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Timothée Chalamet transformed into Bob Dylan for the new James Mangold-directed biopic, A Complete Unknown, in theaters on Christmas Day. “I had to push the preparation, the bounds,” Chalamet told Rolling Stone in our recent cover story, “almost to psychologically know I had pushed it.”
While the Oscar-nominated star spent years preparing for the role, the film’s costume designer Arianne Phillips also paid special attention to what Chalamet wore in the film to play Dylan, down to the panel inserts on his Levi’s jeans. Now available online, Levi’s has dropped a new A Complete Unknown capsule collection, a suede jacket and pair of 501s inspired by Dylan’s own wardrobe and pieces seen in the new movie.
Outerwear
Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1960 Suede Jacket
Levi’s dipped into their archives for this genuine 1960 Suede Jacket reproduction, a nod to one Dylan wore in the Sixties and that viewers can see on-screen in A Complete Unknown. It’s already a rare piece: Levi’s only designed 200 of these suede jackets.
“I was honored to consult on this film and work with Arianne and team to authentically bring Bob Dylan’s early Levi’s styles to life,” says Paul O’Neill, design director for Levi’s Vintage Clothing, in a release. “It was exciting to reproduce Dylan’s original jeans with the inserted panel and include unique ephemera in the presentation, ensuring our new collection captures the film’s romantic themes while faithfully recreating the iconic Levi’s look of an unparalleled genius.”
Denim
Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1955 Customized 501 Jeans
Another highlight from the capsule collection, the brand took cues from Dylan’s past customized denim for these 501s, complete with panel inserts. Reach into the watch pocket and you’ll find a note with lyrics reading, “I’ll let you be in my dreams, if I can be in yours,” inspired by a line from Dylan’s track “Talkin’ World War III Blues” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. The jeans also come with a “D” belt, inspired by the singer-songwriter’s own. Levi’s says only 501 pairs were made for the collection.
“While researching costumes for the film, I kept noticing that Bob Dylan wore Levi’s consistently throughout his career, both on and off stage,” Phillips says, in a release. “So I worked with Paul O’Neill at Levi’s to help me source original Levi’s denim and produce the bootcut 501 jeans, as well as recreate the Super Slim Levi’s jeans that Dylan wore in ‘65.”
Continues Phillips, “We see the silhouette of Levi’s change in the film alongside Dylan’s own evolution, from the fuller leg 501 jeans that Dylan wore when he first got his start in the NYC West Village folk scene in ’61, to the Super Slim jeans Dylan wore when famously going electric in ‘65. To my surprise and delight, I found that Dylan’s journey could be authentically traced through his Levi’s.”
Shop the limited-edition Levi’s Vintage Clothing collection now on Levi.com, and catch Chalamet wearing the pieces in A Complete Unknown on Christmas Day.
