Make Or Buy A Jack Sparrow Pirate Costume

On This Page: Introduction, Tips, Makeup

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End and On Stranger Tides) has captured the imaginations of people around the world. And there's no doubt that one man holds the key to the series' enduring popularity... Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. If you, too, would like to play Captain Jack, read on. We'll tell you everything that you need to know.

Before we begin, a few words about accuracy are in order. There's no single authentic Jack Sparrow costume. As in nearly all films, more than one version of his outfit was used. Furthermore, it's a little different from film to film, and slight changes were made to each ensemble for posters and publicity shoots. In other words, you can have two authentic costumes that are different.

When you embark on recreating the Captain Jack character, remember that accuracy is expensive, either in time or money. The person wearing the most perfect reproduction is not always the one who wins the costume contest. Often, it's the person who got the audience to cheer the loudest. With that in mind, you may find our acting tutorials helpful.

If you intend to sew your outfit yourself, you might want to take a look at the The Great Pattern Review before buying to get tips and see what works... and what doesn't.

Reference photo

It's true... Captain Jack wears eye makeup, and it looks darn good! To recreate his look, simply line each eye with eyeliner pencil (kohl) and smear it. He has a bit more of the same on each eyelid.