007's Fashion Sense Across The Ages

Ian Fleming's original James Bond was a man who shared a very similar, although not exact in all ways, dress sense to his creator. If you read the James Bond novels, in London he always wears navy suits with white or blue shirts, which can be silk or Sea Island cotton. Added to this he wears a black knitted silk tie and slip on shoes. If he visits the gold course he may dress more casually, but that means a hound tooth suit and black windcheater, not something to ever see the light in the city.

In the evening he wears a dinner jacket with heavy silk shirt and while on assignment is often dressed similarly, depending on what the job entails. Even in the tropics he wears a lightweight navy suit, his compromise to the heat being replacement of the slip on shoes with sandals.

Of course, he may hit the beach or spend some time poolside; or may be called upon to visit the lair of some evil scheming villain, in which case cheap black jeans and shirt will suffice. And even in the comfort of his own hotel room he'll wear a short-sleeved shirt with trousers.

However, the films have created a very different character from the one envisaged by Fleming and his dress sense and clothing are very different too. While Sean Connery's Bond certainly did wear black knitted silk ties at some point, his suits have often been grey. However, that is really a small point compared with some of the biggest atrocities committed by James Bond in the name of fashion (if you can forgive Connery his baby blue towelling monstrosity in Goldfinger and his pink tie in Diamonds Are Forever - Ian Fleming would surely have turned in his grave!).

The Roger Moore era films were probably the most current at the time. However, his over large collars and huge flares are the most dated of any of the films and are often close to ridiculous. Other fashion faux pas in this era include him wearing a white vest beneath a denim suit in Live And Let Die, although he does just about get away with the safari suits.

While Pierce Brosnan's Bond seemed to always be in a suit, Daniel Craig's Bond is much more casual. See his extravagantly patterned shirt in Casino Royale for instance. And in Quantum of Solace he spends much of the time in jeans and a Harrington jacket. With Tom Ford on board again for Skyfall, due later in 2012, you can expect more of the same.

By: Nellie Rider

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