Vitals

Rob Reiner as Marty Di Bergi, documentary filmmaker

Across the United States, Fall 1982 to Spring 1983

Film: This is Spinal Tap
Release Date: March 2, 1984
Director: Rob Reiner
Costume Stylist: Renee Johnston

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

To celebrate the life of the late Rob Reiner following his and his wife Michele’s tragic deaths over the weekend, today’s post turns it up to eleven with his directorial debut: the 1984 mockumentary—if you will, rockumentary—This is Spinal Tap.

As the son of comedy legends Carl and Estelle Reiner, Rob established his own career on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family as Mike “Meathead” Stivic, whose passion for political activism mirrored the actor’s own. “I could win the Nobel Prize and they’d write ‘Meathead wins the Nobel Prize’,” the two-time Emmy-winning Reiner once commented of the nickname’s lasting association. Though he continued to act, Reiner pivoted behind the camera with a prolific and wide-ranging filmography as the director of genre-spanning modern classics like Stand By Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Misery (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), and The American President (1995)—adept at everything from rom-coms and courtroom drama to fantasy and suspense.

Designed to satirize more hagiographical music documentaries, This is Spinal Tap popularized—if not effectively launched—the mockumentary: a comedic format that continues to thrive through titles like Abbott Elementary, Borat, Documentary Now!, The Office, Parks & Recreation, and What We Do in the Shadows.

Reiner allows Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer to shine as the fictional metal band Spinal Tap, also appearing on screen as Marty Di Bergi, a filmmaker tasked with chronicling the titular band’s American comeback tour. (Indeed, a bearded director named Marty with an Italian surname—itself a portmanteau of contemporaries Di Palma and Spielberg—recalls another craftsman who helmed the more sincere rock documentary The Last Waltz, which clearly inspired This is Spinal Tap.)

The group reunited for This is Spinal Tap: The End Continues, a sequel released in September 2025, which turned out to be the 78-year-old Reiner’s final released film.

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What’d He Wear?

Marty Di Bergi’s ubiquitous hat is a modified U.S. Navy command cap, likely chosen both to emphasize his American-ness compared to the British band and also to lampoon directors like Steven Spielberg, who often wore caps for organizations he had no affiliation with (like the LAPD, L.A. County Sheriff, and the Navy). Typically made from a navy blue twill, these baseball caps feature a front-facing patch embroidered with their unit (such a ship’s name and hull number) and, for senior and flag officers, the oak-leaf “scrambled eggs” embroidery on the bill.

Reiner had reportedly intended to wear a cap touting service aboard USS Coral Sea (CV-43), a Navy aircraft carrier in service from 1946 through 1990. Rather than seeking permission from the Navy, producer Karen Murphy altered a Coral Sea command cap by filling in the open letters and numbers so that it now read “USS OORAL SEA” and “OV-48”, also reversing the scrambled eggs in the opposite direction.

Mark Knopfler joked to Reiner that he would compose The Princess Bride‘s score on the condition that the “OORAL SEA” hat appear someone on screen, so Reiner had the hat recreated to hang in Fred Savage’s character’s bedroom. The hat’s legacy endures four decades later, with replicas available from the official Spinal Tap website.

“New Hollywood” mavericks like Francis Ford Coppola popularized the image of the burly, bearded director clad in the pocket-heavy, safari-inspired styles of the 1970s—visually referenced by Marty’s khaki cotton jacket. This thigh-length jacket has five buttons up the plain-finished front from the waist to the neck, balanced by two pockets on each side—inverted-box pleated chest pockets and larger bellows hip pockets—all covered by a single-button pointed flap. The button-down shoulder epaulets add to the martial appearance, with pleats behind each shoulder widening his range of arm movement. Marty keeps the belt tied in the back and wears his cuffs unbuttoned, rolling each sleeve up his forearms.

Marty rotates through four colorful short-sleeved piqué polo shirts, always with the collar turned up more for an unkempt workman’s appearance rather than following the “popped collar” fad among ’80s yuppies. All identically styled with two-button tops, these shirts are Kelly green, peach, purple, and pale yellow—though the latter is only briefly seen.

Marty almost always wears blue denim jeans, held up by a brown leather belt that closes through a squared gold-toned single-prong buckle. We rarely see below his knees, but his shoes appear to be white—or off-white—sneakers. We also don’t see enough of his jeans to spot any identifying characteristics, but they appear to follow a typical five-pocket configuration as crafted by the “big three” American denim outfitters: Levi’s, Wrangler, and Lee, which I believe Reiner wore as Mike Stivic on All in the Family.

Marty’s only divergence from his “uniform” is a brief scene when he’s interviewing the band’s manager Ian Faith (Tony Hendra), sporting tan pleated slacks instead of his usual jeans.

Reiner would revive Marty’s signature look for the 2025 sequel, This is Spinal Tap: The End Continues, albeit with a recreated hat and a slightly heavier jacket with box-pleated chest pockets and a six-button front placket.

Marty never wears glasses, a watch, or jewelry of any kind, instead solely sporting a viewfinder on a black cord around his neck.

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How to Get the Look

Inspired by contemporary directors, Marty Di Bergi’s wardrobe of a modified U.S. Navy command cap, khaki safari jacket, polo shirts, and jeans looks especially grounded when compared to the flamboyant costumes of “one of England’s loudest bands.”

• Khaki cotton five-button safari jacket with shoulder epaulets, shirt-style collar, two inverted box-pleated chest pockets (with single-button flaps), two bellows hip pockets (with single-button flaps), and button cuffs
• Colorful cotton piqué short-sleeved polo shirt with two-button top
• Blue denim jeans
• Brown leather belt with squared gold-toned single-prong buckle
• Off-white sneakers
• Modified navy-blue USS Coral Sea (CV-43) command cap with gilt-embroidered “scrambled eggs” bill

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

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The Quote

Why don’t you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?