James Dean Jacket

Peacoat · Mar 6, 2018

In Big J's hypotheticals above I can just see Nicholas Ray, being the prescient director he is, think, "OK, I know that in 50 years people are going to be wanting to know what type of jacket Jimmy wore in the film, so let's make it difficult for them." He then instructs Jimmy that when he takes off the hero jacket he has worn throughout the film (Be it a Baracuta, a Bud Berma, one made by Moss Mabry in the costume department or one purchased at Matson’s Men’s Store) he should hand it to Ray who will then give Jimmy another jacket, one not previously worn during the shooting, which he should hand to Plato with the tag clearly visible. That ought to give them something to gnaw on, he thinks as he sends subsequent researchers down the rabbit hole.

Or perhaps he was in collusion with the McGregor company to place its Anti Freeze model front and center. Don't know how much Ray would have gotten paid for that, but is good for speculation. Nothing like a good conspiracy theory arising 63 years after the fact.

Big J · Mar 6, 2018

@Peacoat, ok, so where is the cut? Is there a cut in that scene?
The label we were never meant to be able to see, is it on Dean's hero jacket or the stand-in jacket that Plato wears?
Off you go. Check your DVD.
And check the definition of hypothesis.

Peacoat · Mar 6, 2018

Doesn't make any difference where the cut is, if there is one. I thought I pointed that out in my story about Nicholas Ray and his motive for swapping jackets in the planetarium scene. What would be his motive in swapping the jackets? In other words, why would he do that?

And the word I used was hypothetical, not hypothesis.

Big J · Mar 7, 2018

@Peacoat, it DOES make a difference where the cut is, if there is one! Because it proves;
A) Dean wore a McGregor at least in that scene. So maybe McGregor was the hero jacket. Or,
B) Plato wore a McGregor at least in that scene. Do maybe McGregor wasn't the hero jacket. Or,
C) The cuts make it unclear who was wearing the McGregor therefore leaving us none the wiser.

This is a kind of objective fact-checking that I prefer to the 'he says she says' stories of someone who has made a career out of their connection to James Dean.

If you personally don't feel that it 'makes any difference', whilst I would disagree, it is of course your absolute right to remain as oblivious as you like. Why bother to post? You've already made your mind up.

Peacoat · Mar 7, 2018

It doesn't make any difference where the cut was, if there was one. Critical and logical thinking solves this problem for us. In addition to the motive aspect I have discussed above, that is what motive would Nick Ray have for swapping the hero jacket for the McGregor jacket in the Observatory scene, look at it as the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence.

Direct evidence would be my looking out my window and seeing a man walking across my front yard, carrying a McGregor jacket and leaving footprints in the snow. He then walks into my neighbor's yard and hands him a McGregor jacket. That would be direct evidence the man carried the McGregor jacket across my yard and handed it to my neighbor.

Circumstantial evidence would be my looking out my window and seeing footprints in the snow going toward my neighbor's yard. I saw no man walking across my yard, but I did see a man in my neighbor's yard handing him a McGregor jacket. That would be good circumstantial evidence that the man crossed my yard to deliver the McGregor jacket to my neighbor.

But at this point I prefer discussing the conspiracy theory recently raised that Nicolas Ray had a monetary, or other motive, for substituting the McGregor jacket for one of the other suspect jackets. That seems to be more open to speculation than the fact that the jacket used in the movie was the McGregor Anti Freeze. Engaging in speculation is much more fun than discussing facts.

Danman · Mar 7, 2018

Ok. This is getting weird. What other suspect jackets? What other jacket has the details that are visible on the jacket that James Dean wore in the movie? Not the Bud Berma... The Barracuda? Don’t know about that? Any other brands which had the same details that can be mistaken for an antifreeze? That damn label and the fact that the pockets are identical to the antifreeze jackets is a dead giveaway, if you ask me.

Big J · Mar 7, 2018

Ok, so Dean and Plato wear a red nylon jacket.
We can see the McGregor label in one shot.
It may be that Dean took off the 'hero jacket' gave it to Plato, and he wore it for the rest of the scene.
It may also be that the hero jacket was switched in the cut and Plato wore a different jacket.
Without watching the scene and checking where the cuts are, it's impossible to know who started with or ended up with the McGregor. It could indeed be that they both wore red McGregors in different sizes.
Anyhow, why would the hero jacket get swapped out? So that Dean can still wear it during post-production publicity shots, which he wouldn't be able to do if it got damaged while Plato was wearing it.
Obviously, I'm not writing this for your benefit Peacoat, you've already decided and are not open to explanations, it's all a 'conspiracy theory'. SMH.

Seb Lucas · Mar 7, 2018

I totally get where J is coming from. Movies are not the real world. We already know that the director dyed the jeans to achieve an unreal blueness to them. Ray may have used a range of red jackets in different ways to emphasize the deeply symbolic red color. Our only way of knowing what may have been worn by whom is through watching the cuts. And checking out the pockets (where they show up). This is done all the time by prop and costume authenticators and by rabid fan-boys.

If there was a jacket made by the costume designer (as he says) then why would it not look a lot like a McGregor if that's the pattern they were going for?

For me, all we know is that it is likely a McGregor was used in the film, given the screen shot. What we don't know is how many other jackets were used and what they were. I very much doubt there was only one jacket. I have not heard of a Hollywood film with only one hero costume and no back ups or stand in costumes.

Peacoat is right to doubt that Director Ray would have been choosing jackets and labels to mystify us decades later. But actually Ray's possible behavior, using different color intensities in red, for different scenes and lighting, may look like he's trying to confuse us today, when all he was doing back then was being an attentive, visually attuned director.

Peacoat · Mar 7, 2018

Danman said:
Ok. This is getting weird. What other suspect jackets? What other jacket has the details that are visible on the jacket that James Dean wore in the movie? Not the Bud Berma... The Barracuda? Don’t know about that? Any other brands which had the same details that can be mistaken for an antifreeze? That damn label and the fact that the pockets are identical to the antifreeze jackets is a dead giveaway, if you ask me.

Yea, me too, but for some reason there are sometimes those who don't see it that way and want to create doubt. I have done all I can do on the subject: Accept it or not. Makes no difference to me.

Seb Lucas · Mar 7, 2018

Movie costume stories are often very weird.

Bruce Wayne · Mar 13, 2018

https://www.allenedmonds.com/clothi...OV.html?dwvar_SFBRG9-OV_color=BRG9-RD#start=7

47993 · Jan 10, 2020

Anyone still on here? I discovered this thread a few days ago and found it very interesting. Many of you sure put in a lot of effort here! I’m looking to get a jacket that closely resembles Jim’s. A few different ones have been recommended here, and although some of you have already shared your experiences and stated which jacket you prefer, it would be interesting to have a new discussion on this. Perhaps new jackets from other makers have come around since this thread was active? Or might already existing ones have been updated? I know little about this famous garment and would appreciate any help I can get.

Happy new year

Lost Ronin · Jan 10, 2020

Nxtcntrbl said:
Anyone still on here? I discovered this thread a few days ago and found it very interesting. Many of you sure put in a lot of effort here! I’m looking to get a jacket that closely resembles Jim’s. A few different ones have been recommended here, and although some of you have already shared your experiences and stated which jacket you prefer, it would be interesting to have a new discussion on this. Perhaps new jackets from other makers have come around since this thread was active? Or might already existing ones have been updated? I know little about this famous garment and would appreciate any help I can get.

Happy new year

I am still here. I've always liked the Rebel jacket and look with denim jeans. It's timeless and instantly identifiable. The movie is also one of my all time favorites.

47993 · Jan 29, 2020

As far as I can see, here are the options:
- Daddy-O's/James Dean Apparel (licensed)
- The King
- Max Cady
- Magnoli
- McCoy's
- Vintage McGregor

Did I miss any?
Any thoughts on each jacket's quality, fit, screen accuracy and value for money?

Lost Ronin · Jan 29, 2020

Nxtcntrbl said:
As far as I can see, here are the options:
- Daddy-O's/James Dean Apparel (licensed)
- The King
- Max Cady
- Magnoli
- McCoy's
- Vintage McGregor

Did I miss any?
Any thoughts on each jacket's quality, fit, screen accuracy and value for money?

Hello, I had the Daddy-O's jacket. For the money it looks screen accurate to me. Not as shiny, but the cut and look and color seems very close. I've since given it to a friend because I've lost 80lbs and it was simply massive on me now.

I'll be ordering a large soon however. It's a great jacket for 40, to 50s degree cooler days and nights here in Florida. I got compliments and questions whenever I wore it. Not everyone made the Rebel without a Cause connection but everyone liked the jacket.

Lost Ronin · Jan 29, 2020

Actually, the Max Cady looks intriguing as wel . It's not terribly expensive either. Looks really well done.

Seb Lucas · Jan 29, 2020

No idea but I have seen that some repros are made of cotton and not shiny nylon (like an MA-1) as per the film version. If you're just after a red jacket, the wrong fabric may not matter to you.

tropicalbob · Jan 29, 2020

When I was watching the film very recently I noticed that Dennis Hopper and another guy in the "bad kids" gang were wearing suede "Campus" jackets (zip-ups with knitted cuffs and waistbands). In the school scene Hopper is wearing the rust-colored one and the other guy's wearing a dark brown one. I believe (I'll have to go back and check) that in the later scenes they've switched jackets. I only noticed because I recently bought one of each: one from Penneys and the other an Excelled. Very nice and comfortable they are, too.

47993 · Jan 30, 2020

tropicalbob said:
When I was watching the film very recently I noticed that Dennis Hopper and another guy in the "bad kids" gang were wearing suede "Campus" jackets (zip-ups with knitted cuffs and waistbands). In the school scene Hopper is wearing the rust-colored one and the other guy's wearing a dark brown one. I believe (I'll have to go back and check) that in the later scenes they've switched jackets. I only noticed because I recently bought one of each: one from Penneys and the other an Excelled. Very nice and comfortable they are, too.

I'd love to see some photos of those!

47993 · Feb 21, 2020

Someone might have posted this one on here before, but I can't remember having seen it:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HKCK9...ppMt8bd2WghE_ybbpy4slzVK81mcJ5cRwY&th=1&psc=1

It's not screen accurate (zipper and pockets don't seem quite right to me), but I still thought someone might be interested. To be fair, the product description only says that the jacket is inspired (not replicated) from the one worn in the movie.
It seems that it, despite being cotton, has some sheen to it. Also, the collar is pointed and looks decent.

James Dean Jacket

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