The Influence of James Bond...

I found another photo call, this time from the SPECTRE set. Once again, an interesting suit that never made it to the film:

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Perhaps we can attribute this to DC coming into the role with no real sense of style so being at the mercy of the whim of the various costumers. Connery allegedly didn’t have much style but had Terence to guide him.

Allegedly, the cardigan, suede chukkas and peacoat were Craig’s idea as he leans very heavily into Steve McQueen for ‘inspiration’ or replication. Reading this, makes me think that the costumers might have been the ones lacking more style:

 
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One of my all-time favorite casual DC outfits. The sta-press off-white trousers, TF polo and brown chukkas are perfect. The Y3 jacket is also good, but it was always a bit of a shame that they didn’t introduce the TF harrington into this scene instead of waiting until the later Bolivia scenes.

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Overall DC did a very decent job of casual ensembles throughout his tenure and there are a few that would look good on ‘ordinary’ people in todays real world but the Madagascar kit in CR was surely deliberately depicting him as an uncouth raw and sweaty schlub before he had grown into the role of sophisticated international man of mystery and as such it’s not one that ought to be emulated.

The Sunspel polo outfit in CR, the black (stolen) Harrington with white jeans in Haiti and the black cardigan on the boat to see Mathis in QOS are better examples of casual gear. The ugly Madagascar shirt not so much!
 
This is my favorite of his casual outfits,

Agree on the polo but the bootcut jeans were pretty bad.

though I really like the look in the Shanghai bar from Skyfall, which while not totally casual, if you ditch the tie is close enough.

The chauffeur disguise?

My favorite would be the QoS Haiti outfit: Addidas Y3 black jacket, polo, white StaPress trousers and suede chukkas. Would have been better if he’d worn the navy TF Harrington with this outfit though.

Close second was the Spectre Matchless suede jacket and TF polo.
 
Agree on the polo but the bootcut jeans were pretty bad.



The chauffeur disguise?

My favorite would be the QoS Haiti outfit: Addidas Y3 black jacket, polo, white StaPress trousers and suede chukkas. Would have been better if he’d worn the navy TF Harrington with this outfit though.

Close second was the Spectre Matchless suede jacket and TF polo.
Understatement. There were horrific.
 
In my previous posts summarizing the best and worst of DC-era casual Bond, I left out the two ‘work wear’/ tactical/ commando outfits as these aren’t intended to be anything other than what you wear when assaulting the bad guys’ lair to rescue the girl.

The NTTD Peal cashmere commando sweater definitely falls into this category. Great work by the costumers in that it looks cool and tactical, evoking reminders of his Navy/SBS past, without turning him into another Rambo character. But it would look a little ridiculous in a normal, casual setting and the Peal trousers aren’t going to be any SWAT Team’s preference:


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The outfit from the Spectre sneaky commando tactical raid scene is a bit more interesting. There are some pieces in here that I really like. The grey silk/cashmere mock turtleneck from Peal is a winner. The puppy tooth grey trousers from Neil Barrett are nice, if a bit slim for action. Best of all are the Steve McQueen-inspired suede Playboy chukkas - I would love to own a pair of these! Finally, there is the collarless blue suede Varvatos racer jacket. This was his second suede jacket in the film - the sand Matchless jacket looked pretty cool in Morocco. I can’t get very excited over the blue Varvatos, but I don’t know if it’s the colour or the cut that leaves me indifferent. I think Tom Cruise wore the same jacket in one of his films as well, looking equally meh.

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Commando sweaters have cycled in and out of style over the decades. The choice here was fine for me but the ‘real’ Bond (I know, I know!) in both books and DC era films was utilitarian (remember the orange crates for furniture when Moneypenny visited his flat? “Have you just moved in?”) and IMHO would have had an actual navy issue commando sweater not some effette designer copy with a boat neck and a draw cord.
 
In my previous posts summarizing the best and worst of DC-era casual Bond, I left out the two ‘work wear’/ tactical/ commando outfits as these aren’t intended to be anything other than what you wear when assaulting the bad guys’ lair to rescue the girl.

The NTTD Peal cashmere commando sweater definitely falls into this category. Great work by the costumers in that it looks cool and tactical, evoking reminders of his Navy/SBS past, without turning him into another Rambo character. But it would look a little ridiculous in a normal, casual setting and the Peal trousers aren’t going to be any SWAT Team’s preference:


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The outfit from the Spectre sneaky commando tactical raid scene is a bit more interesting. There are some pieces in here that I really like. The grey silk/cashmere mock turtleneck from Peal is a winner. The puppy tooth grey trousers from Neil Barrett are nice, if a bit slim for action. Best of all are the Steve McQueen-inspired suede Playboy chukkas - I would love to own a pair of these! Finally, there is the collarless blue suede Varvatos racer jacket. This was his second suede jacket in the film - the sand Matchless jacket looked pretty cool in Morocco. I can’t get very excited over the blue Varvatos, but I don’t know if it’s the colour or the cut that leaves me indifferent. I think Tom Cruise wore the same jacket in one of his films as well, looking equally meh.

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Speaking of the Varvatos suede racer jacket, Royale Filmwear just released a preproduction sample teaser. Seeing it in detail, I rather like the simplicity and details of the design. I guess I just don’t like blue suede. The hand stitched baseball seams add some interest and the collar is perfect for wear with that mock turtleneck, but I have no desire to own a repro. Now, if someone would make those McQueen Playboy chukkas in a wide fitting …

 
After a little whoring and shilling, I was lucky enough to win $200 in store credit from Royale Filmware.


Currently deciding what to blow it on and looking at:

The mixed linen Connolly Giubbino jacket. It’s kinda unique and had a light summer vibe (though I don’t like how it was worn in the film). But I need another light casual navy jacket like a hole in the head.

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The Barbour x Engineered Garments Graham Jacket in navy waxed cotton. I like that they slim down the pattern over the stock item, as the film crew did. Also like that it’s a more city/nautical take on the usual tweedy country vibes of the sage and brown corduroy Barbours. But I’m skeptical of a knock-off copy of Barbour really being practical/useful.


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The Tom Ford Johnny collar polo. I have a couple of these from a kiwi brand. Love the pattern and would get a lot of wear even if I got a couple of them. I own a dozen blue polos and wear them regularly, so it isn’t much to get excited over even if useful

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The Tom Ford cardigan. I already have a heavy cotton version on this from Paul James, though it’s still tempt to get this one in a medium merino.


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After a little whoring and shilling, I was lucky enough to win $200 in store credit from Royale Filmware.


Currently deciding what to blow it on and looking at:

The mixed linen Connolly Giubbino jacket. It’s kinda unique and had a light summer vibe (though I don’t like how it was worn in the film). But I need another light casual navy jacket like a hole in the head.

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The Barbour x Engineered Garments Graham Jacket in navy waxed cotton. I like that they slim down the pattern over the stock item, as the film crew did. Also like that it’s a more city/nautical take on the usual tweedy country vibes of the sage and brown corduroy Barbours. But I’m skeptical of a knock-off copy of Barbour really being practical/useful.


View attachment 48295

The Tom Ford Johnny collar polo. I have a couple of these from a kiwi brand. Love the pattern and would get a lot of wear even if I got a couple of them. I own a dozen blue polos and wear them regularly, so it isn’t much to get excited over even if useful

View attachment 48296

The Tom Ford cardigan. I already have a heavy cotton version on this from Paul James, though it’s still tempt to get this one in a medium merino.


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the Graham jacket has high "twat" potential

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OTOH, the Connelly has low "twat" potential, even if worn by a twat. looks better on the twat.


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Yeh, the lack of a hood is really putting me off the Barbour.
 
which color is more representative of the current production?
The EG collab sold-out years ago, but the current Covert is very close:


That said, this is a knock-off trying to replicate the screen original. So a more tailored fit and colour based on the original:

 
After a little whoring and shilling, I was lucky enough to win $200 in store credit from Royale Filmware.


Currently deciding what to blow it on and looking at:

The mixed linen Connolly Giubbino jacket. It’s kinda unique and had a light summer vibe (though I don’t like how it was worn in the film). But I need another light casual navy jacket like a hole in the head.

View attachment 48294

The Barbour x Engineered Garments Graham Jacket in navy waxed cotton. I like that they slim down the pattern over the stock item, as the film crew did. Also like that it’s a more city/nautical take on the usual tweedy country vibes of the sage and brown corduroy Barbours. But I’m skeptical of a knock-off copy of Barbour really being practical/useful.


View attachment 48295

The Tom Ford Johnny collar polo. I have a couple of these from a kiwi brand. Love the pattern and would get a lot of wear even if I got a couple of them. I own a dozen blue polos and wear them regularly, so it isn’t much to get excited over even if useful

View attachment 48296

The Tom Ford cardigan. I already have a heavy cotton version on this from Paul James, though it’s still tempt to get this one in a medium merino.


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Follow-up: I got the TF polo which is really nice. Chunky with lots of texture and a great slim fit. Also got the Connelly lined shirt-jacket, which has a nice weight and interesting colour with lots of depth. Not sure I’ll wear the latter much, but I do like it. The samples for the Barbour Al have come in and that’s also looking good - but I don’t need another rain jacket without a hood!

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Lasenby had some pretty bad late-sixties outfits in his film, so it’s easy to overlook these two gems:

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Not bad but I hated the 45 degree hacking pocket on his suits.
I went back to have another look and you’re right - ALL his jackets have hacking pockets. Some look quite nice to me, but I agree that the angle on that glen plaid suit is a bit extreme. But the greatest crime is the pockets on the navy double breasted!!

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they look good on the tweed SC, acceptable on the cream suit. they're pretty tragic on the glen check bc that's a fucking fantastic suit by every other measure and it's the one thing that lets it down

the navy blazer has a lot of other things I don't like that I notice before the pockets--silver buttons, 6x3 buttoning, slim lapels. the pockets are out of place, but they're like 4th on the list
 

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