The 10 Most Iconic Coats & Jackets In Movie History

Costume design is one of the most important features of a character’s portrayal in a movie. It may seem obvious, but a character needs clothes for every scene, and those outfits certainly aren’t thrown together randomly.

A jacket is one of the few items of clothing a character might wear on-screen for multiple scenes and “days,” so for costume designers, this makes the decision of a character’s jacket an essential one. The safe choice is to go for something simple,  casual, or pedestrian, but the jackets chosen for these movies were anything but, and that’s likely why audiences still remember them to this day.

Mrs. Robinson’s Leopard Print Coat – The Graduate (1967)

Cinema’s favorite cougar, Mrs. Robinson, is often fittingly seen in predator-like animal print clothing, primarily her signature leopard print coat, but also the matching underwear set too, of course. A representation of the emptiness of a generation’s domestication, Mrs. Robinson is now looked on as an important symbol of female sexuality.

It’s a coming-of-age film about Ben, but the character that steals the limelight as an even better representation of a generation is Mrs. Robinson. Dissatisfied and drunk, she fills her life with simple pleasures, her seduction functioning as her agency in her world, tempting Ben towards the lifestyle he’s rejecting. Her leopard print is the perfect example of the double-edged sword of her sexuality.

Candyman’s Shearling Trench Coat – Candyman (1992)

A ground-breaking horror movie that chose the environment of urban Chicago as its backdrop instead of the more commonly seen wealthy suburban setting, Candyman, adapted from a Clive Barker novel, was one of the first mainstream horrors to include a “slasher villain” that was a BIPOC.

The villain soon became iconic, with his hook for a hand, brooding face, but most of all, a seemingly endless fur trench coat. It’s gothic, dated, and works in serious contrast to the environment around it, making Candyman himself stand out against whatever location he was in. The film was big enough to bag Candyman a 2021 sequel, which made some mild alterations to the villain’s signature look.

James Dean’s Red Harrington Jacket – Rebel Without A Cause (1955)

Fans who picture James Dean, no doubt, often picture him in his racing-red Harrington jacket. A fittingly fiery color for a man that lived an intensely brief life, it is associated with him because of its prominence in the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause.

Considering the period when this film was released, characterizing ‘delinquents’ with actual motivations and aggrievement was fairly revolutionary, and naturally, it quickly struck a chord with the youth of that period. James Dean’s jacket in Rebel Without a Cause became not just a symbol of rebellion, but a symbol of overall dissatisfaction.

Mr. Tibbs’ Wool Suit – In The Heat Of The Night (1967)

Sydney Poitier, a brilliant talent with a roster of great movies, was the first Black actor to be awarded an Academy Award and had an immensely successful career that would influence other actors for years to come. Beyond this, he was also one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood for how well he dressed.

In the Heat of the Night placed Poitier as a homicide detective from Philadelphia, caught up in the problems of the predominately racist small town of Sparta. Despite his character’s blatant standing, Poitier’s character of Mr. Tibbs is the first to be arrested on suspicion of the murder. Acting as the only officer with any sense in the film, Poitier stands above the other characters, emphasized by his significantly more stylish clothing, the most memorable item being his wool suit.

Travis’ Army Jacket – Taxi Driver (1976)

A costume change is an efficient way to demonstrate a character leaping forwards in their arc, perhaps demonstrating a newfound self-confidence, a change in mood, or in the case of Taxi Driver, an entirely new sense of self.

Taxi Driver still holds up today in that it shed light on the traumatized veterans of the Vietnam War, whilst also demonstrating a powerful story of desperate individuality in the face of urbanization. Travis Bickle is a “nobody” trying to make a difference, but to him, violence is the only way he sees how. It’s what his country taught him in Vietnam, and that’s why his return to an army jacket when turning to brutal violence makes the choice of clothing so poignant.

Penny’s Shearling Coat – Almost Famous (2000)

The costume designer for Almost Famous described the film to Elle Magazine as a “tribute to costume design and costume craft,” having designed all of the costumes for the film themselves. But out of all of them, the item that has forever stood out is the shearling coat Penny Lane is always seen wearing.

Penny Lane, the girl of everyone’s dreams, is a kind of veteran groupie, or as she calls it a “band-aid.” Almost Famous encapsulated the sense of freedom in the ’70s and a comforting but claustrophobic feeling of commitment. Penny Lane is the girl who bounces between the two, and her style and image will always be synonymous with that dichotomy.

Sandy’s Leather Jacket – Grease (1978)

Though John Travolta is more frequently seen in his leather jacket bearing the “T-Birds” patch in Grease, it’s Olivia Newton-John’s appearance in the jacket which is more important to the plot, and ultimately more memorable in viewers’ eyes. With a Grease prequel series coming in 2022, it’s good to commemorate the iconic look that came first.

Grease is, in large part, follows the journey of Newton-John’s character Sandy and her embracement of the reckless sexuality of teenage love. Formerly seen in sundresses as bright as day, Sandy’s switch to cigarettes and leather makes for one of the most memorable costume changes ever to take place on screen.

The Trench Coats – The Matrix (1999)

Finding its look in the club scenes of the western world, The Matrix has stood the test of time by influencing generations of alternative fashion with its signature black wardrobe. A testament to just how influential the style of the film was is seen in its influence on Christian Dior’s 1999 collection.

Whether it’s called cyberpunk aesthetic or a techno-goth look, the core values of The Matrix’s style will always be based on the black trench coats worn by the three primary characters of the first film. Competing films have tried to replicate or even just further the aesthetic of this franchise, but almost none have succeeded, making The Matrix the be-all and end-all source for this subgenre of ’90s style.

The Driver’s Bomber Jacket – Drive (2011)

“You ever heard the story about the scorpion and the frog?” the Driver asks, wearing a not-so-subtle jacket bearing a giant gold scorpion upon it. He’s referring to the parable of a trusting frog and an all too honest scorpion, whereupon the scorpion murders the frog during a river crossing. The frog naturally asks why, as it drowns them both, and the scorpion replies that it’s just their “nature.”

It’s the story of Drive in many ways, with an all too trusting Carey Mulligan and an all too stinging Ryan Gosling. His nature is indisputable, and that’s part of what makes the character so appealing. Even in this hyper-stylized film from Nicolas Winding Refn, the Driver always manages to stand out, and that’s, without doubt, thanks to this jacket.

Cher’s Plaid Jacket – Clueless (1995)

Clueless, with its countless iconic outfits, is indisputably one of the most important films for fashion enthusiasts. Not only because its leading character is obsessed with fashion, but also because the movie is seen as bridging a kind of gap between the grungey aesthetic of the ’90s and the more colorful outfits of the early 2000s.

Cher is one of the oddly appealing spoiled brats of cinema. Audiences are introduced to her as headstrong, demanding, and expectant of others, dressed in her plaid jacket matched purposefully with a plaid skirt. Cher is eventually forced to confront her shortcomings but never to change who she really is. So, despite her character developing, she always retains her signature sense of style.

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