaway to the thinness of the hide, and something I wouldn't have expected in ANY "adventurers" jacket, but it really helps for the overall look and characteristic drape and wrinkling that goes along with it.

Smith · Post by **Smith** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:45 pm

I'll go against the grain a little and say the CS jacket.

For much the same reason that Michaelson so eloquently stated.

KingHamlet · Post by **KingHamlet** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:52 pm

Michaelson wrote:...
All in all, it's built for comfort...and warmth. I'll admit it.....when the wind blows now, I don't like to get cold. Last winter when the the temps were in the teens, I was wearing my TN CS as it had more room for me to push back into out of the wind, and PLENTY of space to layer. It's an 'older gentleman's jacket/coat. I was also been able to duplicate that with my size 44 Long G&B Expedition which I also wore a LOT last winter for the same reason.....comfort.

Not saying this was even in their thinking.....but in MY world, that's what I've discovered in owning a version of each design over the years....and each design has worked perfectly for each period of MY life as I've aged....and oddly enough, the CS more matches what I want....comfort and function over form. (I hold the same argument regarding the reason the bag strap appeared OUTSIDE the jacket in CS rather than inside as in the other 3 films. Too dang hard to take the jacket on and off to get to the bag, so why bother anymore?...but I digress... )

My favorite is still the Raiders due to it's history....but in terms of 'comfort', the CS design just feels 'better' as I see my 60's approaching in a few years. (Ick) In order to 'match' that comfort in a G&B, I've found that a 'long' replicates that comfort I'm looking for, so I have the best of both worlds....Raiders design with the CS comfort my old bones need when it gets cold.
...
Regards! Michaelson

For these reasons CS is my favorite film Jacket. From a purely aesthetic standpoint I'd always pick Raiders. But for ME, and my day to day wear, I wish I had gone CS from Tony.

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:03 pm

Kept wonderin' ....

...where has osama bin hidin'?

...old Indy's never die they just get a CS jacket?

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:58 pm

I understand exactly where you're coming from M. That's why I ordered my last jacket 1 size up. Just so I can move comfortably and not feel it ride up my arms when driving, of course the cut helped a lot there. I know it's the Raiders cut but since it was a bit longer in the arms I got a good ToD wrinkle there. So, I guess it could be considered a hybrid jacket but I want to wear what's comfortable on me. I've had one jacket that fit okay and "looked" perfect, to some standards, but it didn't fit perfect. Now, I'm happy with my jacket fix...

For now

The Numenorean · Post by **The Numenorean** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:28 am

Mitch LaRue wrote:
The Numenorean wrote:Got to be Raiders. You always remember your first right!

Right there withya, brother... I'm a RaidersJacketMan.

cheers Amigo

like i said on the "Do you remember how you felt..." thread on Lao Che's Table, I've been hooked on everything Raiders since day one.

bjw · Post by **bjw** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:01 am

ROTLA because it is simply THE jacket but . . .

. . . cannot count out the TOD for the reasons Tennessee stated, especially when he's examining the shrine in the village. I salivate a bit each time I see that magnificent drape . . .

. . . and I've loved the LC distressing since the first time I saw it in a B&W photo in the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine a year before release, and also the thick-yet-supple-lookingness of the hide. I'm not wild about the fit compared to the other two--doesn't seem as much like a second skin--but it can't not look cool on Ford.

The only jacket which I get nothing at all from is the CS. Cow just does not an Indy jacket make for me. And please put that bag back INSIDE your jacket, Indy! This is intolerable! (But with compliments to Michaelson, I digress. . . .)

indyclone · Post by **indyclone** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:57 am

Raiders of the lost ark, for sure! the classic pose of him coming out of the shadows in the beginning of raiders is so cool, and the jacket looked remarkable .

jkeene71 · Post by **jkeene71** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:01 am

Definately Raiders! LC a close second

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:46 am

Todd, I think you got a good fit out of that jacket, did you not?

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:28 am

Fav. and good fit can sometimes be different. The relaxed copper novapelle jacket is a great fit, very comfy, as is this new G&B goat. Can't wait to break in those strips of leather! It's getting down to the point where I'll need to cull the herd and make some tough decisions, but some will be difficult to let go. Silly to keep all of them though, if they are not being used. May keep some just so I won't have to buy another later.

As to the poll, a little surprising in that I thought the LC jacket might have made a stronger showing?

The Raiders jacket nearly took it running away. As the poll results indicate, the ToD jacket is my least fav., due more to the config. of it, the small pockets and wide yoke, jmo though.

theman · Post by **theman** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:02 pm

I have 1, 2, and 4 out of the set...and will be filling in #3 with my own go at it since I haven't found anyone float my boat on an LC yet and aside from the "CS having longer sleeves" comment I agree with Michaelson's assessment on the fit ideas surrounding the four jackets. The CS sleeves remain the same length as the others, just then sleeve width is roomier, and the cut of the body lends to a general longer looking fit everywhere else too.

As to my favorite, that is a tough one, I enjoy each in it's own right, but the Raiders did start the look and I still tend to go for the Raiders or ToD in my preference of fit... although I am sure that will change when I reach my "elderly" years, but I am sure I'll still look #### good in the "youngin's" jackets!

sofianeomari · Post by **sofianeomari** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:48 pm

I love the raiders jacket !

theman · Post by **theman** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:26 pm

Would love to see how half a jacket looks on someone...

and a half ToD half CS would look really funky-fresh!

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:08 pm

I never thought LC would be close, but I did think it would be close-er, maybe 60% raiders, maybe 20%-30% LC. Not that it is a huge deal, but you think there would be more LC jacket fans out there? After all, it is the second fav. in the series?

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:47 pm

Right. The other iterations were modifications of the Raiders jacket, anyway. The Raiders jacket obviously was a modified A-2 with pleats, etc., without knits to allow it to be pre-date WWII, etc. I was a one jacket kinda guy until we got so many darn good other versions!

CM · Post by CM » Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:19 pm

Sorry Pat. Looks like an A2 to me as well, but I get your point. It resembles an A2 more than almost any other style of leather jacket - bike jacket or half-belt. It's the color, the pockets, the windflap, the collar, the one piece front. The other details take more appreciation to notice. From a construction point of view it's really different.

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:45 pm

Conceptually, she may have wanted it to be period specific to the 1930's, as though it was a precursor to the A-2, pre-war years, but who knows? Just a thought.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:07 am

I am really surprised by the results, so far. Well, not all of them - I expected Raiders to be the be-all/end-all jacket that makes a "lasting" impression. That is a given. I wish the word "lasting" was not used, but that is only a personal preference. I think that the results seem to mirror the way people feel about the films themselves. Coincidence? Or does the jacket play a bigger part in the success of the films than the storyline? Or did people just choose which film they preferred instead of which jacket?

I left my personal feelings about the psychology of the fit and the practicality of the jacket cuts out of the equation. They make perfect sense, but when you think about it, Indy's outfit and the way he wore it looked cool as heck, but is not particularly practical. Plus, for me the practicality never entered into the jacket making an impression. Michaelson's conversations in his mind between Ford and SS as time progresses were hysterical. But I had to examine what I liked about the jacket.

Although Raiders is number one (and should be), my choice follows the order of the films. The TOD was almost a shirt-style jacket at times, and I liked the tight-fitting jacket with smaller/less clunky-looking pockets. I thought at some point I read that some leftover jackets from Raiders were occasionally used during filming, but I have not followed that too much in years. If that is the case, then I am not sure how this film was not rated second by default. Actually, the way this jacket looks right here defines it's coolness to me.

Ford was in great shape for the first two films and after that, the fit of the jackets started to look like there was too much effort put into the look. If you take the TOD and give Indy a huge beer gut, the jacket would instantly look less cool -so to me the coolness impression of the jacket is tied into the physique of the person wearing it. Why do I say that? Because if you compliment a woman wearing a size 2 dress, part of the appeal is the dress, and part of the appeal is the way the dress accentuates her figure. That same material when made into a dress for a woman who wears a size 42 may look great as well, but for different reasons. It may compliment the wearer by not accentuating her figure.

Ford's costume in KOTCS was atrocious as far as I am concerned. Simply terrible. When you see photos of Ford out and about in various media, he looks fantastic. And not "just for his age" either. The man looks great. I have seen him wearing clothes that fit in a way that would make a man 30 years younger jealous. The over-sized look of the KOTCS wardrobe with Indy wearing pants pulled up to his armpits never made a "lasting" impression with me. Not a positive impression, anyways. The overly pre-distressed look of the jacket and the fact that it never looked really "worn" to me made it lose a lot of points. Some scenes, the pocket flaps look like they have never been unsnapped.

This is not a dig at Tony Nowak because he gave Bernie/Harrison exactly what they wanted. The outfit looks completely "blah" to me. Ford looks like someone who quickly threw together an Indy costume to wear to Comicon. You know who he is supposed to be, but it just doesn't look right somehow.

In my humble opinion, the Indy jacket bears about as much resemblance to an A-2 jacket as it does to any jacket James Dean wore. People who are not fanatics about leather jacket misuse the terms "Fight Club jacket," "bomber jacket" and "cafe racer jacket" all the time as well, so the A-2 reference is not a surprise. Check on eBay to see what I mean. If the jacket is red, it is automatically a Fight Club jacket. If it is short-waisted and has a shirt collar, it is a bomber (or worse, bomber-style) jacket. If it is leather and worn on any kind of bike, it is a cafe-racer. When you search for "cafe-racer" and you come up with a 3/4 length jacket with a shirt collar and knit cuffs, it has to make you wonder where these people are getting their description. I feel the description are being pulled from a "dark" place - a place where the sun never shines.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:27 am

That last pic looks like a bad waxwork of Indiana Jones. Which is kind of what KOTCS was.

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:29 am

Your comments do make one ponder as to what the CS jacket WOULD have looked like if it, too, was made out of lambskin like the Raiders jacket?

Considering it's made of very heavy cowhide, it's not going to hang or drape anywhere near the same as any lambskin made in this pattern, and no matter how much I've used my pockets, the flaps look exactly the same as they did the day I got the jacket in 2008. Heavy cowhide just doesn't give in easily.

Just a passing thought as I reach for my coffee cup.....

Regards! Michaelson

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:02 pm

Good point as always. It is not the leather that bothers me though, but the finish. It is too even. You can find vintage cowhide, steerhide and horsehide jackets that are very heavy but have a stellar "lived-in" look to them. They retain creases and folds and are full of character - even though they do not drape like lambskin. I have seen (and owned) heavy jackets that look like they have been through adventures. When you use pre-disressed leather where the finish is either not added or stripped away - the character is also stripped away and the jacket just hangs there.

The jackets from the first two film oozed character - even the LC jacket to some extent (although I find that the LC looked engineered, which is why that jacket came in third for me). I expect that comfort would have played into the KOTCS jacket as well for both Ford and Bernie, but it is an unflattering looking jacket.

I understand that it is a matter of taste and I am in the minority according to the polls, so don't go by anything I say. Just stating my opinion.

Put a collar, some action pleats and side straps on this bad boy and this is a jacket with character

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:17 pm

Where'd I put my can of Pecards?

Regard! Michaelson

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:32 pm

Blasphemous!

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:06 pm

Oh, the reasoning for the leather selection is not that important to me, but I wanted to justify my choice and why that film jacket came in dead last for me when the polls have it listed in third place. Blah is blah ...as far as lasting impressions go, and the KOTCS jacket did not make much of an impression at all, really.

_ wrote:My TNO CS looks better than Ford's TNO CS.

...and the obligatory...
:WLWOP:

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:19 pm

Yeah, let's see your Nowak, _. All of the Nowak jackets we've seen on this site have been brand spankin' new.

Which movie jacket is your favorite?