Steal the Style is an all too infrequent series on finding affordable alternatives to the styles seen on the big or small screen. If you’ve seen a movie or a TV show that you think is ripe for a Steal the Style attempt, send those suggestions in here. Bourne? He’s not Bond. Bourne movies are dark, gritty, and lack the flash (and often campy-ness) that Bond movies come with. And Jason Bourne is anything but a clothes horse. But that doesn’t mean some classic looks can’t be sourced for a steal the style. Alternatives to the best of the very-limited wardrobe in “Jason Bourne” can be found below.
He wears this thing for what seems like 70% of the movie. And it’s a tough one to identify. Looks like it has almost a nubuck texture to it? Plain zip up standing collar too. Not a traditional, floppy bomber collar. Real simple. The Schott is made in the USA and a slim fit, while the Wilson’s Leather is much more affordable, but does have some rib-knit trim at the hem. Sidenote: Be wary of the companies who try and rip off the styles, outright, from the movies. Can’t imagine the quality is gonna be there.
The Asset wears something awfully close to a classic M-65, albeit with one less pocket on the chest and a closer fit than the classic. Alpha Industries does make a slimmer M-65 (as shown above) but try your local Army/Navy surplus too. Another option in something less than “none more black” would be the Canvas by Lands’ End M-43 field jacket. Despite the fine print saying that LE coat is excluded from promotions, Gilt City just ran a 40% off voucher (it’s expired) and Canvas stuff does go on sale every so often. One more option would be the all but sold out Wallace and Barnes field jacket.
Tactleneck! Currently unavailable (since it’s August) but they’ll be rolling them out soon enough. Super lightweight, all merino so it’s breathable, and the knit is extra fine. So, little to no itch. And with all due respect to The Asset’s skillz, if you’re running around in a turtleneck and a black field jacket… people might start to suspect you’re up to no good. If there’s such a thing as an assassin’s uniform, that’s it.
Frankly, from some of the still shots, the much cheaper, and much more Norm-Core Earthkeeper’s City Chukka (for $70) is closer. But if you want something with a bit more eye appeal, then the upgraded “Timberland Boot Company” line might be worth a good strong look. Has the characteristics of Bourne’s boots, all wrapped up with premium leather and construction techniques. They’re chukkas, they’re brown, and they’ve got a slightly lugged sole (as opposed to crepe that you’ll find on desert boots). Pic above is via Timberland. Currently on sale at Nordstrom, and it looks like their shots look lighter than they may appear in person?
Pretty sure it’s a GTI. Not sure if an assassin is gonna wanna race around a bunch of Greek streets in a regular ol’ Golf. It’s a manual too. So, lotta fun to drive. F = MA. Right? Not a lot of M with these hatch backs. So that F of 210 – 220 Turbocharged Horse Power can really propel these things. Lotta A. Lottttttta A.
We now cut to the returns desk at L.L. Bean’s flagship store in Freeport Maine, where they’re incredibly passionate about their lifetime guarantee, which states anything can be returned at any time if the customer’s complete satisfaction is not met.
Customer Service Rep: So you’re returning this henley sir?
JB: Yes. Yes I’d like to do that.
CS Rep: May I… may I ask what this stain is over here?
JB: Oh that’s blood.
CS Rep: Ah yes, I see. And this hole, or, rip over here? Surrounded by another stain?
JB: Yes, that’s where I was shot. That’s, umm… that there, see? That’s gun powder.
CS Rep: Oh dear. Yes, well it appears our stain resistant treatment didn’t work so well there. But this spot near the…
JB: Vitreous Fluid.
CS Rep: I’m sorry?
JB: See, I was dropping a deuce, y’know… and next thing I know an assassin kicks the door in. The only thing I had at my disposal was the metal toilet paper holder. One of those spring loaded jobs. So, I shoved that through his eye, pants still around my ankles, and when his retina burst it was like a geyser. But it was more like corn syrup than water, and my God it was EVERYWHERE, but then…
CS Rep: Well, we do stand by our guarantee. And if you’re not fully satisfied with your purchase, we can issue you store credit.
JB: That’d be great. I’d love to use the credit on a pair of duck boots so I…
CS Rep: I’m sorry sir, we’re still sold out. I can add you to the waiting list.
JB: Hm. Well, I guess I’ll go look at the kayaks or something.
Despite living in a world where you can’t swing a cat without hitting something with a touchscreen, pen and paper are still preferred by many of us. One of the many, many advantages they have over higher tech gadgets? It’s really hard to “hack” a paper notebook.
The man doesn’t branch out much when it comes to casual wear for his torso. Somewhere in transit to Berlin, Bourne ditches the henley and moves onto a crewneck. It might be a t-shirt. Might be a sweater. We don’t know. Why? BECAUSE HE NEVER TAKES OFF HIS DAMN LEATHER JACKET. But, even if he doesn’t, a slim, not overly bulky, merino wool won’t over heat him. Only suggesting the (expensive) J. Crew option because there’s some concern that UNIQLO has been messing with their fits. This first showed up on their OCBDs, but finger’s crossed they didn’t screw with their nicely slim fitting sweaters.
Bourne. He’s just like us! In some of the shots from the movie you can actually see the iconic Levi’s stitching on the back pockets. And being that this is Bourne we’re talking about, pretty sure his legs aren’t gonna fit into skinny jeans. So going with the affordable, versatile, don’t be afraid to get em’ filthy (like Bourne does) Levi’s 541 in a dark blue.
No, he doesn’t wear either of these in the movie (Bourne has worn Tags before). But hear me out. You just can’t really tell what he’s wearing. But? It’s dark. That Seiko Solar doesn’t come with the ion case and black band, together, so you’ll have to source the black band separate. Meanwhile, it’s not as blacked out, but the X-Wind from Hamilton is very… Bourne-y. Dependable, Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement. Big, tough case on a comfy rubber strap. 100m in water resistance. Comes with a set of dials and widgets that allow you to manually calculate cross winds if you’re flying an airplane and the instrumentation goes out. Because while that’s never anything any of us could ever imagine doing, it’s absolutely, 100% something Jason Bourne would end up having to do in a movie. Besides, Bourne wore a Hamilton when he was stuck on Mars. Right? Makes perfect sense. Boy, that guy can get out of any jam!
It’s not really coat season, so you’ll have to sit tight for a bit to get your hands on one (we do a best outerwear round up every year). But it does appear that much of the movie takes place in the autumn/winter, and Director Dewey favors a camel coat at one point. Expect to see solid quality, reasonably affordable camel topcoats from the likes of UNIQLO, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and more this year.
Can’t say I’m real familiar with this British brand… but they currently carry a light grey, Merino wool cable crew for the ladies. And that’s what we’re looking for here. Women + Sweaters = all the points.
About the movie: It’s a Bourne flick. If you liked the previous Bourne movies (with Matt Damon) then you should like this one. It’s a tightly written extension of the Bourne Franchise, but it’s still Meat and Potatoes. Julia Styles, again, plays her character so well that you root hard for her. Tommy Lee Jones is perfectly cast. Vincent Cassel will always do an amazing job, playing a guy you love to hate. Not sure where most will come down on Alicia Vikander’s character. At points, it felt like she should have had more to do, but was just… there? Overall, it could have been a disaster. But they found a way to bring Bourne Back. But after this movie? It’s probably best to leave him in the shadows from here on out.
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