James Dean Jacket

[Dagenham Dave]

Hello guys

I have now in my possession a rebel jacket from magnoli and the king

Both jackets are well made but the king jacket has a superior quality.

I find the nylon from magnoli to be a little too thin (you can't make the collar sit like you want) and wrinkle too much for my liking.

I love the bright red color.

The lining is cotton.


The nylon from the king is heavier and doesn't wrinkle but the red is a little dull but I think it's more wearable for everyday use.

The lining is fleece.

I don't own a McGregor Anti-freeze so I can't compare.

Here some photos if you want detailed shots ask me. First magnoli then the king

I too own both jackets and agree completely with your assessment SpeedRcrX.

 

[Peacoat]

I have found one of the problems in recreating these jackets is getting the collar accurate. The King collar is a spread collar, while the McGregor was a point collar.

I actually had the red McGregor back in the day. Wish I still had it, even if it was a size 36 or 38. Would be good for comparison purposes. Perhaps my Mother put it in the same place as my baseball card collection. I have often thought about asking her, but I'm afraid of the answer I might get. I think when I went to college, a lot of that "useless" stuff was disposed of. Afraid to ask.

 

[alfa]

I just noticed a new replica from Japan.

Webaite is: http://www.maxcady.com

The jacket looks to be a close match.. similar to the King Jacket but in full red.

 

[alfa]

The Maxcady will be in my hands soon. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[Monitor]

Dear God, the dummies.

Huh, Terminator 2 jacket looks pretty good for that price, and there appears to be some Wested and Tony Nowak gear on that site, too.

 

[alfa]

Finally got my hands on the the Maxcady. Im a little disappointed with it so I returned it.
The cut is a bit off and the quality isn't as nice as The King rebel jacket.
It's a nice jacket but just not for me. It's overly thick as the fleece inside is thick.
and the jacket sorta puffs, instead of drapes on your body.

Im finding all these jackets aren't cut right. Sleeves are long and body is short.
So i think i've given up on finding one.

 

[Kamura]

I'm selling my McCoy's McGregor Anti Freeze to fund my new love for bikes. I've always liked building my own things but when it comes to bikes, the parts aren't cheap.

It was bought as a piece of memorabilia earlier this Spring (receipt can be supplied) and have only tried it on indoors so far. It is still in pristine condition with tags included. I've had the King and Maxcady before but they just don't fit right and feel too thick so I sold them soonafter. I've been researching the Dean jacket for years and tried out an original 1950s McGregor Anti Freeze with the white lining, King, Maxcady, and the McCoy's McGregor Anti Freeze. The McCoy's jacket definitely has the most flexible fit but it's best characteristic is how it 'sculpts' itself around the torso and arms somewhat like a leather jacket does. It has a (marginally) meatier collar than the other 3 but feels very soft and somewhat cushiony but it's winning point is that it holds the shape you craft it into. You can really experiment with this one, other owners of the McCoys x McGregor Anti Freezes will know what it's like.

I paid just under £580 GBP in total with shipping and import tax from Japan to the UK, and yes that is damn expensive for a jacket! However, you get what you pay for - the attention to detail is fantastic, and really something to be appreciated if you're the type to look at jackets as a piece of art. Tight around the waist and the collar stands up on its own if that's how you like to wear it. It's quite slim overall (shell and inner) so it's quite flexible and very light. To be honest, I'm not one to pull it off outoors but it's just nice to be able to try it on at home for yourself at least to get a more true feel for how the real Dean jacket would have felt like to wear. It's size 40, new condition, still with tags.

£300 shipped worldwide with Parcelforce Global Priority (Canada, Asia, USA, Europe) or Parcelforce 24hr (UK). Online tracked and fully insured.

Just ask if you have any enquieries or want specific photos .
Many thanks

 

[creebobby]

'Sleeves are too long and body is too short' - sounds like an authentic 50s cut to me!

I was wondering, if James did in fact wear an Anti-Freeze jacket off the rack, what size would he have worn?
A 1950s example size 38 measures 18.5" wide shoulder seam to shoulder seam.
James was reportedly 5'7" and 140 lbs.
I'm 5'6" and 138.
Looking at photos of the way the original Rebel jacket fits, and measuring my Levi's Trucker that fits similarly (Shoulder seam just barely off the shoulder), it looks like James' jacket would have measured about 17.25" from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, up high near the top of the shoulders.
If this guess is close it looks like an original size 38 would have been too big for him? The shoulder seams would have been too far off the shoulders.
Something like a size 34 AntiFreeze perhaps?
Seems like the originals were cut generously to go over other layers.

I bought a nice original 50s Boys' size 16, hoping it would have a fashionable wearable slim fit. It was too small - hard to move my arms, and I had to send it back.

In the end, and I think I've said this before, the biggest challenge with the Rebel jacket is that none of us is James Dean.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Size is anyone's guess, but in many of the scenes the jacket's shoulder seams are pretty much heading down his upper arm. It's certainly not a fitted jacket on Dean.

 

[Dagenham Dave]

Size is anyone's guess, but in many of the scenes the jacket's shoulder seams are pretty much heading down his upper arm. It's certainly not a fitted jacket on Dean.

I agree.

 

[creebobby]

It falls a lot further off his shoulders when he zips it up halfway and lifts the waist up above his jeans.
It's a generous baggy cut but that doesn't mean he wore a big size.

The 1954 Boys' Life Anti-Freeze ad states that it came in Prep sizes up to size 20. The mens' ads don't give sizes. The smallest I've seen listed is size 36.

I'd guess James wore a size 36 mens. Possibly a 20 prep. Assuming it's an off the rack Anti-Freeze.

Has anyone ever found a period anti-freeze with the dark brownish lining?
I've never even seen pictures of an authentic dark-lined Anti-Freeze.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It falls a lot further off his shoulders when he zips it up halfway and lifts the waist up above his jeans.
It's a generous baggy cut but that doesn't mean he wore a big size.

Yes, but equally he may have worn a bigger size.

Of course the question remains was it an anti-freeze or did they custom make the jacket (copying an anti-freeze) as many believe?

 

[Peacoat]

Why go to the trouble of custom making several jackets when off the rack was readily available. My money is on the Anti Freeze.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I agree Peacoat but there are some plausible sources (some quoted in this thread) to suggest the jacket was custom. Remember the story about John Belushi having a jacket made out of the same red cloth that was archived by the designer after Dean's jacket was made? Moss Mabry did this for Belushi and as the costume designer for Rebel Mabry was quoted as saying that he made and designed the famous red jacket. Is this true? Who knows? Showbiz is a funny place. For instance Anthony Perkins in Psycho 2 had his t-shirts made with very thin foam layered into the chest area to suggest a larger frame. Hollywood does strange things for reasons that make sense to itself not us.

 

[creebobby]

I got the Blu-Ray for Rebel today.
Went straight to the scene with the label. It's definitely 100% a McGregor Anti-Freeze label. Not that there was any doubt.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I got the Blu-Ray for Rebel today.
Went straight to the scene with the label. It's definitely 100% a McGregor Anti-Freeze label. Not that there was any doubt.

Yep, the label has been identified by a few people. Is there a screen grab on here somewhere?

 

[creebobby]

Yep, the label has been identified by a few people. Is there a screen grab on here somewhere?

I'm the one who posted the screen grab before!

I'd post a better one off the Blu-Ray, but I can't rip Blu-Ray frames.

Standing in front of the TV with my head upside down, I could clearly read McGregor and better see the 'Nylon Anti Freeze' part of the label.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Cool. Even though Moss Mabry is quoted as saying he made the jacket (three in fact), you'd wonder if this were true, why put on an anti-freeze label? I still think this is a curious tale.

 

[creebobby]

Though I've never found evidence of a production 'dark-lined' Anti-Freeze, here's at least proof that McGregor had and used a dark black/charcoal nylon fleece in 1955:

The Nyfleece Bat!

I found the ad a few years ago, and the actual garment is on ebay right now for 85 buckaroos:

This at least establishes that a dark nylon fleece fabric was in the McGregor factory in 1955.
Perhaps they did a short run of dark-lined Anti-Freezes at the time, and then at least one of those made its way to Mattson's on Hollywood Boulevard?

 

[creebobby]

Green Production Label

One element that hasn't been discussed is the Warner Bros. green and white production label that would have been sewn into the red Anti-freeze jacket.

The Rebel sport coat, (which was also owned by Elvis of all people), survived and got auctioned off a couple years ago for $55k.



Here's some copy from the auction:

'Description
James Dean's "Jim Stark" tweed jacket from Rebel Without a Cause gifted by co-star Nick Adams to Elvis Presley. (Warner Bros., 1955) Brown tweed men's sport coat with white and orange accents, designed by the tailor to the stars, Sy Devore, with his label on the inside chest pocket. Directly underneath is the original Warner Bros. green and white wardrobe label, annotated in fountain pen: 3-18-55, Prod. 821(Rebel without a Cause), Name- James Dean, 5797M; satin lining also bears the white identity stamp of Warner Bros. Studio.'

From what I remember, when James takes his blazer off before the switchblade fight, you can see the white studio label below the Sy Devore label. (I haven't re-examined this scene on Blu-Ray yet.)

One telling detail is that the blazer was tailored by Sy Devore and not sewn from scratch by Warners' costume department (and certainly not designed by Moss Mabry. Unless Moss Mabry designed it and then told Sy Devore to sew it. Not likely.)

Also, a Giant vest got auctioned off a few years ago. The vest shows what an April 1955 Warner Bros. wardrobe label looked like.





So, where's the white and green wardrobe label on the red Anti-Freeze jacket? The fact that it apparently isn't below the McGregor Anti-freeze label is (maybe) telling. In the script (and in the movie), Jim takes his red jacket off and gives it to Plato in the Observatory. It's a plot point. They might have planned for close shots of this important action and therefore placed the wardrobe label somewhere out of sight. Earlier in the film, Jim takes his blazer off before trying to fix his flat tire, but that action might have been worked out on the day of shooting, and wouldn't necessarily have been in the script. (This conjecture would be easier if I had a Rebel shooting script on hand. I don't.)

Another item: if the Anti-Freeze label was 'custom added' to a modified or scratch-sewn jacket, they went to a lot of trouble to include the little extra sizing tag as well. (The extra sizing tag is more clearly visible in the Blu-Ray.)