007's Dress Code - Appropriate or Not?

edited June 2012 in Skyfall Posts: 267
Fellow Agents,
I'm a huge DC fan and CR is my second favourite Bond movie behind FRWL and after a disappointing QS, I'm extremely optimistic that "Skyfall" will top them all. I have complete faith in Sam Mendes.
That said, I'm becoming increasingly concerned about Bond's wardrobe and his style, or lack of it.
In the last two outings and in the clips from "Skyfall", poor DC is looking increasingly trussed in his madmanesque suiting and his on screen down time kit is also a little hit and miss.
Frankly, I don't think Tom Ford and the current stylist are getting it remotely correct and when I look at how achingly cool and assassin appropriate Clooney looked throughout "The American". I can't help but feel that our hero deserves better and I, for one would urge a rethink.
Am I alone?
Regards,
Bentley.
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Comments

  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    I think you have a point. From most of the SF footage I've seen he seems to be wearing the same suit. Same on the poster - why can't he wear the classic tux for the 50th?

    I'm also a bit perturbed that in practically every action scene he seems to be sporting CIA/Roman Abramovitchs bodyguard earpiece which doesn't sit well with me. Bond shouldnt be discussing things with HQ all the time - we've had enough of that in CR and QOS.
    There may be good reasons for it in the plot but for me Bond should by and large always be on his own.
  • Posts: 23
    I actually disagree with this - I think Tom Ford's suits have suited Craig very well and his less formal outfits, thinking polo shirts or Harrington jackets, have been on point and well chosen for their particular scenes. In almost every case I would suggest that his wardrobe has been stylish without being overly flamboyant - something any secret agent would want to avoid.
  • Don't really get what you mean. I've seen Daniel in several different suits and ensembles throughout the process of making Skyfall.

    He DOES wear a dinner jacket!

    That earpiece is only from one segment of the film, in London! Obviously some kind of Intel operation is in progress. This is the 21st century you know, modern comms like that are pretty standard. Of course Bond should be talking to his superiors, he isn't a rogue agent.

    Madmenesque? As in classic styled tailoring, which is very much the way suits are designed right now. If anything, his suits are more like Sean Connerys than any other incumbent.
  • edited June 2012 Posts: 12,837
    That earpiece is only from one segment of the film, in London! Obviously some kind of Intel operation is in progress. This is the 21st century you know, modern comms like that are pretty standard. Of course Bond should be talking to his superiors, he isn't a rogue agent.

    Not just London. I saw a pic of him in Istanbul wearing it. I don't like the earpiece because I don't want Judi Dench or anyone else talking to Bond all the time during the exciting action scenes. Plus, the earpiece is too big, looks out of place. The CR one was better, much smaller and low key.

    So yeah, the only thing that bothers me from what I've seen so far is Istanbul. Wearing a proper suit on a hot sunny day and runnning around with a big earpiece sticking out? He'll look a bit out of place, and spies are meant to blend in.
  • Posts: 6,601
    From a strictly style point of view, this one seems to see him in well cut suits most of the time, which I assume is what "style" means for Bond. And if nothing else, DC is known to wear them very well.
    As for his down time - this more then anything else is up to our personal taste. I thought everything after the short blue shirt in QOS was a let down. Thick jacket in the heat of the desert? :(( Ridiculous..CR was perfect IMO...so this one needs to get it right again - even though I doubt, there will be much of it anyway :(
  • I think that what we've seen of SF so far shows it to be very stylish...better than CR and QoS IMHO. I think that both of those films got the casual wear right - simple, classic, well chosen basic pieces. One could argue appropriateness of a dark jacket in Haiti or the desert but hey, Indy wears a *leather* jacket in the desert and in the sweltering jungle... ;-)

    I thought that the suits in CR and QoS were a little *too* conservative - there's a case to be made in CR as Vesper comments about how Bond wears a type of suit because he thinks it the type he's *supposed* to wear. I like the style of suits we're seeing in SF - they're stylish with being overly trendy. I mean, I've been wearing that cut of suit for about 4 years now and younger, more cutting edge men have been wearing that style for quite a bit longer. It's percolated up to mainstream now (maybe not in some more conservative areas of certain countries, perhaps) so I think that it's very appropriate for Bond.
  • Posts: 267
    I think you have a point. From most of the SF footage I've seen he seems to be wearing the same suit. Same on the poster - why can't he wear the classic tux for the 50th?

    I'm also a bit perturbed that in practically every action scene he seems to be sporting CIA/Roman Abramovitchs bodyguard earpiece which doesn't sit well with me. Bond shouldnt be discussing things with HQ all the time - we've had enough of that in CR and QOS.
    There may be good reasons for it in the plot but for me Bond should by and large always be on his own.

    Agents,
    TheWizardOflce is correct regarding the "Abramovitch" style earpiece - it is a stylistic distraction. Particularly when the technology has been superseded!
    But my main point pertains to stylistic cohesion. The clothes don't look like they belong to one man - if I revert to the masterclass given in "The American", Clooney's kit looked like it had belonged to an international assassin, who had a few dollars stashed away in his Swiss numbered account and who had a rugged, understated, classy style but who dressed for action or, at least the possibility of it.
    I think most of the clothes were by Zegna who, along with Loro Piana and Brunnello Cucinelli are the masters of this look.
    Bond, by comparison , looks like he is running around in a suit that belongs to an estate agent - sporting a pocket pochette is way too posey and cuff links with a business suit are not good in a fight.
    On the other hand, his casual kit just looks like it belongs to different people.
    Frankly, I think they should have Anderson & Sheppard do his formal stuff and Zegna take care of his casual kit. That way, they'd crack it and build character.
    Regards,
    Bentley


  • Posts: 12,506
    I think its fair to say an agent is meant to blend into his surroundings. So he or she can go about their business with a certain degree of stealthiness.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I think you people are forgetting that this is a James Bond film. Subtlety and realistic logic isn't exactly a high priority. The man wears a dinner suit under scuba diving gear, gallivants around deserts in dinner suits, walks into hotels with wet pjs.
  • doubleoego wrote:
    I think you people are forgetting that this is a James Bond film. Subtlety and realistic logic isn't exactly a high priority. The man wears a dinner suit under scuba diving gear, gallivants around deserts in dinner suits, walks into hotels with wet pjs.

    Well said. There's also the fact that the films are wish fulfillment and part of that, along with the exotic cars and beautiful locations, is a killer wardrobe.

    Regarding the earpiece as it's not fashion there's no point in discussing it - particularly as it may have a plot justification in the film.

    I was actually underwhelmed by Clooney's wardrobe in The American (although I loved the film). Zegna to me tilts between really bland (in which case, you could use any designer) or "overdesigned". Or to quote my girlfriend, douche-y:

    http://store.zegna.com/ZEGNA/search/Polos___t-shirts/man/season/main/tskay/C0CCACDC/c/cat_952/gender/U

    Interestingly enough, their suits are even tighter and shorter than Tom Ford's in SF!

    http://store.zegna.com/ZEGNA/search/Suits/man/season/main/tskay/C0CCACDC/c/cat_927/gender/U

    As for Anderson and Sheppard a quick look at their website shows cuts of suits, material, and patterns that look old-fashioned and stodgy. The type of suits a super-conservative, older man would wear, not a stylish man in his prime. I could see the Bond of CR wearing them as they would fit with Vesper's comment of "You think that people actually dress like that" but beyond that, no.


  • Posts: 267
    Dear thelordflasheart,
    I'm afraid that checking out designer sites will only show you their cat walk collections that are designed to be "mood indicators" with the e-commerce departments selling a small selection of fail safes.
    Bond would never parade around like a "trussed up mod" from Take That.
    On the suit front, it would have to be bespoke and A&S are the masters. In fact, it's the house that Tom Ford salutes.
    His casual wardrobe has to be selected for style and the rigours of his profession. Something that the stylists did perfectly for Clooney in "The American". He looked cool and understated - just as Cary Grant and Steve McQueen did in their day. In fact, Matt Damon got it right in "Inception" as did Connery in the first three - it's a timeless thing.
    Frankly, we don't want our hero to look like he is an estate agent or a junior banker that is trying too hard.
    Style forever, fashion never!
    Regards,
    Bentley
  • I really like the style they've gone with for Skyfall. It's a 2012 spin on the Connery look. What I DID have an issue with was Bond's haircut but now I don't find it to be too big of a deal.
  • Posts: 23
    doubleoego wrote:
    I think you people are forgetting that this is a James Bond film. Subtlety and realistic logic isn't exactly a high priority. The man wears a dinner suit under scuba diving gear, gallivants around deserts in dinner suits, walks into hotels with wet pjs.

    I think that you're forgetting that, since CR they've been trying to install a degree of realism into the series and, presumably, this includes the wardrobe department.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited June 2012 Posts: 11,139
    Really? Is that why Bond's parachute opens up moments before he crash lands from jumping out of a plane and survives with barely a scratch? Is that why Bond's running around wearing jeans,dark shirt and dark jacket in the middle of the desert? Is that why Bond survives a car crash that flips and rolls over 7 times? I haven't forgotten anything and in my earlier post I didn't say realism had been abandoned completely but that it's not a high priority as evidenced by the scenes I've just mentioned in both CR and QoS.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    So Bond's color choice in his attire is unrealistic? Okay...
  • Posts: 6,601
    doubleoego wrote:
    Really? Is that why Bond's parachute opens up moments before he crash lands from jumping out of a plane and survives with barely a scratch? Is that why Bond's running around wearing jeans,dark shirt and dark jacket in the middle of the desert? Is that why Bond survives a car crash that flips and rolls over 7 times? I haven't forgotten anything and in my earlier post I didn't say realism had been abandoned completely but that it's not a high priority as evidenced by the scenes I've just mentioned in both CR and QoS.

    You are right about the scenes, but take into consideration, that DESPITE them, the last two films still go down as "more realistic" Now think about, what that says about the other 20 films? I suppose, we can only speak about different levels of realism or fantasy.
  • Posts: 267
    I really like the style they've gone with for Skyfall. It's a 2012 spin on the Connery look. What I DID have an issue with was Bond's haircut but now I don't find it to be too big of a deal.

    Dear battleshipgreygt,
    Despite your "monica" indicating that you are a man of great distinction I can't agree withe your assertion that Bond's "Skyfall" suit is a 2012 take on the Connery look ,as personified by the great Sinclair's "Conduit Cut"?
    Frankly there is a world of difference between Sinclair's beautifully tailored work and the Pee Wee Herman, "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" look that is permeating the lower echelons of menswear.
    It's not complicated, if they don't want to go to A&S, that's fine, there are others out there but he should have the best.
    Regarding his barnet, here I do agree that it's looking a little dodgy.It could be linked to the plot. Maybe he's been tortured and scalping was part of the process.
    If however, it's just another styling error, albeit it's too late to save him for this outing, next time around he should go to Brent Pankhurst in London. He'll see him right.
    Regards,
    Bentley

  • Bentley wrote:
    If however, it's just another styling error...

    And this I think points out the crux of these discussions. Style, like an opinion, is neither correct or incorrect. Some people will try to tell you that there are some opinions which are incorrect, but like style it's something personal to each of us.

    I'm surprised at some people's insistence that the Skyfall suits we're seeing are associated with the very young or with people of limited means. Maybe it's different in Canada but I suspect not as fashion is far more global now. As I mentioned before I've been wearing that style of suit for 3 years now (actually, closer to 4) and have gotten lots of praise, especially from women. This usually occurs not from the "lower classes" but upper middle class and above - lawyers, bankers, higher management types. I don't think that these people are "wrong" to like those suits that I wear, it's just an indication that they think it's a great style (and much more common now as it's bled over to the mainstream).

    As for Zegna, a client of mine wears it almost exclusively so I'm well aware of what it looks like in "the real world" and I still feel that it's not very "Bond" - IMHO, of course. :-)

  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited June 2012 Posts: 11,139
    Germanlady wrote:
    doubleoego wrote:
    Really? Is that why Bond's parachute opens up moments before he crash lands from jumping out of a plane and survives with barely a scratch? Is that why Bond's running around wearing jeans,dark shirt and dark jacket in the middle of the desert? Is that why Bond survives a car crash that flips and rolls over 7 times? I haven't forgotten anything and in my earlier post I didn't say realism had been abandoned completely but that it's not a high priority as evidenced by the scenes I've just mentioned in both CR and QoS.

    You are right about the scenes, but take into consideration, that DESPITE them, the last two films still go down as "more realistic" Now think about, what that says about the other 20 films? I suppose, we can only speak about different levels of realism or fantasy.

    I wasn't disputing that the Craig era isn't realistic or are as unrealistic as the movies before it. My overall point that I made in my initial post was that there are elements in the Bond films, regardless of how realistic the producers want make them that are just flat out absurd and that's part of the charm and uniqueness of the Bond films.

    So Bond's color choice in his attire is unrealistic? Okay...

    Well, when one considers that Bond is of sound mind and apparently has access to a varied wardrobe, it does question the practicality of his choice of clothing when he's running around in the day time time, under the hot sun in dark clothing i.e. jeans, shirt AND jacket in the middle of a desert.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxWNTw6lYRfNzTogfG42sH-B7IjC8U_w1hvx8lwylRbJrfXOsQ1GB4vc1o
  • Posts: 7,653
    If 007 ever wears a footballshirt and paints his face white and red I know that I am signing of.

    So far Bond has always been dressed brilliantly, even Craig. But he does look a bit of a chav next to Connery in his first 5 007 movies. O:-)
  • Posts: 7,653
    I love it that two 00's were dressed as a clown in that movie.
  • Posts: 267
    Dear SaintMark,
    Do you know who made the jacket and bow tie?
    I suspect Tom Ford.
    Regards,
    Bentley
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,373
    I've loved Craig's outfits so far - they're perfect. What I don't like: some of them are custom-made by Tom Ford, and the only way you could ever get them is by finding an exact duplicate, or making your own. But yes, whether it's business or casual, Bond is always looking sharp, and SF doesn't look to be any different.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Creasy47 wrote:
    I've loved Craig's outfits so far - they're perfect. What I don't like: some of them are custom-made by Tom Ford, and the only way you could ever get them is by finding an exact duplicate, or making your own. But yes, whether it's business or casual, Bond is always looking sharp, and SF doesn't look to be any different.

    I agree. Both Sean and Dan are in my mind when I think of perfect Bond attire. They both fit out their suits/casual wear so well. I love the polos Dan wears, as I adore polos myself and where them a lot. Bond's Sunspel polos in CR and QoS, the white dress shirt and black long sleeve shirt he wears in Nassua in CR, and Sean's clothing in TB are amongst Bond's best casual clothing selections.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Skyfall_02.jpg

    quantum_of_solace_suit_james_bond_tom__65953_std.jpg

    Ford's suits for Craig are great imo.
  • Posts: 12,837
    I always liked Brosnans style. He always looked cool in a tux. I like Craig's casual clothes best though.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,373
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7, absolutely. I used to wear polos, kind of got into a sweater/suit craze, and now I'm back to polos. Picked up a blue polo a few weeks back that looks just like his Sunspel navy one, and I picked up the same type the other day, only in white. The colors are perfect, and the buttons and collar at the top just wear so well.
  • Posts: 267
    Bentley wrote:
    Fellow Agents,
    I'm a huge DC fan and CR is my second favourite Bond movie behind FRWL and after a disappointing QS, I'm extremely optimistic that "Skyfall" will top them all. I have complete faith in Sam Mendes.
    That said, I'm becoming increasingly concerned about Bond's wardrobe and his style, or lack of it.
    In the last two outings and in the clips from "Skyfall", poor DC is looking increasingly trussed in his madmanesque suiting and his on screen down time kit is also a little hit and miss.
    Frankly, I don't think Tom Ford and the current stylist are getting it remotely correct and when I look at how achingly cool and assassin appropriate Clooney looked throughout "The American". I can't help but feel that our hero deserves better and I, for one would urge a rethink.
    Am I alone?
    Regards,
    Bentley.

    Fellow Agents,
    I'm back from my Skyfall viewing and have to be agent enough to eat my own Fedora!
    DC's wardrobe was superb. Both his casual, formal and evening attire were beyond reproach and Jany Temime did a fabulous job on the whole cast.
    Simply marvellous.
    All 00's should go out immediately and buy the whole rig.
    Regards,
    Bentley
  • There is a whole industry backing this franchise that started with Savile Row up to Tom Ford. One thing that I have to point out: APPROPRIATE? What does that mean? I am sorry but that is poor choice of words. Moving on times have changed and so have the clothes. You wouldn't see Bond in jeans 10-20-30-40 years ago. Of course after a fight his hair was always combed and NEVER sweaty. After Brioni Tom Ford is the lucky choice, as Daniel's fit is muscular therefore the Levis jeans and leather jacket ($1000)!! Armani Converse etc. Times are hard and some of the clothes like in CR look affordable and more realistic, even though his swim wear costs $230. (I hate that in the States the call his CR trunks Speedos) The truth though, Craig looks the military type and his haircut in this film shouts SAS or other intel agent. That is the drawback as Bond was more suave and elegant, ie Brosnan looked like a banker a CEO, a businessman, for the fantasy part. Craig looks like he will tear you in half, but is such a great actor, you let it go.
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