The legacy of James Dean is forever set in stone, timeless and still a blueprint for modern menswear, one honored in the new Bespoke Post x James Dean Collection just in time for autumnal, Americana-inspired dressing.
The Indiana-born Dean’s presence remains indelible, cemented by legendary roles in Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, along with 1956 epic Giant, which celebrates its 70th anniversary on October 10th. New York City-based retail and design outfit Bespoke Post already does just a bit of everything when it comes to the coolest Americana-inspired gear and garb on the market, now including a handsome assortment of pieces developed after visiting Dean’s Fairmount, Indiana family farm. Dean towers over the menswear world into the present day, bringing fame and rugged cool to the white tee, the Harrington jacket and the Breton stripe shirt, among others. In fact, the James Dean Estate calls it “the most copied wardrobe in American menswear.”
More than 20 pieces of apparel and accessories join the retailer’s lineup in the exclusive and thoughtfully designed collection, which offers up both archival styles and modern takes developed by in-house Bespoke Post line Fieldworth. Particular inspiration for the vintage-inspired assortment came from Dean’s famed love of iconoclast leather jackets: Schott NYC lends archival patterns of its exceptional Perfecto leather moto jacket in a premium new edition. Dean’s Stetson headwear in his final film, Giant, serves as the blueprint for a Western hat offered by Bespoke Post.
To get the details just right, the Big Apple lifestyle retailer consulted with vintage American workwear specialists like stylist Mark Avery, while menswear designer Andrew Livingston lent his talents to the Bespoke Post Fieldworth line.
If you can dream it, from handsome bar cart essentials to expertly cut flannel shirts, leather-wrapped flasks or the perfect pair of boots, Bespoke Post probably makes it or sells it. That sense of rich authenticity is made even cooler by the first of a multi-season collection with the James Dean Estate, the company said. “Nothing Dean wore was calculated, and it still holds up 70 years later,” said Bespoke Post Co-Founder Rishi Prabhu, “That’s the bar we hold our own products to — things worth keeping, not hype. The James Dean Estate got that immediately, and this is only the first chapter.”
Bespoke Post and its designers found their visit to Indiana especially striking. “Spending time on James Dean’s family farm, seeing the things he left behind and learning about the person beyond the icon, gave us a different perspective,” said Natalie Finch, who directs partnerships and PR at Bespoke Post. “We weren’t trying to recreate a legend — we wanted to honor the authenticity that made him timeless.”
The collection spans retro-tinged pieces like a flannel camp collar shirt and a Studebaker bracelet nodding to a personal Dean favorite, along with rugged roper gloves and the aptly named Dean Tee. Classic silhouettes like the Harrington jacket and the Dean-approved Breton stripe also ground the collection in the real world, said Livingston, the Bespoke Post design consultant.
“We weren’t interested in costumes,” he said. “It was about taking those references and making them feel natural today — pieces that nod to how Dean dressed, but ultimately give the wearer something they can make their own.” The time has arrived to dress like James Dean, now and forevermore, with prices ranging from $38 to $1,525 exclusively at Bespoke Post.
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