In 2023, Indiana Jones finally returned to the big screen for a fifth cinematic adventure with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This was the first Indiana Jones project tackled by Disney since acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012. Naturally, given the 15-year wait since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the new ownership by a company that is known for a very “close to the vest” culture when it comes to releasing production details, Indy fans wondered how his outfit would be interpreted for this likely final go-around with Harrison Ford.

Initial promo photos didn’t reveal much, however for the seasoned IndyGear enthusiast, the easily-spotted deletion of the snaps on the jacket storm flap was enough to make us sit up and realize the design of the jack had returned to the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom days in some part.

However, we would have to wait for the film’s release, and any scant bonus features Disney and Lucasfilm put on the blu-ray to begin digging up solid intel on the fifth iteration of Dr. Jones’ famous jacket.

As reported on the official Lucasfilm website in January 2024, costume designer Joanna Johnston went back to the Lucasfilm Archives to devise her strategy for making Ford’s new jacket. Having been a costuming assistant on Temple of Doom and being co-designer with Anthony Powell on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Johnston in concert with the film’s producers landed on the idea that this jacket is the only one Indy ever had.

Let’s ride right past the fact the jacket has multiple holes ripped into the back of it in the opening of Dial of Destiny, when Indy is pressed up against the train tunnel in World War II and this intense damage should have been seen in Crystal Skull and also magically disappears in the rest of Dial of Destiny in 1969.

However, one bit of damage was preserved to show the passage of time. A sewn-shut tear in the jacket was place high on the left sleeve to indicate the bullet that grazed Indy during the train fight in the opening of Dial of Destiny.

The main inspiration for the Dial of Destiny jacket’s construction was likely the jacket Ford wore during the filming of the cargo truck chase in Raiders. However, it seems Johnston wasn’t about to ignore the rest of the jacket’s history throughout the series, as many other elements of the jacket line up with other versions, creating a hybrid Indiana Jones jacket that salutes every derivation of the garment.

According to the Lucasfilm article, the larger collar of the Last Crusade jacket was included on the Dial of Destiny jacket, with collar tips reminiscent of the Crystal Skull jacket. Meanwhile, in keeping with returning the overall look of the jacket to Raiders, the side straps on the back of the jacket returned to facing the back, while being secured by the Last Crusade style D-rings.

Now that we’ve seen the blu-ray extras and the documentary Timeless Heroes, more observations have been made. The Dial of Destiny jacket appears to have largely been modelled off the Raiders jacket, with the key proportions indicating the truck chase version as the major inspiration.

Additionally, the Dial of Destiny jacket has the following attributes:

• Larger collar (similar to Last Crusade)
• Larger yoke
• Wider storm flap (similar to Last Crusade)
• No stitching of bottom hem (similar to Last Crusade)
• D-rings on the adjustment straps (similar to Last Crusade)
• Zipper is now brass and larger, an n8 rather than n5 (similar to Crystal Skull)
• A return to lambskin of Raiders from the cowhide of Crystal Skull, a grainy variety that has a light brown undertone when weathered, as can be seen in the opening of Dial of Destiny when Indy emerges from the river and walks up the bank.
• Adjustment straps reversed to point to the back (similar to Raiders)
• Leather facings (similar to Crystal Skull but not identical)

The final observation noted about the Dial of Destiny jacket is an “inclusion” of a narrower back panel that doesn’t meet up with the sleeve stitching, but starts on the yoke a short distance away from the armpits.

The Indiana Jones film series may have come to a conclusion, but Disney has served up a new list of mysteries fans will have to unravel over the next few years in the form of the final set of IndyGear.

The Lucasfilm jacket blog post can be found here.