What You’ll Need
- White Sailor Hat
- Fake Brown Beard
- Short Sleeve Navy Chambray Utility Shirt
- 1970s Blue Flare Disco Pants
- Black Leather Chukka Boots
- Brown Leather Work Gloves
- Sailor Anchor Temporary Tattoos
- Brown Leather Belt with Brass Anchor Buckle
- Brown Belt Pouch
- Brown Handmade Leather Thigh Holster
- Silver M1911 Costume Prop
- Three-Prong Nautical Grappling Hook
- 6-Inch Green Parakeet Plush Toy
Shipwreck’s look is built entirely around traditional naval working dungarees mixed with rugged field gear. Rather than military camouflage or tactical armor, his outfit borrows straight from mid-century naval deckhands: a dark chambray shirt, wide flare dungarees, a white Dixie cup hat, and a thick brown beard.
Putting the costume together is largely an exercise in gathering the right workwear cuts and setting up the leather rigging so everything sits securely when you walk around.
The Naval Work Uniform
The core uniform relies on two pieces: a dark navy short-sleeve chambray utility shirt and blue flared trousers. The shirt has a structured work collar and front chest pockets, worn unbuttoned slightly at the neck. A standard military-issue chambray work shirt gives you the exact weight and seam construction needed.
For the trousers, standard modern jeans are too slim through the lower leg. Shipwreck wears vintage-style bell-bottom dungarees that flare out broadly over the boots. Pairing a dark wash flare pant with the utility shirt establishes the correct 1970s naval silhouette immediately.
Headwear and Facial Hair
A traditional white canvas sailor hat—commonly known as a Dixie cup—is essential. You can shape the brim by rolling or turning it up evenly, then position it slightly back on your head rather than pulled flat down over your brow.
If you don’t already have a full, neat beard, a synthetic brown costume beard fills in the lower half of the face. Spirit gum or skin-safe adhesive tape along the upper lip and jawline keeps the fake hair anchored so it stays put while talking.
Leather Rig and Sidearm
Shipwreck wears heavy brown leather gear that contrasts sharply with the blue clothing. His waist setup features a wide brown leather belt fastened with an embossed brass anchor buckle, paired with a matching utility belt pouch slung along the hip.
A brown drop-loop thigh holster straps around the upper leg to hold his sidearm. A silver M1911 replica fits the holster and gives the rig an authentic service-weapon feel. Because thigh holsters tend to slide downward under the weight of a prop gun, cinch the vertical belt strap tight enough that your waist belt bears the load rather than your thigh.
Boots, Gloves, and Forearm Ink
Black leather chukka boots ground the wide pant legs cleanly. The flared cuffs drape over ankle-high boots without bunching, keeping the lower profile neat.
Simple brown leather work gloves protect the hands and match the tone of the holster and belt. On the bare forearms exposed between the short sleeves and the glove cuffs, apply sailor-style anchor temporary tattoos. Applying them to clean, dry skin with a damp cloth ensures the lines transfer crisply without peeling early.
Carrying the Hook and Polly
Shipwreck’s two signature accessories are his iron grappling hook and his loudmouthed companion, Polly. A three-prong nautical grappling hook looped with a short length of coiled rope can be carried in hand or hooked over the waist belt.
For Polly, a small green parakeet plush can sit perched on your shoulder. To keep the plush from tumbling off as you move, sew a couple of small safety pins or a hidden magnet pair into the underside of the plush and beneath the shoulder seam of the chambray shirt.
