Creating a Mutt Williams Halloween Costume

The year is full of holidays, but definitely one of the most unique and most interesting is Halloween. With the opportunity to play the role of whoever you want to be, Halloween is a centuries old tradition that is still enjoyed to this very day. Whether one may be going trick or treating, heading out to Halloween parties, or simply handing out candy on the porch, nothing compliments this spooky day quite like finding the perfect costume. For some, a quick trip to the dollar store is all it takes to throw together an adequate costume. Still others spends weeks and weeks searching different stores until they track down the right attire. However, some much prefer the thrill and enjoyment that comes from doing it yourself. Of course, with this year's blockbuster movie, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", one perfect costume idea comes from Mutt Williams, the son of Indiana Jones (played by Shia LaBeouf in the movie).

Although replicating some movie costumes can be quite challenging, the nice part about designing a Mutt Williams costume is it's relative simplicity. If we look at his character in the movie, there are only a couple of key costume components that we have to pick up on. The most important one, of course, being the leather jacket that the character wears throughout the movie. Although it is possible to achieve this look with almost any leather jacket, for the most authentic look your going to want a riding jacket. Make sure to check your attic to see if anything good is lurking in forgotten boxes. If nothing can be found, by no means should you have to go out and spend the money on a brand new jacket, not only is it a waste, it's just not going to look right. Try to going to some local Salvation Army or thrift stores and looking around. These stores offer relatively cheap jackets, and it's easy to get one which looks worn down (identical to the movie). Try to make sure the jacket has a belt going across the bottom and a crooked zipper on one breast. If you do manage to pick up a cheap jacket, remember to get some old Harley Davidson pins and possibly some other period correct pins (circa late 1930's - early 1940's). If nothing else, just take some newer pins and "age" them (a little throwing around outside or a quick shot of black spray paint). Cover most of the right lapel with these pins. Although Mutt has his name embroidered on the top left side of his jacket, it's somewhat unreasonable to expect this of a Halloween costume. If you have the option, go for it, otherwise, don't worry, the costume is going to look fine without that extra detail.

For the rest of the costume, your going to want to find a faded brown or tan shirt to go under the jacket, preferably with a dark brown collar. If you can't find this exact color, a white t-shirt will do just fine. Just make sure to go a little bit bigger. You want to try and go for the "greaser" look. So any faded shirt t-shirt is going to look ok.

For the pants of the costume you are going to want to find a pair of fairly tight-fitting very dark jeans. Although they need not be black, you are going to want at least very dark denim. In the movie, Mutt's jeans are faded slightly, although it is somewhat hard to notice. So, the darker the better. Compliment the jeans with a pair of leather riding boots, or any faded leather boot, and you have your costume almost completed. Remember that Mutt cuffs his jeans almost at the top of his boot. So, if you want the really authentic look, try to imitate that style.

Your going to want a lot of gel to try and replicate the hairstyle. Try to put the front of your hair (bangs) as straight up as possible (if it doesn't look like a wall on top of your head, your doing it wrong). Put as much of your hair straight up as possible. You want to leave the back of your hair normal, and don't do too much with the sides. The wall of hair in the front is what you really want to go for, and is what is going to make the most difference for your costume.

Now, for the finishing touches, remember what Mutt carries with him in the movie. He always has his motorcycle, switchblade, and comb. Obviously your not going to take a motorcycle with you, and carrying a switch blade may not be the best idea. However, if you can find a fake switchblade or some type of small knife at your local costume or Halloween shop, definitely go for it, it's going to make your costume appear much more authentic. Head down to your local pharmacy or drug store and pick up the cheapest and simplest black comb you can find. Nothing fancy about the comb in the movie, so nothing fancy about it in your costume.

Remember, the most important part of playing Mutt Williams is the attitude and the motions. You have to remember to walk like a punk, and keep running your comb through your hair at every opportunity. With a little creativity and a lot of attitude you can definitely pull off a unique and relatively cheap Halloween costume. Good luck and happy hauntings!