Costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis noted that the inspiration for the series as well as Indiana Jones' outfit was Charlton Heston's Harry Steele in Secret of the Incas (1954) and called Raiders of the Lost Ark "almost a shot for shot" remake of the Heston film, citing that Indiana Jones was "a kinder, gentler Harry Steele”.
Upon requests by Spielberg and Lucas, the costume designer gave the character a distinctive silhouette through the styling of the hat; after examining many hats, the designers chose a tall-crowned, wide-brimmed fedora. The fedora worn by Indiana Jones is one of the most well known and recognisable fedoras in the world. The hat is as iconic as the character it was created for.
Leather jackets have been used by adventurers since the early 1900s, unless you count cowboys in the American West in the late nineteenth century. However, the leather jacket really came into prominence with aviators in the postwar period following World War I. The barnstormers used leather jackets for warmth and protection in case their biplanes sprang hot oil leaks and the like. Indy’s jacket is inspired by the leather jackets of the 1930s that preceded the advent of the famous A-2 jacket worn by American fighter and bomber pilots in World War II.
Indiana Jones’ khaki pants and shirt, while loosely modelled after U.S. Army wear in the years preceding World War II, are really more of a throwback to the safari wear of the 19th Century. To this day, khaki remains a practical adventure colour for clothing as it repels heat and masks the dust of travel.
The bag is a heavy canvas World War II-era “MkVII” (Mark Seven) British gas mask bag with the original cotton web strap replaced by a leather strap with a metal adjustment buckle, worn under the jacket.
The guns Indiana Jones uses in the course of the film series vary from film to film, and in the case of Raiders, sometimes scene to scene, but every pistol Indiana Jones uses is indicative of the post-World War I era. All of his sidearms are early-1900s military designs and although there are a few choice moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark where he uses a semi-automatic, Indiana Jones is most often identified with the revolver. The use of the revolver hearkens back to the Western heroes and their Colt peacemakers, a genre that helped inspire the Indiana Jones series.
The guns Indiana Jones uses in the course of the film series vary from film to film, and in the case of Raiders, sometimes scene to scene, but every pistol Indiana Jones uses is indicative of the post-World War I era. All of his sidearms are early-1900s military designs and although there are a few choice moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark where he uses a semi-automatic, Indiana Jones is most often identified with the revolver. The use of the revolver hearkens back to the Western heroes and their Colt peacemakers, a genre that helped inspire the Indiana Jones series.
Indiana Jones is undoubtedly one of the most iconic film characters of the 20th century. Known as the whip-cracking archaeologist, the bullwhip is one of his most visible signature items.
The boots were made by Alden, a stock style that had been a favourite of Ford's before the films, despite costumer designer Deborah Nadoolman's plans that Indy wear Redwings.
