Club Obi Wan

Searched? Yes. But at 164 pages, it was cursory.

OK, we're all familiar with the info about the original Raiders shirt from the main site:

"The Indiana Jones shirt is based on a typical safari-style shirt. Its distinctive feature is two vertical strips running from the shoulders to the bottom of the shirt tails and continued over both breast pockets."

Here's what I want to know: Where did the pleats (or strips or whatever the actual technical term for them is) come from? Yes, from designer Andreas Dometakis--but you don't just go, "You know what this poplin bush shirt needs? Vertical strips of cloth in place of military creases." (Or do you?) Epaulettes make sense from a functional standpoint, but what's the point of the strips?

There must have been an inspiration piece, right? So what was it? Were there period military/safari shirts that had that particular detail? Does anyone have pictures? (I just perused a bunch of early-80s Banana Republic catalog pages at Abandoned Republic http://scottcadams.com/bananarepublic/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and didn't see a single vertical pleat.)

Please help me.

The pleats resemble those found on Cuban-style Guayabera shirts. These were discussed here a few years back and I believe they were once (are still?) regarded as the inspiration for Dometakis' original Indy shirt.

OK, thanks. "Guayabera" gives me much better search results. Please feel free to let this thread wither and die.

Look up Mexican Wedding Shirts....Cuban Cigar Shirts, etc. You should come up with some results. These pleats are quite common in said shirts. W>

I have two of them as of now, actually... One way up ahead far to much expensive as me being a thrid day tourist, and another more common one, both from Mexico naturally. I had to get one for a wedding in Cancún, and each time it struck me how much they all said "Indy", though more fancy in a sence. One made from Sisal and another cotton blend one, both short sleeved, though you could find all kinds. Anything from simple pleats to tons of pleats with decorations. Most of them would have four pockets, two breast ones and two by the waist.
Both of mine lack collar stands. I'd say the Indy shirt is a safari/military/guayabera blend shirt.

Oh! Hi SJ!

Regards,
Swindiana

I remember looking at a Norfolk jacket and seeing a similarity in the vertical shirt pleats. I hate to disagree, but I'm not seeing the guayabera shirt as inspiration, but rather a similarity. Who really knows? We weren't there when the shirt was designed. I just saw 'Airplane' (1980)this morning with Robert _. His shirt is almost identical to Indy's except the vertical pleats. Complete with epaulets and same pocket flap design. What I'd like to know is if there was a work shirt, hunting shirt or other type of shirt from the period that has the vertical pleats.

Jake

I wonder if their approach was not too unlike the hat and jacket? If they took something classic, such as a 1930's styled fur felt fedora and tweaked it to make it unique and unlike any previously seen in film; the A-2 and changed it by getting rid of the knits and adding an action back; the classic adventure shirt by adding the vertical pleats? Frequently, you see the vertical pleats just on the pockets, but I wonder if the thought was not just to extend the pocket pleats?