How the fedora became Indiana Jones’ trademark may not be the first question that many fans have about the famed archaeologist, but the truth of the matter is that Indy’s hat is a major part of who is he. In fact, it’s arguable that no other hero in cinema is more recognizable by a single item of clothing than Indiana Jones is with his fedora. From the very first moment that audiences come to meet Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark, what is initially revealed is not Harrison Ford’s face, but his fedora as he stands gazing out at the jungle.
Again and again, this tactic of denying the audience a look at Ford’s face is used until at last, he steps into the fractured light of the jungle and reveals himself. Even then, the fedora is undeniably present in the shot, helping in no small way to form an image of this strange man as a rugged, non-nonsense explorer. It can easily be argued that none of this would have been the same without the fedora. The added impact of the hat can’t be underestimated, and from Raiders of the Lost Ark onward, Indy’s fedora was used as a method for tension, as a mark of courage, and even as a tool for storytelling.
The Fedora Took Inspiration From Classic Hollywood Films
Straight from the initial planning stages of Indy’s look, the idea of the fedora was present. Steven Spielberg joined forces with costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis to come up with something that suited the character to a tee. George Lucas had previously been focused on a hero who wore a felt hat and fought Nazis, even before screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan came up with the now iconic screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sketches and paintings were created of the film’s intended hero, all of which offered a similar concept: a rugged looking character in a leather jacket who wore a hat.
The hat became even more of a priority after Spielberg and Landis watched several classic Hollywood films together, specifically: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Secret of the Incas and The Greatest Show on Earth. In each one of these films, the Hollywood heroes involved – either Humphrey Bogart or Charlton Heston – wore fedoras. That classic look was definitely something that both Lucas and Spielberg were going for. The aforementioned films became such a key component to what Indiana Jones would look like that today it’s easy to look back at them (Secret of the Incas, in particular) and see the character.
Harrison Ford Helped Choose The Right Hat
As many fans know, casting Indiana Jones almost went in a completely different direction. Despite knowing just how the character would look in terms of wardrobe, the original choice for Indy was Tom Selleck. When he backed out, Ford was hired. With Landis now starting from scratch in her efforts to create the Indy look for Ford, the two set out to find just the right fedora. This search took place in London, and it was no minor task. Naturally, neither one of them could have known just how important this detail would go on to be, but the care and time they took to get it just right was indeed impactful in the long run.
Before the issue of getting just the right color for the fedora was settled in, Landis had Ford try on dozens of boxes of different hats in front of a mirror at legendary London costumers, Bermans and Nathans. Ford went through every single hat that Landis had provided him with, looking for just the right style to match the proportions of his face. Eventually he found it, which resulted in Landis ordering 10 more of the soft rabbit felt hat, and that was that. The fedora that would go on to become synonymous with the Indiana Jones franchise was born, bringing with it came one of the greatest cinematic action heroes of all time.
