Is it just me

BOFFER

Is it just me or does it seem as though more and more AJB members are focussing on bond related clothes and sungalsses etc ? Not a criticism of course, just an observation. I havent really embraced the clothes thing personally and still fixated on bond props / golden guns / p99 / db5 / breathers / trackers / moonraker guns / sd studios etc etc. I know its probably me but I just cant get excited about buying a leather jacket or a white shirt etc. I know of course that in a few years I will of course mature into clothes collecting and look back on my old AJB posts and laugh at myself sort of thing, but for now I am sticking with the current fixations. Watches are my thing and its good to see we have a good collection of fellow watch gurus on hand. kind regards to all and loving the site at present.

Higgins

It's not only you, Boffer.

I am also more sticking with other memorabilia, but still own some Sunspel/Barbour/Tom Ford ties clothing items.

UNCLE27

Well, I won an eBay auction yesterday for a Tasco 7800 bino/camera.
Exciting stuff!! Now waiting for Postie...

Gadget Meister

Def not just you Boffer, but then I don't make a very good clothes horse so it's props all the way for me -{

Thunderpussy

Not my sort of thing, as anything that looks good on Bond, once it's enlarged
to cover my manly frame, is going to look awful.
Although I do find it very interesting to see what people are buying or trying
To collect. The Bond on a budget threads are also great fun, as there seem to be
Plenty of bargains about. )

minigeff

The whole dress like bond, eat like bond, workout, drink, go to the same holiday locations, drive an aston martin like bond lifestyle just isnt me.

I'm a shortarse ugly skint bloke who has kids (1.5 of them) so the whole 'do it like bond' thing just isnt my scene. I prefer to be my own person instead of using old JB as a design cue for every aspect of my life.

That said, I work a lathe much better than I do a sewing machine.

BOFFER

MG, You are selling yourself short here big fella. I think this year should launch the Minigeff Bond Range Exclusives. In short, you make it, we buy it, we stash it, we display it and you become the new SD Studios, albeit it will be an MG Studios. The items become iconic amongst bond collectors worldwide, I get to my sixties and tell the kids I knew MG when he used to wear spiderman outfits on public forums but now his works fetch thousands amongst worldwide bond collectors. Clearly items go up in value if you go bankrupt half way through or croak it but of course we dont want that. Now, lets get the ball rolling with an MG Studios attache case for all of the future MG studio goodies to live in. Then we can move onto a 1/4 scale DB5 to let the kids play round the village on. Does it all sound good ?

Charmed & Dangerous

) how could MG resist an offer like that? )

The Bond Experience

I think there are a few things going on...first of all, as others have said, you are correct (so you aren't crazy)...I think in some cases it's a numbers thing. For every Bond movie that comes out we have one or two gadgets or cool props, BUT we could have over 50 lifestyle grooming, clothing, drink, or vacation potentials. The other "numbers" aspect is the sheer amount of people who have gravitated to this board from lifestyle online sources. Not just mine, but Rem's Bond Lifestyle site, Matt's Suits of James Bond all have more and more traffic and coverage and new content with shout outs to ajb....curiosity and a thirst to know more about the lifestyle drive them here and then the good people and HUGE resource of knowledge keep them here.

Me? I like them both, but obviously lean to the lifestyle. But I love when someone shows off a good prop, gadget, paper prop etc...bring it all on. I also love the diversity of the board and the content and do hope the prop gurus and collectors only increase in number....

BOFFER wrote:

Is it just me or does it seem as though more and more AJB members are focussing on bond related clothes and sungalsses etc ? Not a criticism of course, just an observation. I havent really embraced the clothes thing personally and still fixated on bond props / golden guns / p99 / db5 / breathers / trackers / moonraker guns / sd studios etc etc. I know its probably me but I just cant get excited about buying a leather jacket or a white shirt etc. I know of course that in a few years I will of course mature into clothes collecting and look back on my old AJB posts and laugh at myself sort of thing, but for now I am sticking with the current fixations. Watches are my thing and its good to see we have a good collection of fellow watch gurus on hand. kind regards to all and loving the site at present.

Matt S

Clothes are popular because it's something most of us can use. Collecting clothes, at least with the intention of wearing them, is much different than collecting props to display. There are other Bond things that can be used, like guns, but clothes are something that everyone needs.

Arbogast 777

Personally, I'm much more into the lifestyle angle, and AJB is invaluable for that.

1) Having the clothes, accessories, etc, is much more usable. I would much rather have something I can get use out of then have in a cabinet.

2) If you walked into my home, you would have no clue I've been a Bond fan for the past 30 years... unless you were a Bond fan. I have no Goldfinger posters on the walls or toy cars in a case but it's tastefully decorated with Picardie glasses in the kitchen, Little Scarlet jam in the fridge, my vintage Hoffritz next to the sink, amazing clothes, watches, and sunglasses in the closet. Just the way I like it.

I walk around with no thought that I am somehow James Bond, nor do I want to be. But it's a hell of a lot more fun for me to sip my morning OJ out of a glass Bond used rather than one I just picked up at Target... and that sentiment goes for any of the other Bond related products I use that I would have had to have gotten anyway.

Charmed & Dangerous

Well said, Mantis, Matt and Arbogast.

Even those of us with limited budgets, and who have little or no original/branded Bond clothing, can still dress like Bond or aspire to the Bond lifestyle. One of the best things about Bond is that he's so well dressed - his look is carefully put together. A smart dark grey or navy suit, blue or white shirt, dark knitted tie.... Or a navy polo and pale jeans/chinos... classy and makes you feel like Bond.

And you can wear them everyday whereas it would be tricky to ride a motorbike with machine guns these days, even after SPECTRE is released.

minigeff

BOFFER wrote:

MG, You are selling yourself short here big fella. I think this year should launch the Minigeff Bond Range Exclusives. In short, you make it, we buy it, we stash it, we display it and you become the new SD Studios, albeit it will be an MG Studios. The items become iconic amongst bond collectors worldwide, I get to my sixties and tell the kids I knew MG when he used to wear spiderman outfits on public forums but now his works fetch thousands amongst worldwide bond collectors. Clearly items go up in value if you go bankrupt half way through or croak it but of course we dont want that. Now, lets get the ball rolling with an MG Studios attache case for all of the future MG studio goodies to live in. Then we can move onto a 1/4 scale DB5 to let the kids play round the village on. Does it all sound good ?

) If I'm making a 1:4 DB5 I'll be driving the bugger to work!

But cheers mate, the compliments and faith are very kind.

I appreciate that people enjoy the clothes, eat the food and quaff the bolly, but I prefer to live my own life instead of letting old lucious Lindy dictate what kegs I'm supposed to be wear. Besides, there's both EU and UN security council resolutions against me going within 50ft of a pair of budgie smugglers.

I don't shy away from being a bond fan. First thing you see in my house is a film poster, Halle Berry looks down on your aim in the downstairs throne room, and the lounge has my cabinet in, with the various props and models I've either made, been gifted or bought.

Although I'm a 'props and models' guy, I tend to lean towards the hard come by or impossible to own stuff, and I much prefer making stuff you can't buy in the shops. Thats why attache cases and golden guns don't really interest me much as they've been done to death by too many people already.

I'm quite happy with a run to the coast in my poor man's Aston and my old Ted Baker leather jacket which is now falling apart but remains absolutely comfy as hell.

Barbour farmers coats and £500 cufflinks I'll leave for others to go gooey eyed all over.

We all have our different tastes and interests and like dave was getting at, we all bring something to the table.

kadd

Here's my two cents...I find my Bond clothing interest has enhanced my life rather than restricted it.

I don't only wear Bond items but have found my Bond interest has lead me to some quality brands that I may not have looked at before.

I now own a few sunspel, John Smedley and Orlebar Brown items that are not Bond related, but that i like

AlphaOmegaSin

With me, I can't afford a lot of Bond related Clothes or Gadgets. But I do own the two Bond Aftershaves (Which you can get on a Budget)

Like Charmed and Dangerous said, we all try to have some of Bonds Lifestyle in our own Life's -{

Gadget Meister

MicroJiff: Wouldn't you find the 1/4 scale DB5 a little on the large side, surely you could make do with the readily available 1/8 scale

BOFFER

Good man MG. I have already thought of the MG Studios first edition. Its an MG Studios Umarex / Walther CP99 Display stand as featured on the other thread with Kan, complete with a umarex cp99 177 air pistol and custom made MG Studios 007 silencer and red dot sight. Comes complete with a numbered authenticity certificate and signed by the MD of MG Studios and Daniel Craig. Also featuring a perspex lid to keep away the dust mites. Keenly priced at £499.00 + post and packing. A must for all bond collectors.
Roll up Roll Up, better buy em quick before they all go. Limited to a run of 99 only.

IanT

This is an interesting post. Here's my take on it.

I have been a fan of the clothing as long as I've been a fan of Bond. I tried to dress like the cinematic Bond but it all became too much and I had a wardrobe full of stuff I never ended up using.

So, in terms of film based clothing I now own: a Barbour Type B Commander jacket which was a special gift to myself, and a navy blue Sunspel polo.

Now, if we move onto the literary Bond, that's where I take my style cues. I own a navy blue suit, a few white short sleeved shirts, a black knitted tie, blue socks and black shoes and I have a navy blue rain coat.

My next acquisition will be a grey dogtooth check suit - if it doesn't look too ridiculous.

I have to say, that the Spectre clothing thread is getting a bit tiresome with the N Peal turtleneck. Looks good, I agree, but can we look at some other stuff now please?

Westward_Drift

kadd wrote:

Here's my two cents...I find my Bond clothing interest has enhanced my life rather than restricted it.

I don't only wear Bond items but have found my Bond interest has lead me to some quality brands that I may not have looked at before.

I now own a few sunspel, John Smedley and Orlebar Brown items that are not Bond related, but that i like

I have to agree, kadd.

Billy Reid, for example, has become one of my favorite designers. Although, truth be told, I'd have probably discovered the brand without the Bond connection. (I loved the Governor's BR Walking coat on The Walking Dead.) I've gotten many complements on the Billy Reid polos and linen shirts that I own. I also own several Sunspel polos, none of them Bond related.

superado

Going back to the pre-CR days on the forum (I joined just a year after DAD), it didn't seem that there were as much Bond clothing-related threads here in the Memorabilia Forum, as there are today. Maybe because the clothing and accessories in the DC movies are more down-to-earth? However, considering the contemporary male culture, I'm glad that there are still guys out there who've made themselves a cut above the crowds by choosing the Bond lifestyle.

Nonetheless, I'm an Old Navy and Levis guy with a little Minigeff dynamics going on ) and probably the most I've gone Bond in terms of wearable items was using the Guerlain brand of cologne and aftershave when I was a younger man and I can relate to the "I feel like Bond and therefore I feel good about myself" novelty. As for the kind of Bond collector I am, when I glance above my computer screen at my display shelves and book shelves, anyone would be able to tell with no doubt that I am an OTT Bond fan.

BOFFER

Show us your shelves Superado, you know you are dying too.Cmon, what you got stashed ?

superado

BOFFER wrote:

Show us your shelves Superado, you know you are dying too.Cmon, what you got stashed ?

My Bond shelves are in such disarray, mingling with superheroes and non-Bond die-cast cars and my florescent lights just conked out! Putting those in order along with my Indiana Jones collection are in my summer projects list. My Bond stuff are mostly Sideshow figures and statues, cars, books and other nick-nacks (not the late Herve Villechaize!). Here's a photo I posted before of my Bond statues with the ladies:



I'll try to post pics of my Bond shelves when they're neater.

UNCLE27

Well, my latest Bond gadget arrived today and not clothing (this time)

Thunderpussy

Oh ! Wonderful -{

bondpropfan

Hi fella
Again I'm with you its all about the props and gadgets for me....
I love the hunt and research that goes into finding or creating those iconic items that go to save his arse on many occasion as 'Q' once said.
BRING ON THE PROPS!!!!

texas007

unlike other Bond collectors, I am not focus on anything at all - in fact, I am all over the place
but most of my interests are initiated by Fleming and EON's James Bond

Here is what I got coming my way


-{

texas007

I am sure you all know the Bond connection

minigeff

texas007 wrote:

I am sure you all know the Bond connection

Back end of horse?

superado

Here's a teaser of one of my many projects (some hobbyist can relate with what I mean about unfinished projects!) If the finished item ever sees the life of day, I'll post it here:

texas007

I see the J. Cape - all first impression? I only got the complete FEL and some first impression

superado wrote:

Here's a teaser of one of my many projects (some hobbyist can relate with what I mean about unfinished projects!) If the finished item ever sees the life of day, I'll post it here:

superado

Those are the "umpteenth" printings of the 1st impressions (I had the book terminology down pat once when I started collecting these, but have since gotten rusty). For example, for DAF, what I have is the 8th printing of the 1st impression. I did get the FEL editions of the 1st 3 novels because, although I got the Capes for those, I couldn't get the original dust jackets. For those 3 FEL editions I have, I compared them with the Capes and the printings are nearly identical to the word and page numbers and true facsimiles.