Craig's White Jacket
CmdrAtticus
United StatesPosts: 1,102MI6 Agent
Though I can appreciate EON for getting Bond back into a white dinner jacket, I personally dislike that they once again have Bond wearing a boutonnière.
They did the same thing with Connery in GF (and repeated it in his black jacket in DAF).
I was disappointed by this because I thought they were trying to bring the character back to the darker roots of the novels with the reboot, and though I don't recall Bond wearing a white jacket in the novels, I can't imagine him having a boutonnière. According to Fleming, the character had a dislike for flowers. Not so much when it came to the world of women, but in the masculine world and his in particular. I seriously doubt if Bond would have had a bouquet anywhere in his flat (nor even a painting with them in it), though I could certainly have seen him get into a heated argument with Tiffany Case trying to bring in an arrangement when she was living with him!
I know this is probably only a minor issue or even a non-issue for most, but it's one of those little nagging slivers that gets in my finger and annoys me when I can see it. The idea of Bond sporting a large red flower on his label seems out of character for me, particularly since EON is supposed to be keeping his roots in the novels.
They did the same thing with Connery in GF (and repeated it in his black jacket in DAF).
I was disappointed by this because I thought they were trying to bring the character back to the darker roots of the novels with the reboot, and though I don't recall Bond wearing a white jacket in the novels, I can't imagine him having a boutonnière. According to Fleming, the character had a dislike for flowers. Not so much when it came to the world of women, but in the masculine world and his in particular. I seriously doubt if Bond would have had a bouquet anywhere in his flat (nor even a painting with them in it), though I could certainly have seen him get into a heated argument with Tiffany Case trying to bring in an arrangement when she was living with him!
I know this is probably only a minor issue or even a non-issue for most, but it's one of those little nagging slivers that gets in my finger and annoys me when I can see it. The idea of Bond sporting a large red flower on his label seems out of character for me, particularly since EON is supposed to be keeping his roots in the novels.
Comments
However, Bond wouldn't wear a flashy example that looks like a cheap rental. The silk facings and trimmings on the white dinner jacket are a 1970s or 1980s invention. The dinner jacket also has 2 buttons and likely a single vent.
Two completely different times and eras. Trying to make Fleming's Bond relevant in today's day and age would see him locked up for sexual harassment in the workplace.
Bond: “I must be dreaming.”
Always interpreted him wearing that white dinner jacket in the Thunder Ball novel as a disguise of sorts. Even remember a mention of the wine red cumberbun being a flashy touch so he looked like a rich prospector for Largo, if memory serves me correct. Of course, I'm of the belief that Bond's disguises are influenced by his own personal style, except of course in the Live and Let Die novel when he was basically forced into being "Americanized", though, even then, he is described as stipulating the terms of his wardrobe agreement. I like the GF white dinner jacket and have always been a fan of the flower, but that's likely due to nostalgia. I m glad to see Craig in a white dinner jacket and like it a lot, but I don't have as sharp an eye for formal style as you do though Matt (slowly working on that though). If I ever do achieve a more professional view on formal dress atire, I might agree that the Craig dinner jacket is flawed in all the ways I've seen you mention throughout the forum, as I seem to have a different opinion every week as my understanding of style keeps growing. Just thought I would add the bit about the Thunderball white dinner jacket possibly being a disguise for completeness.
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The cummerbund was suggested to be disguise ("Bond had pointed up his rich, property-seeking status with a wine-red cummerbund."), but I don't recall anything about the white dinner jacket being a disguise. It's was a standard thing for the British to wear in their tropical colonies. It's not like the straight up disguises in Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only and You Only Live Twice. Whenever Fleming dressed Bond in a way that he wouldn't ordinarily, he made it obvious. So I think the white dinner jacket was Bond's own, and I don't think there's any reason Bond wouldn't wear one.
There are some things literary Bond wears I wouldn't. There is one thing cinematic Bond wore I definitely wouldn't. (Blue romper suit. = Yuk!)
Although its not a traditional look, I think cream satin on a tux jacket of that tone can work. I have one myself.
Cummerbunds come in varying shapes and extreme colours. red is not an issue, and I have a navy one. There are far worse colours and patterns out there!
As to Mr Craig - I haven't seen him wear anything as 007 that does not look right on him. - A very 007 trend. ( The Suits two sizes two small excepted of course!) The only real frustration is the characters wardrobe far outweighs credible pocket.
Whats the issue with a boutonniere? I think it adds a classic touch.
I happen to agree with you, but I just wanted to point out to CmdrAtticis that the white dinner jacket is assumed to be apart of Bond's personal wardrobe and is not explicitly stated as such (like his blue worsted suite). Certainly Bond emphasizes his dinner jacket with the cummerbund, but if we assume that the white dinner jacket is a part of his own personal wardrobe then we must also assume one of two things:
1. The cummerbund is also apart of his own personal wardrobe.
2. The cummerbund is not part of his personal wardrobe and he bought it for the sole purpose of using it as a disguise at some point before or during his Thunderball operation.
Recall that M tells Bond that, "your a rich young man looking for some property in the islands. That will give you an excuse to do as much prospecting as you want". My point is, Bond knows his disguise from the get go and packs accordingly. Whether or not the dinner jacket and the cummerbund are parts of his own personal wardrobe for formal occasions is an assumption.
I agree that everything you mentioned points towards Bond's dinner jacket as being part of his own personal wardrobe, and that is my personal belief as well, but I just wanted to clarify for CmdrAtticis that this conclusion is an assumption, which was not mentioned in your original post. The assumption is further strengthened by he knowledge that Bond does not like flash clothing. Heck, it is even possible that the cummerbund is a part of his wardrobe in that it is a relic of his more flashy youth, though there isn't much evidence for this theory.
I just love theorizing about the literary Bond's clothing. So, I hope I didn't come off as an ass, as this was not my intention.
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Ha! I'm from Florida, so it's hot as hell most of the time and I have never had an occasion to dress up in anything more formal than an interview suite. Honestly don't know the first thing about cummerbunds, just assumed the red wine color was flashy due to the way it was referenced as making him apear more rich. As I said, I'm still working on my understanding of suites and formal wear, so it's always great to hear your opinion as you are well known as being pretty much the foremost authority on suites and formal wear on this forum, especially Bond's. Glad you pointed out the Drax and Lippe thing. That's an important distinction to make, that Bond doesn't like to dress flashy but can appreciate it. I always did find it contradictory that he appreciated their clothing but wouldn't wear those clothes himself, but your distintiction makes it more clear to me now.
Given that TSWLM was written from the point of view of the girl, I know there is a theory floating around that she might have mistaken his normal blue suite for alpaca. Not really sure if alpaca is light weight or similar in appearance to his usual worsted blue suite though. Have not dived too far into that theory yet.
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There's no mistaking alpaca for tropical wool. They are very different, especially with wool from the 1960s. Sheep now have been bred to produce finer wool that has more in common with alpaca wool, but in the 1960s the two were very distinct. It could be mistaken for cashmere or something else very fine and luxurious, but not an ordinary tropical wool suit. If she thought it looked like alpaca, it had to be something luxurious.
Also, Bond wears suits and stays in hotel suites.
I think the Brioni dinner jacket from Casino Royale has better proportioned peaked lapels
Hahahahah! Thanks for pointing that out. I would like to blame the misspelling on my iPhone, but I wouldn't have seen the difference anyway. I'm an engineer, so as the saying goes:
I'm an engeneer... Enginere.. Engenere... I'm good at math.
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+1
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I also don't have an issue with Bond wearing anything flashy like a boutonnière if he is undercover and using is as part of his disguise. Would he have had a white dinner jacket in his personal wardrobe? I would think so as it's been pointed out this was routine formal wear in the tropics back then. However, I still don't think he would sport a boutonnière if he was dressing this way and was not on an assignment.
Personally, I prefer this attached photo of Connery.
The cummerbund came up because that's what Bond wears with his white dinner jacket in the Thunderball novel. Your original post was about not only the boutonniere, but also the dinner jacket. Since you thought a flower was too flashy for Bond, someone else brought up that a wine red cummerbund could be too flashy for Bond. I see it as relevant to the discussion.
That still of Connery is from Woman of Straw, the film for which the Goldfinger dinner jacket (and most of the suits in Goldfinger) was originally made for.
Did you get this from a flemming interview or from the novels? I've never come across this, and would be very interested in finding out where it comes from.
All the talk about the white dinner jacket in the Thunderball novel got me thinking that I remembered Domino asking Bond to wear a flower when they met so she could recognize him; so, I found the passage in the book, shortly before the mention of the dinner jacket:
"But how would she be able to recognize him in the casino? She had a very poor memory for faces. Would he perhaps wear a flower in his buttonhole or something? Bond had laughed. He said that would be alright. He would remember her by her beautiful blue eyes. They were unforgettable."
If what you say is true, then maybe he rejected the flower idea because of is dislike for flowers and not just as an excuse to flirt with Domino.
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Fleming's good friend Ivar Bryce recalled Ian’s almost paradoxical attitude towards flowers:
“Everything grows so fast in Jamaica, it is a gardener’s paradise. But Ian was no gardener and had an actual dislike of flowers – flowers out of their natural habitat, that is – in the house, for instance. He hated pot plants and flower arrangements and bunches of blooms, just as he hated flower beds he called ‘kitten’s graves’ – and artfully planted pathways and herbaceous borders.”
“He loved big trees, however, and night-scented shrubs and flowers with nectar that attracted hummingbirds. He grew proud of a few special species which grew naturally and boasted impressive names, which he could memorize. The most interesting species, and the most abundant, seemed to be the sensitive plant ‘mimosa pudica‘, that little weed that spreads its tiny fronds over the six inch petals with leaflets spread to catch the sun, and which at the gentlest touch folds every leaf, like a miniature butterfly its wings, and drops its fronds flat to the ground, inconspicuous to the eye of the disturber.”
Fleming actually wrote that James Bond didn’t like flowers in a room in Casino Royale (1953) when Bond was recuperating after his torture at the hands of Le Chiffre. Fleming was heard to have said: “it only mattered whether or not they bit or stung, whether they smelled good or bad.”
There is a rather interesting section in Moonraker is where Bond and Gala Brand are walking along the beach near Dover. Gala picks a flower whereupon Bond talks about flowers being able to feel pain, scream and bleed. Gala responds that Bond has made her feel like a murderer. Bond takes the flower from Gala and puts it in his lapel, saying:
“What’s a little more blood on my hands. You said I’m covered with it already.”
Nice breakdown on the flemming and Bond connection with flowers/plants. The whole plot point regarding poisonous plants in YOLT has a whole new perspective to me now. Very cool CR and MR references. I'll have to look those back up. I had totally forgotten about those instances.
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So it seems that Fleming's Bond is willing to wear a flower for a lady. It will be interesting to see if they give a reason for wearing the flower in Spectre.
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Quoted in the Daily Mail, TF says the Spectre DJ is a 'windsor ivory viscose faille dinner jacket with peak lapel, single back vent and ivory grosgrain details'.
ladies night (weekend) ,and as the master of the lodge,(freemasons) it is the privilege to wear,the white tux. SB 1 button ,no vent ,shawl collar ,very Connery , by time I put it together with my Hackett Marcella shirt bespoke DJ trousers , Rolex ,tiffany cuff links ,and of course my medals , no one new it was a M@S jacket ,it did the job all for under £60-00 ,result
I'm sad to hear my suspicions of a single vent were confirmed.
It's a shawl collar from moss bros and the outfit new would be £200. It had been worn once and was a bargain. It looks great on my cruise and with black cummerbund and medals looks fantastic.
I may also wear mine to my ladies night in 2018 when I'm master. Until then I wear my black dinner jacket.