John Wayne acted in over 150 films, a majority of which he played the lead, and over half of which were Westerns. If you’re like me (an avid fan of the game because of my avid love of the movie genre,) once I enjoyed and completed the campaign, I started searching for ways I could recreate iconic characters from these films in subsequent playthroughs.
Though I have generally been a fan of single-player campaigns throughout my life, I’ve recently started exploring online gameplay more. While there are definitely areas I think the online mode can be improved; I discovered that the additional options available in RDO made my endeavor to recreate iconic outfits a lot easier than in the campaign.
A silhouette of a player in Red Dead Online.
So it is that I set out to recreate famous Western outfits. While characters typically wear multiple outfits throughout a feature, I stuck to those which stood out to me most when I thought of a particular film. Additionally, I tried to keep this simple and easy to skim through, so rather than writing everything out; I tried to simply list each clothing item, its color, and the price for you to look through.
However, it should be noted that I did not always include specific off-hand holsters, gun belts, gun belt trinkets, belt buckles, or bandoliers. I did not include these simply because in many films, the characters just have these accessories with standard black or brown without a lot of show to them, and because in the game, many of these items are locked unless you unlock them through your role progression and purchase them in certain places. John Wayne typically wears a black leather belt, as well as a tan gun belt with a dark brown holster in many of his films. He also wears dark brown boots and standard spurs in many of them. So, for all of these outfits, keep this in mind since I just included any possible suggestions I could think of as optional.
Now, I will explain what clothing items and colors are needed to recreate these iconic John Wayne character outfits as well as the price of every item so that you may plan accordingly.
1. Ethan Edwards in The Searchers (1956)
John Wayne as Ethan Edwards in The Searchers.
In The Searchers, the Duke plays Ethan Edwards, a man who returns home from the Civil War only to discover that several of his brother’s family members were either killed or kidnapped by Comanches. After discovering his niece is alive and with an adopted brother, he sets out on a perilous journey to find them. While he wears different outfits throughout this journey, there’s just something about Edwards’ red buttoned shirt, jeans, and chaps set against the backdrop of the beautiful Monument Valley enshrined in the genre by director John Ford that I find memorable.
What You Need
- Hat: Stalker Hat, Black—$14.50.
- Neck/Torso: Patterned Bandana, Dark Blue (Color Option: 23 of 26)—$21.50; Bibbed Shirt, Light Red (no pattern; rolled or unrolled)—$27.75; Crutchfield Suspenders, Light Brown (4th of 10)—one Gold Bar.
- Legs: Studded Pants, Blue—$6.50; Batwing Chaps, Light Brown (7th of 10)—three Gold Bars.
- Boots: Worn Ropers Boots, Dark Brown/Dark Brown (under pants)—$13.75; Gerden Spurs, Reddish Brown—$19.50.
- Accessories: Brown Belts
- Total Outfit Cost: $103.50 and four Gold Bars.
Ethan Edwards in The Searchers and a replica of his outfit in RDO.
Other Notes
There are some scenes in the film where John Wayne is in this outfit and has his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. So, one alteration that could be made would be modifying the outfit to have the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, but that is up to you. Other than that, there’s not much to add to this outfit as it is pretty straightforward and one of the simpler outfits to make.
Unfortunately, you can not adjust the bibs to hang open with a bandana equipped.
I will say, though, that for some of the pictures above, I threw on the Estevez Gun Belt only because it’s the only Brown belt I currently have. However, I am sure there are simpler ones you can find to better complete this outfit. I believe there might also be some chaps that are a little less pricey, which can be unlocked through the trapper.
2. Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969)
In this film, John Wayne plays a liquored-up lawman with an itchy trigger finger. He is hired by a teenage girl to help track down the man who killed her father and avenge his death. When I think of this film, I think of the outfit he wears during the climax of the film. What makes Rooster’s look standout is, of course, the patch he wears over his left eye. While this is the most difficult part of the outfit to acquire, fans should be happy to know that through some work, it can be obtained.
John Wayne won his only Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.
An Important Note—the only eye patch that I have been able to find in the game (though I admit, I am a little late to the RDO world) can only be unlocked by progressing through a specific role. Players can get the Redhart Eyepatch once they reach Rank 20 in the Bounty Hunter Role. Then, players must go find Madam Nazar of the Collector Role, and it is there that they can purchase the eye patch for 10 Gold Bars.
The eye patch has a design on it and comes in six different colors. To look the most like Rooster Cogburn, I would suggest for players to get either the gray patch with a black design or the black patch with a white design on it. Just know, until you are able to get the eyepatch, you will just have to use this outfit without. I played in third-person and have not obtained the eye patch yet, but I still thought it was a neat outfit as my character still looked like Cogburn while playing.
What You Need
- Hat: Cayuga Hat, Black—$131.25.
- Neck/Torso: Bandana, Light Pink—$20.25; Everyman Jacket, Tan/Light Brown—$33.25; Everyday Shirt, Black (full sleeves)—$5.50; Crossback Suspenders, White—$13.50.
- Legs: Studded Pants, Gray—$33.25.
- Boots: Worn Ropers Boots, Dark Brown/Dark Brown (under pants)—$13.75; Gerden Spurs, Reddish Brown—$19.50.
- Accessories: Black or Brown Belts. (He wears a black belt and brown gun belt in the film.)
- Total Outfit Cost: $270.25.
- Optional Additions: Redhart Eyepatch-Must Reach Level 20 of Bounty Hunter Role; Purchase for 10 Gold Bars from Madam Nazar. Lancer Vest, Lightest Brown (First Option)—$21; Buckle—Buckle earned from Killing 1 flying bird with an arrow.
- Total Outfit Cost with Optional Items: $291.25 and 10 Gold Bars.
Rooster Cogburn in True Grit and a replica of his outfit in RDO.
Other Notes
I originally went with the Gathered Bandana because I used the photo above, but there are other points throughout the film where Cogburn’s bandana is down and looks more like the Trimmed Bandana. You can choose either based on your preference—both options cost two Gold Bars.
For his shirt, I chose the one closest to gray I could find, which ended up being black. The light gray shirts all seemed too light to me, but that’s up to you. The vest is optional because, unfortunately, you cannot have the vest open or closed in the game, so some may not want the vest to take away from the look of the shirt and jacket together.
Rooster Cogburn and his RDO counterpart.
His pants in the film were more taupe, so one can also choose either gray or brown pants since there isn’t really a good middle ground between the two colors available. I went with the gray, but brown looks good as well. The Duke wears a belt buckle with an eagle on it in the film, which is why I chose the buckle I did as it was the only one I could find with a bird on it.
The only photo I could find showing the Duke’s boots in the film.
Additionally, I was only able to find one photo showing John Wayne’s boots very well in this role, and while they looked black at first, upon further research, I found that they were actually a really dark brown. However, they did appear to have some sort of design on the sides, so there are other options for boots as well.
Sierra Boots have a decorative design on the side, but they do not come in all dark brown. These might be a good option for some as they are $110.00, and it might not matter to some since the pants are worn over the boots for all of these roles. Tornado Boots also have a design on the side, and they do come in all brown, but they are locked until the player reaches Rank 82. Once the player ranks up to this level, they can be purchased for $95.50. Obviously, any of these alterations will change the price of the outfit, and you should plan accordingly.
3. Colonel Cord McNally in Rio Lobo (1970)
The Duke plays Colonel Cord McNally in Rio Lobo.
In this film, John Wayne plays Colonel Cord McNally as he searches for the traitors whose actions caused not only for his unit to be defeated in the final days of the Civil War but also the death of a close friend of his as well. Yet another revenge story in the Western format, this was the third and final film by Howard Hawks, which fluctuated the concept of a lawman defending his post against rebellious elements of the town, the other two films being 1959’s Rio Bravo and El Dorado in 1966.
I know that these other two movies are more popular, but I can always add outfits from those movies in a future article (if it is requested!) Instead, I chose this film for sentimental reasons. This is the first John Wayne movie I recall watching, and it was my favorite as a kid—mostly because I was an avid lover of trains and thought the opening scene was really cool.
This outfit isn’t as spot-on as the others in this group due to the options available in Red Dead Online, and of the 5 John Wayne outfits, this was probably the most difficult to make. Nonetheless, I chose this film so that I could include a little bit of the uniform through the rest of the list. While he’s only in it for a short time, I wanted to recreate McNally’s Civil War Union outfit from the beginning of the film.
The blue and red Regimental Hat is the closest I could find to the hat worn in the film.
What You Need
- Hat: Regimental Hat, Blue and Red—$117.50.
- Neck/Torso: Narrow Neckerchief, Yellow—$6.25; Hunter Jacket, Dark Blue and Brown—$171.50; Everyday Shirt, Dark Blue with Stripes (full sleeves)—$7.50; Crossback Suspenders, Beige (the part connecting to the pants is black instead of brown)—$13.50; Range Gloves, Tan—$42.50.
- Legs: Clerk Pants, Light Blue—$20.50.
- Boots: Burnham Boots, Black (over pants)—$92.50; Gerden Rider Spurs, Black—$65.
- Accessories: Black Belts.
- Total Outfit Cost: $536.75.
- Optional Additions: Patterned Bandana, Yellow—$21.50; Windcliff Coat, Dark Blue and Tan—$245 or Military Jacket, Blue—$29.75; Cavalry Gloves, Light Brown—five Gold Bars; Cabrera Pants, Blue—$38.25; Grayshot Pants, Blue and White—$155.25; Lightfoot Pants, Light Blue—$54; Worn Roper Boots, Black—$13.75; Trapezoid Moonshiner Buckle.
- Total Outfit Cost with Maximum Priced Optional Items Instead: $574 and four Gold Bars.
Colonel Cord McNally in Rio Lobo and a replica of his outfit in RDO.
Other Notes
The dark blue variation of the Regimental Hat only comes with red accents. If you’d rather purchase the black hat with gold accents, this is a viable alternative and is the same price.
There are scenes where the colonel is wearing a Dark Blue shirt with suspenders as well as a dark blue Union jacket. It’s hard to distinguish the two, but there does appear to be a shirt as well as a jacket that appears to be the same.
Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of dark blue shirts or coats that closely resemble that which is worn in the film. Since there is no true dark blue shirt that matches the original, I felt it was necessary to include a jacket, even though you can only wear certain jackets closed. Yet, if you want to wear it with just the shirt and no jacket, you can roll the sleeves up, add a yellow Patterned Bandana instead, and this still looks pretty good.
Some players may prefer the rolled sleeve alteration of this outfit.
I believe that the Hunter Jacket closest resembles the style of the coat, and even though there is some brown on it, this is the closest jacket to match the gold buttons of the Union uniform. However, alternatives for this include the Windcliff Coat in Dark Blue/Tan or the Military Jacket in Blue. These might be more of your taste, or you might like how it looks better than what I have, so these are viable alterations up to the player.
Additionally, while I think the Cavalry Gloves look a little bit more like the ones in the movie, they do not come in any colors light enough to show a resemblance. If you are one who wants the style to match the color, then these gloves are available for five Gold Bars.
The pants are about the same as the shirt in that it was difficult to find pants matching the right color and style. I chose the pants I did because they seemed to be the best color-wise in that they matched the faded blue well. Alternatives for these ones could be the Grayshot Pants, Lightfoot Pants, or the Cabrera Pants, all of which come in blue with white accents.
I found the Union outfit to be the most difficult to replicate.
In the photos I could find, the boots look primarily black. Also, they come up a little higher and are straight across at the top, which is why I didn’t use the Cavalry Boots. They looked to be a little brown at the bottom, which is why I chose the ones I did; however, I think a black set of Worn Roper Boots would work fine if you’re looking to save some cash.
While I went back and forth on whether or not he was wearing any spurs in the beginning, it appears he has on very small ones. The closest ones I could find were the Gerden Rider Spurs in black for $65. The strap going over the top of the boot is very wide, but the spur on the back looks very similar to the film. Regardless, I think the outfit looks fine without spurs on, so it’s up to you whether you would like to include a pair or not. Finally, McNally is wearing a rectangular gold belt buckle in the film, so I chose a trapezoid Moonshiner buckle to resemble this as best as I could.
4. Wil Anderson in The Cowboys (1972)
Wayne plays rancher Wil Andersen in The Cowboys.
The Cowboys sees Wayne playing a veteran cattle rancher, Wil Anderson, whose crew quits on him just as he is about to embark on a large cattle drive. In need of help, he enlists the help of schoolboys, and while he is irritated by the teenagers at first, ultimately, a bond forms between them as he helps the boys grow into men.
Considered one of his better performances from his later career, I wanted to include the outfit towards the beginning of the film when he’s teaching the boys various ranching skills and testing their abilities. I chose to do this so I could use a closed coat as opposed to some of the other outfits, many of which are just variations of the same outfits he wears in a lot of his films.
What You Need
- Hat: Military Scout Hat, White—$11.
- Neck/Torso: Durham Coat, Light Brown—$157.75; Everyday Shirt, White (Open)—$5.50; Cotton Suspenders, Tan—$4.75; Range Gloves, Tan—$42.50.
- Legs: Studded Pants, Brown—$33.25.
- Boots: Worn Roper Boots, Dark Brown (exposed)—$13.75; Western Rider Spurs, Brown—$15.
- Accessories: Brown Belt.
- Total Outfit Cost: $283.50.
- Optional Additions: Union Suit, Light Red—three Gold Bars.
- Total Outfit Cost with Optional Items: $283.50 and three Gold Bars.
Wil Andersen in The Cowboys and a replica of his outfit in RDO.
Other Notes
This one is pretty straightforward as well, and I believe it is the only thing I can think of is that the Durham Coat looks a little bit more yellowish or golden than it appears when selecting the color, so if you would want to go with a darker brown, you can. Additionally, in the film, he wears a light red union suit underneath his white shirt the morning he tests the young cowboys. Yet, since you can’t wear multiple items of the same clothing category, I went with the white shirt underneath instead. If you would want the light red union suit, it will cost you three Gold Bars.
5. J.B. Books in The Shootist (1976)
John Wayne plays protagonist J.B. Books and Jimmy Stewart plays Dr. Hostetler in The Shootist.
In the Duke’s final performance before his death three years later from stomach cancer, he ironically enough plays an aging gunfighter who was just diagnosed with cancer. His character, J.B. Books, travels to Nevada for one last gunfight to end his life with. This is a great movie on many levels, but most notably to me, part of its excellence stems from how similar it was to Wayne’s real-life image and circumstances. It is often praised as one of the greatest final movies of any actor. For this final outfit, I wanted to attempt to capture his gray suit and formal look, which he embodies throughout much of the film. I also think that out of the 5; this is one of the better John Wayne outfits one can make in Red Dead Online.
What You Need
- Hat: Cayuga Hat, Tan—$131.25
- Neck/Torso: Neat String Tie, Black—one Gold Bar; Antoine Jacket, Dark Blue (6 of 10)—$78.25; Everyday Shirt, White—$5.50; Opulent Vest, Black—five Gold Bars.
- Legs: Studded Pants, Gray—$33.25.
- Boots: Stovepipe Square Toe Boots, Brown (under pants)—$41.25; Gerden Spurs, Black—$19.50
- Accessories: Black or Brown Belts. (He wears a black belt and brown gun belt in the film.)
- Total Outfit Cost: $309 and six Gold Bars.
- Optional Additions: Kennedy Hat, Tan—$139.25; Diamondback Hat, Tan—$135; Lancer Vest, Black—$21; Richfield Vest, Black—two Gold; Buckskin Vest, Gray—$60.50; Bandito Pants, Black Thin-Striped—$34.75; Oakley Boots, Brown—$159.75; Tornado Boots, Brown—$95.50 (Unlocked at Level 82;) Square Belt Buckle.
- Total Outfit Cost with Optional Items: $476.50 and three Gold Bars.
J.B. Books in The Shootist and a replica of his outfit in RDO.
Other Notes
While the Cayuga Hat is the closest I was able to get to the hat worn by J.B., there are some other hats one could use if they’d rather match the snakeskin on his hat or if players want to accentuate the brim of his hat, including by getting a Kennedy Hat or a Diamondback Hat.
Likewise, while I think the Opulent vest looks like a better match for this outfit, if you’re in a pinch for gold bars, the Richfield Vest can be purchased for 3 less. If you’re really in a bind, you could go with a gray Buckskin Vest. This looks less like the outfit I was going for but would fall more in line with J.B.’s less formal, “lounge” suit that he also wears in the movie.
5 iconic John Wayne Outfits in Red Dead Online.
While the pants he wears with his Sunday clothes are more of a grayish-brown, they do have very thin pinstripes when examined up close. As a result, alternatives for them could be the black, thin-striped Bandito Pants.
As for the boots, I went with the square toes, just for something different. I know in most of his roles, he wore dark brown boots with a narrow toe, and there aren’t many shots in his films with close-ups of his footwear, so I went with a different style for this last outfit. Since they do have a decorative design on them, you could also use Oakley or Tornado Boots in Brown. Also, any square belt buckle will work best since it is simple in the film.
If there are any other legendary John Wayne outfits in Red Dead Online or those of another Western icon that you’d like to see, leave a comment and let us know what outfits you would like to see recreated next.
