Photo courtesy of HedFord
James Bond is a man’s man, but he also has a way with women. James Bond is a tech geek, but he sets the tone at any bar when he sits down and orders a drink. He’s as likely to win in a card game as he is to win a car chase.
No matter how you think of James Bond, you can’t argue with the fact that he was a sharp dresser, no matter who was playing him. Parsing out some of the details of what Bond wore can help you achieve the look.
Use this guide to learn about the suits James Bond wore as pretty much the coolest guy on the planet.
Dr. No
Photo courtesy of Clothes on FIlm
Dr. No (1962) is the first time that we see James Bond. While you very well may not be old enough to remember seeing Dr. No in theaters, you almost certainly have seen some of the iconic images from the film.
They’ve been played over and over again on television and even in advertisements throughout the years.
The first image of James Bond we see in Dr. No is one where he’s wearing a tuxedo in midnight blue, a color that’s so deeply rich and dark that it really is black for all practical purposes. If you were in England, Bond’s homeland, you’d call this a shawl-collar dinner suit, or at least you would have at the time.
The tuxedo was designed and made by Anthony Sinclair and it was one of Bond’s more elegant pieces because of the silk trimmings and turned-back Edwardian cuffs. Unlike many modern tuxedos, Bond’s tuxedo in Dr. No is fastened with only one button on the front and each cuff is fixed with four silk-covered buttons.
No detail was spared for James Bond since the way he looked was also a major part of the story, even beginning with Ian Fleming’s novels of the 1950’s and early 1960’s.
Goldfinger
Photo courtesy of Fan Pop
Goldfinger is a classic Bond film, and you’ll find many people say it’s their favorite of the lot. Whether you agree or not, it’s hard to say you don’t love Bond’s classic grey and white Glen check suit in the movie.
Just like in Dr. No and From Russia with Love – which was made between Dr. No and Goldfinger – the suits in this film were again designed and constructed by Anthony Sinclair. What’s so memorable about this suit is the fact that it didn’t fully match the trend of the times, but Bond still managed to pull it off with effortless ease.
The reason this particular James Bond suit – the one that everybody seems to remember from the film – wasn’t quite right was mostly the pleated pants. The pants had deep, deep pleats, which were becoming unpopular at the time and many people in the know probably saw them as old-fashioned. His pants also had plain bottoms instead of ones of the turned-up variety like in the first two movies.
Bond’s jacket may have been his saving grace in this film because it had the narrow lapels that were popular at the time and a basic two-button design.
What about the vest? Well, the vest is a classic and if it makes James Bond look like a banker to you, you must know some pretty well-dressed bankers with a keen eye for fashion.
What About Roger Moore?
The first, and for some the only, James Bond was Sean Connery. However, Roger Moore eventually would take over the throne and though the tone of his suits was already set in motion by Connery and the earlier movies, there were some key differences.
For Your Eyes Only
Photo courtesy of 007
When looking at Roger Moore’s stint as James Bond, perhaps the best example of how he dressed was the 1981 film, For Your Eyes Only. It’s often talked about as one of Roger Moore’s better efforts as Bond, too.
The suit most people talk about when thinking of Roger Moore is the grey one with the double vents in the back and the much wider collar than you’ll see in the Connery films. Bonds pants also have a medium rise, straight legs and frog-mouth pockets.
Believe it or not, the frog-mouth pockets are pretty much a fixture of Roger Moore’s James Bond suit in every film.
On to Pierce Brosnan
Yes, we skipped Timothy Dalton, but not because he wasn’t a decent James Bond. We did it because you don’t remember any of his suits. So on to Pierce Brosnan we go, skipping over the decent, but often forgotten Dalton once more.
GoldenEye
Photo courtesy of Some Loose Change
Made in 1995, GoldenEye is perhaps the most well-regarded of any of the James Bond films Pierce Brosnan made for the franchise. While he’s got plenty of fans all over the world, it’s also GoldenEye that gives us the best look at Bond’s fashion of the time.
Bond wears Brioni in this film, as he does in all of the movies with Brosnan. The James Bond suit people remember best from this movie is likely his dark three piece suit that had a ton of English flair.
This James Bond suit features double front pockets, straight padded shoulders, a relatively wide body and a suppressed waist.
The suit is somewhat similar to one Roger Moore wore in Moonraker, though it has more of an English military style and Brosnan often wears it with a vest. Brosnan is clean-cut enough to pull it off though. If Bond ever looked like a banker, it’s in GoldenEye.
Bond Today
In recent years, Daniel Craig took over as James Bond and many have compared him to Bogart – not classically handsome like Brosnan, but rugged and suave enough that it doesn’t matter. Just because Bond got an update doesn’t mean you’ll find him hanging out in a pair of jeans and sandals.
Casino Royale
Photo courtesy of HedFord
In Casino Royale we see what is going to be Craig’s calling card right off the bat – his simple, dark Brioni suit. It’s understated but fits perfectly and it is clearly a very nice suit that the average person can’t afford.
Craig’s suit in Casino Royale is so understated in fact that you probably don’t remember much about it! Basically, it looks like a business suit with a narrow cut. The lapels aren’t wide and they aren’t narrow. The jacket has three buttons with straight shoulders and though it appears to be solid, the material is actually a sort of charcoal blue that has a very faint plaid if you get close to it or manage to stare really hard.
The James Bond suit in Casino Royale comes with a pair of straight-leg pants with a little break and no pleats. Like every James Bond suit Craig wears, it’s very understated and designed not to be noticed.
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