THE REAL ORIGINS OF THE WESTED JACKET
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 10:28 am
There have been a lot of rumors floating around recently about the origins of the Wested jacket, and I think it's time someone set the record straight. As a close personal friend of Peter Botwright (I've known his father since childhood), I can attest to all the facts.
When Lucasfilm originally conceived of the Indiana Jones character, he was much more rugged. The original jacket design was intended to be mammoth skin, complete with hair (from one of Indy's excursions into Siberia, where frozen mammoths often surface). However due to an allergic rash on the part of Harrison Ford, they first tried shaving the hair, then switched to goatskin, then cowskin, and eventally lambskin (cute, cuddly little lamb). The only other leather he didn't have a reaction to was kitten, but the ASPCA got wind of it, and they had to stop (officially).
The original leather jackets used in filming were simple off the rack jackets from KMart. This was due to budget restrictions set down by Paramount. However the jackets kept falling apart in the back of the car between the store and the set, so they finally opted to have them custom made.
Someone at LucasFilm suggested they contact FlightSuits, but since FS wasn't in business yet, no one could find their listing in the Yellow Pages. One thing led to another (as it often does) and Peter was contacted.
The pattern that Peter used for the jacket was NOT supplied by LucasFilm. This is a common misconception. The original pattern came from a dream which Peter had involving aliens, radioactive maragaritas and probes of various (and exciting) types. Upon waking, Peter knew he had just the look, once he took off the faux leopard skin collar that appeared on the jacket in the dream.
Since that time, Peter has been the only manufacturer of these jackets. Others have tried, but due to Peter's connection with the Yorkshire Mafia, none of them have lasted long. Just look at Noel Howard... he held out longer than most, but after six different knee surgeries (he kept running into baseball bats) he finally threw in the towel.
Yes, Peter has had some complaints about quality in recent years. This is primarily due to the fact that, ever since that fateful night, Peter has been trying to recreate the radioactive margarita which played such a prominent role in his dream. Occasionally he gets a bit sauced on Americium 241, and in his drunken vomiting haze, he sews the arms from a XXXL jacket onto a child's size. It's all part of the Wested mystique. (Although there have been some jokes about Peter changing the name to "Wasted.")
So next time you hear someone attempt to tell you the "real Wested" story, you can set 'em straight.
When Lucasfilm originally conceived of the Indiana Jones character, he was much more rugged. The original jacket design was intended to be mammoth skin, complete with hair (from one of Indy's excursions into Siberia, where frozen mammoths often surface). However due to an allergic rash on the part of Harrison Ford, they first tried shaving the hair, then switched to goatskin, then cowskin, and eventally lambskin (cute, cuddly little lamb). The only other leather he didn't have a reaction to was kitten, but the ASPCA got wind of it, and they had to stop (officially).
The original leather jackets used in filming were simple off the rack jackets from KMart. This was due to budget restrictions set down by Paramount. However the jackets kept falling apart in the back of the car between the store and the set, so they finally opted to have them custom made.
Someone at LucasFilm suggested they contact FlightSuits, but since FS wasn't in business yet, no one could find their listing in the Yellow Pages. One thing led to another (as it often does) and Peter was contacted.
The pattern that Peter used for the jacket was NOT supplied by LucasFilm. This is a common misconception. The original pattern came from a dream which Peter had involving aliens, radioactive maragaritas and probes of various (and exciting) types. Upon waking, Peter knew he had just the look, once he took off the faux leopard skin collar that appeared on the jacket in the dream.
Since that time, Peter has been the only manufacturer of these jackets. Others have tried, but due to Peter's connection with the Yorkshire Mafia, none of them have lasted long. Just look at Noel Howard... he held out longer than most, but after six different knee surgeries (he kept running into baseball bats) he finally threw in the towel.
Yes, Peter has had some complaints about quality in recent years. This is primarily due to the fact that, ever since that fateful night, Peter has been trying to recreate the radioactive margarita which played such a prominent role in his dream. Occasionally he gets a bit sauced on Americium 241, and in his drunken vomiting haze, he sews the arms from a XXXL jacket onto a child's size. It's all part of the Wested mystique. (Although there have been some jokes about Peter changing the name to "Wasted.")
So next time you hear someone attempt to tell you the "real Wested" story, you can set 'em straight.
Now that's classy!!