About the Author: Brandon D. is a trial attorney for the government living in Houston, Texas. He’s a new dad (#girldad for those of you who do hashtags), which has made working from home that much more interesting for him, his wife, and their dog Charlie.
As you may recall in my last installment of “Halloween as a Grownup,” I’m a big fan of costumes based around clothing one already owns or would wear anyways. So when I dressed up as Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man, I was more than happy to be wearing sweatpants, sneakers, a t-shirt, and military jacket.
In fact, basing a Halloween costume around a coat or jacket is pretty easy:
- Trench Coat. Add a Fedora, tie up that belt, and you’re Bogart in Casablanca.
- Leather Jacket. Add a white tee, medium wash jeans, do up your hair, and you’re The Fonz.
- Denim Jacket + Puffer vest. Add a maroon tee, patterned button down, more jeans, and you’re Marty.
Lots of common coats/jackets. Lots of possibilities.
This year, I’m going hyper specific. No, not Ryan Gosling’s scorpion jacket in Drive. I’m going way back to 1987 to Beverly Hills Cop II. This movie is on the short list of best buddy cop movies, best comedies, and best sequels. (It’s right up there with The Godfather Part II and The Empire Strikes Back, and way ahead of Speed 2: Cruise Control).
Eddie Murphy was definitely the funniest and perhaps the coolest celebrity of my childhood, and I’ll always be a fan. For the costume, it all comes down to the iconic Detroit Lions letterman jacket. The rest of the costume? Easy. I also happen to be a big Lions fan. While I’m a New Yorker, the first football player I remember seeing was Barry Sanders, arguably the best running back of all time and definitely the most humble NFL superstar of my childhood. On top of that, the Lions wore blue, which was my favorite color at the time. The Lions, of course, have been terrible for most of my life, including a 0-16 season in 2008. The lesson, as always: don’t make major decisions when you’re 6 years old.
The Jacket: Detroit Lions Varsity Full-Snap Jacket: Beverly Hills Edition – (replicas) $75 and up on eBay OR Detroit Lions NFL Pro Line Reversible Fleece Jacket with Faux Leather Sleeves – $125. The original re-release version from 2012 was a true letterman jacket (wool body, leather sleeves). At $399.99, it was 1. Way beyond my budget, and 2. Not my style. The version released in 2017 and featured at the very top of the post was an homage by Ty Mopkins in collaboration with Starter. At $159.99 it was 1. Still more than I’d want to spend for a typical, light fall or spring jacket, but 2. Definitely my style. I got mine on eBay (and for less) mainly because the seller listed the size and measurements. Kudos to the seller since I’m almost never a Small but definitely fit well in jackets with a 45” chest. Warning: There are gonna be some “costume quality” replicas out there. Buyer beware on eBay. BUT if you don’t want to mess around with eBay? Understood. This alternative jacket is new, officially licensed(!), and close enough.
The Watch: Invicta Pro Diver with Pepsi Bezel – $92.25. A regular entry on Dappered’s affordable dive watch list, the Pro Diver is a great (and perhaps the best) entry level dive watch.
The Shirt: C9 Champion Tech Tee – $15. It’s true that Axel typically wears a Mumford Phys. Ed. Department t-shirt, but any heathered gray shirt will do here.
The Pants: B.R. Luxe Traveler Jean in Slim or Athletic Fit – $129: Any jeans will do, but if you’re spending the evening trick or treating with your daughter and eating her candy since she’s not even 2 years old, comfortable and stretchy jeans are a must. Use what you have. Light wash is more on point, but dark wash works here too.
The Shoes: J. Crew Court Sneakers – $103.60 ($148). I’m wearing the adidas Continental 80 at the very top of the post, in a nod to the decade the movie came from, but any white sneaker will do here. I actually use the Continentals as my “in the house” sneakers after I learned the hard way that working from home and never wearing shoes leads to foot injuries.
The Car: Crappy Blue Chevy Nova (thankfully discontinued). The last time I worked with Dappered on a costume post (and to perhaps promote a way of life), Joe went the extra mile and sent the props to make it work. While I didn’t ask for the car this time, I’m pretty sure that Chevy Nova and the orange piping for the Cousin Eddie costume are about the same price.