For Bolin’s new Book 4 outfit, I wanted to give him a brown leather jacket inspired by Dave Stevens’ comic character The Rocketeer, which was also made into a film in 1991, directed by Joe Johnston––who also directed Captain America: The First Avenger, set in a similar time period as The Rocketeer. Both films have great costumes and art direction, for my tastes. I thought everybody knew about The Rocketeer, but the young kids in our design department had never heard of it––probably because they were being born when the movie came out!
I love the iconic front panel on Stevens’ design, but too many buttons are a burden on animators and would have led to too many retakes (and we had already done that to a lesser degree on Amon’s jacket). While looking for reference for other vintage jackets, I came across an awesome, sleek, contemporary jacket on Etsy by designer Sarah Trost (the third picture above). I’m thinking she was inspired by Stevens too, seeing as how her jacket is called “The Rocket.”
For Bolin’s version, I combined elements of both designs, and put a few of my own touches on it, especially on the collar. Trost’s jacket is for sale, but unlike the mass-produced boots I used for inspiration on Korra’s Book 4 outfit, this thing is handmade, one of a kind, and pricey! If one non-vegan cosplayer has a big wad of cash to burn and the dedication to do so, you can find it in size 38/40 here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/63506996/the-rocket-jacket-in-leather
