What You’ll Need
- Khaki Twill Cap
- Blue Light Chambray Button-Down Shirt
- Brown Belt
- Black Chino Pants
- Navy Blue & White Striped Tie
- Light Brown Lace Boots
- Tan Fedora with Flocked Finish and Brown Ribbon Band
- Black and Clear Retro Aviator Glasses
- Checked White Dress Shirt
- Khaki and Navy Stripe Suspenders
- Light Tan and Orange Striped Tie
- Khaki Pants
- Brown Boots
Recreating Frank Bartles and Ed Jaymes works best when approached as a coordinated pair. The humor and recognition of the duo rely on the contrast between Frank’s unpretentious workwear and Ed’s slightly more dressed-up, eccentric porch attire. Neither outfit requires custom fabrication or rare vintage hunting; both rely on standard menswear pieces styled with the right balance of casual looseness and mismatched formality.
Because these outfits draw on mid-1980s television spots, the fit should lean slightly relaxed rather than modern and tailored. Shirts shouldn’t be skin-tight, and trousers should sit comfortably at the natural waist without sharp tapering at the ankles.
Frank Bartles: Blue Chambray and Workwear
Frank’s look centers on straightforward, working-class staples. Start with a classic blue light chambray button-down shirt. Keep it fully buttoned to the collar, which provides the proper base for the necktie. Rather than a formal silk tie, pair it with a navy blue & white striped tie tied in a simple four-in-hand knot. The knot should sit right against the buttoned collar, but the tie itself shouldn’t look stiff or freshly pressed.
For bottoms, Frank wears black chino pants secured with a plain brown belt. Straight-leg or relaxed-fit chinos give the right silhouette without bunching excessively. Finish the lower half with sturdy light brown lace boots. Frank’s cap is an unstructured khaki twill cap with a curved brim, pulled down straight without any tilt or backward styling.
Ed Jaymes: Pattern Mixing and Signature Accessories
Ed stands out as the silent partner who looks just a bit more formal, albeit in a quirky, mismatched way. His core layer is a checked white dress shirt worn under khaki and navy stripe suspenders. When adjusting the suspenders, set them so the trousers sit slightly higher on the torso than modern low-rise pants, which helps keep the checked fabric flat across the chest.
Layer a light tan and orange striped tie over the checked shirt. Pattern-mixing a grid shirt with diagonal stripes is central to Ed’s aesthetic, so don’t worry about the patterns competing—that clash is deliberate. Pair the upper half with standard straight-leg khaki pants that fall naturally over brown boots.
Ed’s headwear and glasses do most of the heavy lifting for his silhouette. His hat is a tan fedora with a flocked finish and brown ribbon band. Position it level across the brow. Underneath, wear black and clear retro aviator glasses—specifically the style with darker brow lines and clear lower rims popular in the late seventies and eighties.
Pair Dynamics and Porch Props
Since Bartles and Jaymes rarely moved from their wooden front porch, props are what tie the two cosplayers together. A wooden front porch bench or a pair of folding rustic lawn chairs works wonders if you have a fixed photo spot at an event. If you are walking around a convention floor, carrying a rustic wooden crate or a pair of brown glass beverage bottles immediately contextualizes who you are.
Coordinate the distressing between both outfits. Neither character wore brand-new, crisp garments out of the packaging. Running the shirts, hats, and chinos through a few wash cycles softens the fabric edges and gives the cotton a lived-in texture that feels authentic to two rural wine cooler moguls.
