You’re in sharks.
Amity means friendship. But Matt Hooper means style.
He’s the guy you called. Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute, played by Richard Dreyfuss, arrives on Amity Island.
I have a habit of seasonal film screenings. It’s a way to dwell in the season of the moment and satisfy nostalgia for all my favorite movies. For example, each winter I watch The Shining (1980), in spring its Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1985), and for Christmas there’s Die Hard (1988), you get it. And you probably have your own.
As summer approaches, I’m gearing up for repeated viewings of Jaws (1975) and with that comes my reunion with Matt Hooper.
All the main characters are iconic but Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is the long-standing favorite. There’s something about his wit, his intelligence, and most of all his style.
There’s something about that east coast, working scientist, youthful hotshot thing that is irresistible. And his look is a big part of that, especially to a shorter man like myself. This kind of post has been done before but I have my own tribute that I felt like sharing.
So here’s how I would “Dress Like Hooper”.
I’m going to focus on Hooper’s wardrobe from his introductory scene (28:13). Hooper arrives by skiff to the harbor of Amity Island wearing blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt, navy deck sneakers, and a knit beanie or toque. The jeans are standard but I’m going to recreate the rest of his ensemble with what I would choose, given the opportunity.
#1 — The Beanie
It’s hard to tell in modern prints of Jaws just what color Hooper’s beanie is. In some shots it looks blue, in others black. Let’s face it, it’s probably black but as a fan of blue and given the numerous naval references in the film, I’m going to go with Navy Blue.
Hooper’s appears on-screen as a slightly wider knit, ribbed beanie, cuffed and worn off the forehead mostly behind his ears. I wear beanies occasionally and I’ve found that acrylic varieties with tight knits work best for me, but, when it’s time for style cashmere is a must.
Todd Snyder has a great looking cashmere beanie right now, that is 95% Italian recycled cashmere with a little wool mixed in.
Check it out here. But hurry, it’s on sale.
#2 — The Sweatshirt
The key detail to Hooper’s sweatshirt, beyond being crewneck and a light heather grey, is that its raglan sleeve style. What is raglan sleeve you might ask? I just learned this myself so let me tell you!
A gentlemen named FitzRoy James Henry Somerset was a British Army officer who lived in the 18th and 19th century. He eventually earned the title of Baron Raglan (Raglan is a community in south east Wales) and while fighting in Crimea defending Constantinople the baron lost his right arm. To aid his comfort and range of movement, Somerset’s tailor devised a diagonal arm hole for his clothing. Rather than having a shoulder seam, the seam for each sleeve extends from the collar in the front, down under the arm, returning to the neck in the back.
This style is popular in sweatshirts and “baseball shirts” because players also benefit from the added flexibility. Carhartt, Champion, and many others make respectable versions of this classic style.
For my collection today I did a little research and decided on this version from Outerknown.
#3 — The Jacket
The iconic denim jacket. Everyone seems to call these “trucker jackets” now.
I have to admit denim seems like an odd choice for a quick boat ride to the island. It’s clear that when Hooper arrives on Amity his um, trucker jacket, is damp from the ocean spray.
Nevertheless, as I am a big fan of denim on denim ensembles, I think it makes the outfit.
I don’t see the familiar red tag of the classic Levi’s denim jacket in the film but the style is obviously similar if not identical. Hooper’s button holes are fraying and the collar points are rolling up a bit giving his that well-worn look.
If you don’t have one of these classics already, you can get one from Levi’s, The Gap, J. Crew, and a million other places. For today, we’ll stick with the classic Levi Strauss & Co.
Hooper’s deck sneakers, the great debate.
#4 — The Sneakers
Recently I’ve had some conflicting input on Hooper’s deck sneaks. As someone who grew up on an island, in the 80’s, in the age of the “docksiders” and pegged jeans, I’m very familiar with boat shoes. For most of my life I assumed Hooper’s were Sperry Top Siders.
Recently I became aware of the re-emergence of Mr. Fliks. I first learned of Mr. Fliks through Italian fashion icon Alessandro Squarzi (yeah you’ll want to follow him and his luxury sportswear brand Fortela). Mr. Fliks are a brand of deck sneaker made in Redondo Beach, California. According to their Instagram, they were originally issued to U.S. sailors in WWII, and their Instagram posts feature multiple references to Jaws characters.
I don’t think the shoes worn in Jaws are Mr. Fliks (their re-released designs cost upwards from $240). After close inspection of the film, I’m also not 100% sure they’re Top Siders. Hooper’s shoes have a contrasting heel panel at the back which Top Siders do not have.
No one online seems to know for sure so we’ll just stick with good ol’ Sperry. Get them here!
#5 – The Duffle
The last piece in my tribute collection is for Hooper’s brown leather duffle bag.
This one was tough. I couldn’t find just the right leather weekender like the one in the film that omits the customary handle straps that wrap around the broad edge of the bag. The similar post I mentioned above includes this bag from Berliner which looks great to me and is reasonably priced.
Still, I’m going to offer an alternative of my own from Tecovas which seems to have the right scale and a classic look.
