How to Make an Indiana Jones Costume

Guide Note

This Halloween, your costume can capture Indiana Jone's unique archaeologist/Nazi-smasher style without raiding your bank account. This page will show you how to assemble the perfect Indiana Jones costume, even on a thrift-store budget!

Table of Contents

Tips for Making an Indiana Jones Costume

  1. You can buy a licensed costume, although this does have its drawbacks.
  2. You can put together a costume using props found in thrift stores and elsewhere.
  3. You can make a whip yourself from a rope from a modified jump rope or a coarse ribbon.
  4. Be careful with your whip and toy gun. They're not real, but they can be dangerous.
  5. Many of the companies that made costumes for the films sell reproductions.

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Introduction

  • Indiana Jones, the classic movie hero portrayed by Harrison Ford, has thrilled generations with his globe-trotting adventures. As director Steven Spielberg once told Vanity Fair, we love Jones because he's more heroic than we are, but not too much more. Spielberg said that audiences were won over by the series' "willingness to allow our leading man to get hurt and to express his pain and to get his mad out and to take pratfalls and sometimes be the butt of his own jokes (...) His imperfections, I think, make the audience feel that, with a little more exercise and a little more courage, they could be just like him."1
  • Well, with all due respect to Spielberg, if you want to be just like Indy, courage and exercise aren't all you'll need... You'll also need Jones' iconic costume.2

Step 1: Licensed Costumes

  • (Creative Commons photo by Rainmaker)
    (Creative Commons photo by Rainmaker)
    Of course, the simplest way to get an Indiana Jones costume is to just go for a licensed version.
  1. Every imaginable variation of Indiana Jones' costume is for sale... along with a few variations you couldn't imagine!3
    1. There are versions for kids.4
    2. There are versions for men.5
    3. There are versions featuring a "muscle chest shirt".6
    4. There are lingerie versions for the ladies. (No, really. Click that link and see it for yourself if you don't believe us.)7
    5. There are even versions for your dog!8
  2. These licensed versions are widely available.
    1. You can find them online and in costume stores, and around Halloween you can probably find them on the shelves at the mall or even the local drug store.9
    2. With just a few clicks of the mouse you could have the costumes for your entire family to go raid a lost ark together!
  3. Still, for all the convenience of the licensed costumes, they do have undeniable drawbacks.
    1. Almost all licensed costumes tend to look a bit cheap in person. Instead of leather, you get polyester.9 Everything looks fresh and clean, it's not worn like you would expect Indy's clothes to be.
    2. Many licensed costumes feature prominent, distracting logos. (And how is an adventurer supposed to sneak past the Nazis with INDIANA JONES written in large, bright letters on his shirt?)
    3. Manufacturers try to cover all sizes, but fit can still be an issue.
    4. Most licensed costumes aren't really built to last. Yes, they're usually flame retardant... But they won't withstand the rough life of an international adventurer.

Step 2: The Low-Budget, Do-It-Yourself Indy Costume

  • With a little effort, you can put together an Indiana Jones costume that will look as good or better than the licensed versions, while quite possibly costing less.
  1. (Creative Commons photo by Tarah Betinol)
    (Creative Commons photo by Tarah Betinol)
    More than anything, you'll need Indy's trademark fedora hat.10
    1. Indiana Jones is rarely seen without his brown, frayed fedora. Even if you don't get too elaborate with the rest of the outfit, make sure you have the right hat.
    2. Shop around for a good deal. Hit local thrift stores, shop on eBay and similar websites, browse costume shops and military surplus stores.
    3. If you can't find a hat that's the right color, you can dye it with coffee. This will have the added benefit of making the hat look a little more worn.11
    4. If you're feeling particularly handy, you can also try out Mahalo's instructions on making your own brown fedora (part of the page about How to Make a Freddy Krueger Costume)!
  2. For Jones' jacket, you want dark brown or black leather (or a convincing leather substitute, like vinyl.)12
    1. Leather jacket prices can vary enormously. It really pays to shop around. Concentrate on thrift stores, since you're most likely to find a bargain there.13
    2. Sometimes you can get a surprisingly good deal on fake leather coats at large chain stores, especially drug stores.
    3. If the jacket looks too new, you can age it using the same method as Deborah Nadoolman, the woman who designed the jacket for the films: scuff it with a wire brush and a pocket knife.12
  3. You'll need a long-sleeved kaki shirt, taupe pants and a brown belt. These should be very easy to find. It's possible you've already got some at the back of your closet.14
    1. If you want to look rough, like Indy can get when an adventure isn't going well, you can make little rips in your shirt or tear off an entire sleeve.
    2. You should leave several of your top shirt buttons undone, to expose some of your chest. (Hmm. That "muscle chest shirt" is starting to sound like a pretty good idea...)
  4. Indy often carries a faded, greenish-brown satchel.15
    1. This is hardly essential, but it will make your look more complete and it will be a useful place to carry various plundered treasures (not to mention your car keys.)
    2. You're probably most likely to find something like this in a military surplus store.
  5. Indy's bullwhip is essential. Fortunately, you have many options for how to get one.
    1. The licensed versions come in different lengths and colors, and they should work perfectly well.16
    2. You can make a cheap version yourself with an old piece of rope covered with brown electrical tape.
    3. You can also make a fake whip by getting an old jump-rope, removing one of the handles, and spray painting the whole thing brown.11 (You can use the remaining handle for the whip's grip.)
    4. Note that whips (even fake ones) can be very dangerous if you wave them around and try to crack them like Indy does.17 Always keep your whip coiled safely at your side, and resist the urge to do any "tricks."
  6. Indy carries an old pistol in a holster. You can find a suitable toy version at most costume shops.18
    • NOTE: Be extremely cautious with your prop gun while in public. Remember that from a distance, even a toy gun can look just like a real one.
  7. Indy wears brown, lace-up boots, but any old brown shoes should do it.
  8. Indiana Jones often has some rather scruffy stubble.
    1. If you're not old enough to grow facial hair (or you lack a Y chromosome,) you can simulate stubble with makeup by drawing lots of little dots on your chin it with an eyeliner pencil or applying some mascara to a toothbrush and then tapping that on your face.11
    2. Look at a picture of Indiana Jones to figure out how much stubble to add and how far down your neck and up your cheeks it should extend.
    3. After applying your fake stubble, powder it so it won't smear.

Step 3: The Deluxe Indy Costume

  • If you've struck it rich plundering ancient tombs, you can afford to be much more lavish and detailed when putting together your Indiana Jones costume.
  1. (Creative Commons photo by John Griffiths)
    (Creative Commons photo by John Griffiths)
    Wested Leather of London made Ford's jackets, shirts and pants for the films. They sell very authentic (and rather pricey) jacket replicas today.19
  2. The pants and shirts are also available through the same company, and they offer overseas shipping.20
  3. The Adventurebilt Hat Company made Ford's hat for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and they now sell exact reproductions.21
    • - These hats are not cheap, but if you're determined to be authentic down to the last detail and you can afford to do so, these are the hats for you.
  4. David Morgan made the whips for several of the films, and sells similar whips for several hundred dollars each.22
  5. Ford's boots were made by Alden Shoes.23

Conclusion

  • Batman is a millionaire with a spandex suit and a Batcave full of crime-fighting gizmos. James Bond has a fancy tuxedo and dozens of expensive, exotic gadgets. But Indiana Jones is a working class action hero, an adventurer who wouldn't look too out of place on the bus or in the supermarket. (Well, OK, maybe his whip would attract a little attention.) It doesn't matter if you have a lot or a little to spend, you can still put together an Indiana Jones outfit to be proud of.

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References for How to Make an Indiana Jones Costume

  1. ↑ Vanity Fair: Steven SpielbergJanuary 2, 2008
  2. ↑ New York Times: Indiana Jones's Costume Goes to the SmithsonianMay 27, 1989
  3. ↑ Rubie's: Indiana Jones Costumes WARNING: Official site
  4. ↑ Rubie's: Dlx. Indiana Jones Child WARNING: Official site
  5. ↑ Rubie's: Indiana Jones Adult WARNING: Official site
  6. ↑ Rubie's: Indiana Jones Adult WARNING: Official site
  7. ↑ Yandy.com: Women's Indiana Jones Costume WARNING: Official site
  8. ↑ Rubie's: Indiana Jones Pet Costume WARNING: Official site
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Walgreens: Indiana Jones Deluxe Muscle Chest Child Costume WARNING: Official site
  10. ↑ TheRaider.net: The Fedora
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 About.com Indiana Jones Costume How-To
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 TheRaider.net: The Jacket
  13. ↑ Romo Shopping Blog: A Guide to Shopping at Thrift Stores WARNING: Ad-heavy
  14. ↑ TheRaider.net: The Shirts and Pants
  15. ↑ TheRaider.net: The Shoulder Bag
  16. ↑ Rubie's: 6' Leather Whip WARNING: Official site
  17. ↑ DallasDogSled.com: Whip Safety
  18. ↑ TheRaider.net: The Revolver and Holster
  19. ↑ Wested Leather Co: Special Manufacturers to the Film & TV Industry WARNING: Official site
  20. ↑ Wested Leather Co: Indiana Jones WARNING: Official site
  21. ↑ Adventurebilt Hat Company: A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR FEDORAS WARNING: Official site
  22. ↑ David Morgan: Welcome to David Morgan WARNING: Official site
  23. ↑ Alden Shoes: Indy Boot WARNING: Official site


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