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Captain Jack Sparrow
A Costume Study

Jack's Costume on a mannequin
To start with the basics, Jack sparrow has a long, narrow strip of red, patterned fabric that he ties around his head just below his hairline. It ties around the back of his head and the excess hangs down his back.

His first layer consists of an off-white, long-sleeved shirt that he wears open in the front. It has very full, billowing sleeves and a short collar. Jack's shirt is likely unbleached linen and follows the typical pattern of the day with large sleeves pleated into shoulder and about a 3-4 inch button cuff. It is very likely there is a diamond shaped gusset in the armpit area to provide extra mobility.

Detailed picture of Jack's bandanna

We can see that the sleeve shoulders drape off his natural shoulders so that the seams come down an inch or two because he wears the shirt open. The cuffs are plain and buttoned with a button that is the same color as the shirt. From this image, we can also see the pattern on the bandanna. Close up, we can see that it is a deep gray or light black with a dusty red almost paisely design.

The following image is one of the best costume study images I've found. It gives you a good idea of the basic costume beneath the coats and "effects."

Full length Jack in costume

The sleeves are also gathered around the cuffs, not just around the shoulder seams. His pants (or rather, breeches) are knee length:

Picture of the breeches: no boots on

It appears that the breeches probably have some sort of buttoned cuff at the knee, in accordance with period design. That part is usually hidden beneath the knee high boots anyway, though, so if you're going for the full costume, it's probably not important. The pants are worn quite high - about where the natural waistline is. (You can tell during the rum scene. ;-) )

From the full length image, we can see that the next thing over the billowing shirt is a long vest, which reaches about mid-thigh. It has much more of a blue tone than the breeches, (which seem to be a deep gray with an olive tint). There are buttons all along the right side. The buttons only go down a few inches below the hip bones and from there down it's just the vest. The buttons are round metal coat buttons like this:

A coat button similar to Jack's

The vest has pockets on both sides. They are large square pockets with flaps, and have two metal coat buttons to fasten them.
The boots are a rich brown leather and they have heels which are probably anywhere from 1/2" to 1". They cover the entire calf and go just below the knee. They fold over, and this fold goes to mid-calf. The boots have square toes.
Jack wears a belt that goes over the shirt, the vest and the breeches. It is basically just a long piece of fabric. It is cream colored with bright red stripes which look like they have faded. The stripes are not the same size - they are in small, narrow groups and there are large spaces of cream between the stripe groups. (Refer to full length picture.) Over the fabric belt, Jack wears a leather belt with a large, dark square buckle. (I suppose you might not call it a square; it only has three sides and the fourth side is open.) It is a lighter leather than the shoes - it's more of a tan color. His pistol's holster is presumably on this belt, and the following picture confirms that he wears his rather unique compass on the right side, attached to the aforementioned belt.

Jack, Will and Elizabeth: a good shot of the compass and side view of the costume

Around his right wrist, he has a frayed piece of black fabric which wraps around several times and also wraps around between his thumb and forefinger.
Jack's coat and his "effects" are the subject of much debate and controversy, as there aren't a lot of large, clear pictures of him in his coat. From looking at a variety of different shot, we can deduce quite a few things, however.

Jack in his coat

(Image taken from film.msn.dk)
In this image we can see that the collared coat has a very large, three-buttoned cuff and is made of a fairly coarse gray material. There are three large buttonholes in the cuff itself which are stitched with a yellowy-cream thread. Coat buttonhole decoration may be a gold braid or twill tape rather than hand stitching.

Going into Port Royal: a good shot of Jack's coat

(Image taken from film.msn.dk)
The coat is knee-length and has a lining. It is probably split in the back from the bottom hem to the natural waist. We can also see, from this image, that his sword's scabbard is worn on a strap that goes over the right shoulder and has a large gold buckle which is just below shoulder height. It is made of black leather.

The illustrious Hat:
Jack's hat
Image courtesy of The Middle Earth Visitor's Bureau
It's a a worn, probably tricorner leather hat. It looks as though the third side has been folded down. The other two sides are held up each by a strand of leather sewn into an "X" through the leather itself.

Jack's hair accessories:
-1 beaded lock of hair on the right side, under the bandanna. Has a large, round glass bead on the end.
-1 beaded lock of hair that falls over the bandanna. This one has a small silver medallion on the end.
-1 bone ornament tied into the middle of the ponytail on the top right side of his head.
-Dreadlocks and braids galore!
Easy to find and inexpensive pattern that can be adapted for accuracy: Simplicity 5958. You'd need to lengthen the cuff and widen the shirt sleeves. Waistcoat/vest is close enough and can be lengthened. Breeches are simple to make and buttons can be substituted for the buckle. Coat cuffs should be made larger, and front "closures" altered to be closer to the original, but it is a good start. The "Benjamin Franklin" style pattern shown is very similar to Will's basic costume.

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