Easy Dean Winchester Costume Build

So, as a fun and easy way to celebrate urban fantasy, the Loonatic and I decided to make up some simple Winchester costumes.

 

I admit, Supernatural has been one of my favorite TV series since I was a kid. I'm not saying that it runs on Emmy-winning acting and writing, or that it has a great relationship with women, people of color, etc., but it is a fun show that has some remarkably poignant moments.

There's a lot of these kind of moments

Anyway, the costume aesthetic of Supernatural is pretty much flannel and jeans, so having specific character details or a costumed group is kind of key to being recognized. Hence, I would not be a Dean without my Sam (so check out the Loonatic's Sam costume build for more funtimes). Specifically, I decided to build a costume around one of Dean's most iconic looks from the first couple seasons, consisting of a black t-shirt, a green overshirt, his classic leather jacket, and, of course, the god-finding amulet.

I swear, every time I find a screencap of Dean in this costume he looks like he's having an existential crisis

Not quite the same. Maybe I should practice that confused face.

Note: Apologies in advance for the wrinkliness of the overshirt and jacket in the coming pictures. I had them stuffed them into a bag for transport from the convention, and I'm too lazy to iron them for this post. 

1) Undershirt

Nothing difficult here, just a ring neck black t-shirt.

2) Overshirt

Holy shit, it's wrinkle-pocalypse

This took a little thrift shopping, just because I wanted a specific look. In the series, it seems like Dean actually has at least two army green overshirts. One looks like a more canvas-y, heavier duty shirt/jacket with button flap breast pockets, and a thinner button up shirt without pockets.

See what I mean about the face? It's like he's just realized that Bert and Ernie aren't just roommates.

Another day, another crisis.

After a little shopping around, I turned up with a shirt that was kind of in between. It's a thinner material, but it still has the breast pockets.

3) Jeans

Not pictured, because I assume you know what a pair of medium wash blue jeans look like. As a side note, picking the jeans can be an important part of deciding how canon-typical you want to be. For example, I initially wore this outfit with straight leg, classic denim jeans and work boots. This looked more masculine and very true to the original image. At Tampa Bay Comic Con, I decided to wear skinny jeans (look, I was hot and they were more breathable) and boots with a slight chunky heel. As such, the look came across more as a casual gender-swapped version of Dean, which I was also fine with. So have fun with it.

4) Boots

Like the jeans, these can go either way. In general, the Winchesters wear black or brown work boots, but I generally decided to wear these chunky-heeled black ankle boots from the back of my closet

5) Jacket

This a more major part of the outfit (although one that I often eschewed because it's summer in Florida). Although Dean has more than one jacket (they film in Canada, jackets are necessary), most people really only think of his iconic leather jacket. I got lucky in a thrift store (honest-to-god, I stuck my hand blindly into a rack of men's jackets and pulled this out. It was on sale for four dollars, I couldn't pass it up).

6) Amulet

Honestly, everything else is pretty basic. I spent half an hour at a local thrift store and 5 minutes rifling through my closet. I think I spent under 10 dollars, between a sale at the thrift store and using things I already had. But the thing that really sells Dean, especially for a quick fix, is the Samulet/amulet/god-finder necklace thing. You know the thing

It's not that important in the long-term plot of the series, but it's utterly crucial in the emotional arcs of Sam, Dean, and Castiel. Plus, up until the fifth season, Dean wears it pretty much constantly, so it's an easy way to show who you are in costume.

Now, I thought I was going to have to make this. I was ready, I was willing, I had some polymer clay at hand, but then I decided to peruse Amazon real quick just out of curiosity. And goddamn, I love Amazon. I typed in "supernatural dean amulet," and I found not just multiple people selling basic versions of the Samulet, but multiple people selling knock-off amulets for under 10 dollars. Dreams really do come true. Now, the cheaper ones aren't quite the right shape. They're flattened, slightly stylized versions of the amulet. But. You know. I thought I was going to have to frankenstein it together myself, so I did not care. And really, it was close enough for a simple look, and it really tied everything together.

And then there was Dean.