Top 5 Bond Suits/Outfits
Agent Lee
Posts: 254MI6 Agent
There have been plenty of threads on this site about Bond's suits and outfits. But I'm surious to see what your Top 5 Favorite Bond Suits or Outfits are. Bond has had so many great suits and outfits over the years that it's difficult to even narrow it down to five, but let's give it a shot. I'll start...
1. George Lazenby - Glen Check Suit w/ Blue Overcheck - OHMSS
George Lazenby's wardrobe in OHMSS is easily my favorite of the series. The perfect balance between classic and modern is found in the cut and fit of the suits, and Lazenby wears every outfit with total confidence and style (yes, there's the kilt, but all of his suits are incredible and easily make up for it). My favorite of all the suits is the glen check with a blue overcheck that Bond wears in Bern, Switzerland. Combined with the light blue shirt and navy tie, its a perfect suit IMO. If I could pick any Bond suit to own for myself, THIS would be it.
2. Daniel Craig - Blue Prince of Wales Suit - Spectre
Craig's suits in SF and Spectre are divisive. Whether you love or hate Craig's look in his last two films depends entirely on whether or not you approve of the contemporary shrunken suit trend in men's fashion. As a farily fashion-forward person, I'm a big fan, and I tend to wear my suits and business casual wear according to this trend. Craig's blue suit in Spectre's PTS is my absolute favorite outfit of Craig's (though I think a blue shirt instead of a white one would have improved it). It's a beautiful color, and it's just the kind of fashion-forward fit that I enjoy in today's suits.
3. Sean Connery - Blue Herringbone Tweed Sports Coat - Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again isn't great, but one of its virtues is Connery's wardrobe, which evokes the classic, understated look of Bond's roots. Connery wears a blue herringbone tweed sports coat twice in the film, once in M's office with a blue shirt and tie, and the other when he arrives at Shrublands, with a grey poloneck. In both outfits Connery looks great, and showcases the versatility of the coat.
4. Sean Connery - Glen Check Suit - From Russia with Love
Connery's grey three-piece in GF is the most iconic Bond suit, but when I think of Connery's Bond, I always think of the classic, understated suits he wears in FRWL. The glen check in Istanbul is the best of them, worn brilliantly with a blue shirt and brown trilby. Connery emulates cold, collected, Bondian confidence and style perfectly in this suit.
5. George Lazenby - Cream Suit - OHMSS
My second favorite suit in Lazenby's OHMSS wardrobe, the cream suit is a beautiful piece, paired magnificently with a pink shirt and blue tie. The white shoes Lazenby wears with the suit are a bold choice, but one that pays off IMO. I'm a fan of pretty much every cream suit that Bond wears throughout the series, but this one (the first one) is definitely my favorite.
Honorable Mentions: Roger Moore - Checked Sports Coat - TMWTGG and Cream Suit - Moonraker
I'm already cheating by deviating from my own parameters a bit, but I couldn't start this thread without including Roger Moore in the discussion. Most fans likely prefer the classic style of Moore's 80's suits, but my two favorite Moore outfits both come from the fashion-forward style of Moore's 70's clothes. The checked sports coat Moore wears to Scaramanga's island always sticks out to me as a bold, elegant piece, and the Rio cream suit in Moonraker is beautifully worn with an open collared darker tan shirt that works well with Moore's warm complexion.
1. George Lazenby - Glen Check Suit w/ Blue Overcheck - OHMSS
George Lazenby's wardrobe in OHMSS is easily my favorite of the series. The perfect balance between classic and modern is found in the cut and fit of the suits, and Lazenby wears every outfit with total confidence and style (yes, there's the kilt, but all of his suits are incredible and easily make up for it). My favorite of all the suits is the glen check with a blue overcheck that Bond wears in Bern, Switzerland. Combined with the light blue shirt and navy tie, its a perfect suit IMO. If I could pick any Bond suit to own for myself, THIS would be it.
2. Daniel Craig - Blue Prince of Wales Suit - Spectre
Craig's suits in SF and Spectre are divisive. Whether you love or hate Craig's look in his last two films depends entirely on whether or not you approve of the contemporary shrunken suit trend in men's fashion. As a farily fashion-forward person, I'm a big fan, and I tend to wear my suits and business casual wear according to this trend. Craig's blue suit in Spectre's PTS is my absolute favorite outfit of Craig's (though I think a blue shirt instead of a white one would have improved it). It's a beautiful color, and it's just the kind of fashion-forward fit that I enjoy in today's suits.
3. Sean Connery - Blue Herringbone Tweed Sports Coat - Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again isn't great, but one of its virtues is Connery's wardrobe, which evokes the classic, understated look of Bond's roots. Connery wears a blue herringbone tweed sports coat twice in the film, once in M's office with a blue shirt and tie, and the other when he arrives at Shrublands, with a grey poloneck. In both outfits Connery looks great, and showcases the versatility of the coat.
4. Sean Connery - Glen Check Suit - From Russia with Love
Connery's grey three-piece in GF is the most iconic Bond suit, but when I think of Connery's Bond, I always think of the classic, understated suits he wears in FRWL. The glen check in Istanbul is the best of them, worn brilliantly with a blue shirt and brown trilby. Connery emulates cold, collected, Bondian confidence and style perfectly in this suit.
5. George Lazenby - Cream Suit - OHMSS
My second favorite suit in Lazenby's OHMSS wardrobe, the cream suit is a beautiful piece, paired magnificently with a pink shirt and blue tie. The white shoes Lazenby wears with the suit are a bold choice, but one that pays off IMO. I'm a fan of pretty much every cream suit that Bond wears throughout the series, but this one (the first one) is definitely my favorite.
Honorable Mentions: Roger Moore - Checked Sports Coat - TMWTGG and Cream Suit - Moonraker
I'm already cheating by deviating from my own parameters a bit, but I couldn't start this thread without including Roger Moore in the discussion. Most fans likely prefer the classic style of Moore's 80's suits, but my two favorite Moore outfits both come from the fashion-forward style of Moore's 70's clothes. The checked sports coat Moore wears to Scaramanga's island always sticks out to me as a bold, elegant piece, and the Rio cream suit in Moonraker is beautifully worn with an open collared darker tan shirt that works well with Moore's warm complexion.
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My top 5 are (they change sometimes):
1. George Lazenby's navy herringbone three-piece suit by Dimi Major in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It's such a classic suit, though I'd switch the shirt and tie to any of the blue cocktail cuff shirts and blue grenadine ties Connery wore.
2. George Lazenby's glen check suit by Dimi Major in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I like the added interest the blue overcheck gives the suit. Connery's five glen checks suits all have no overcheck, which means that they pair more easily with a variety of shirts and ties, but Lazenby's checked suit is just more fun. And I prefer the sharper cut of Lazenby's suits over Connery's.
3. Roger Moore's marine blue suit by Cyril Castle in The Man with the Golden Gun. It's the perfect suit for special occasions in the evening, and I love the flared link-button cuffs on the jacket. The blue cocktail cuff shirt from Frank Foster that he wears with it is perfect.
4. Sean Connery's midnight blue dinner suit by Anthony Sinclair in Dr. No. It's the classic Bond dinner suit, with a shapely shawl collar, silk gauntlet cuffs and double vents at the rear. It was a close pick between this one and the one in Thunderball, because I prefer the simpler self-stripe shirt in Thunderball with cocktail cuffs (it's the essence of Bond style), even though the pleated shirt with double cuffs in Dr. No is more traditional. But the details on the suit in Dr. No are why that one wins.
5. Roger Moore's navy chesterfield overcoat and navy suit, both by Cyril Castle, from Live and Let Die. The coat hasn't dated a bit. I love the gauntlet cuffs, and Moore wears another one of my favourite blue cocktail cuff shirts from Frank Foster. The royal navy tie should really be a staple for Bond.
Not one of these outfits is exactly the way I would wear one, but these are some of my favourites. Runners up include anything tailored clothes from Dr. No and From Russia with Love, the three-piece grey glen check suit from Goldfinger, the dark grey flannel three-piece suit from Thunderball, George Lazenby's double-breasted navy blazer and double-breasted navy overcoat that he wears to M's home, Roger Moore's ivory silk dinner jacket from The Man with the Golden Gun, Roger Moore's ivory linen dinner jacket in Octopussy (so much better than the one in Goldfinger), Pierce Brosnan's midnight blue three-piece dinner suit in Tomorrow Never Dies (it has an incredible double-breasted waistcoat).
At least please move it to the clothing - erm - mem & coll & clothing section 8-)
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Needless to say, I would've worn these suits the same way as all of the Bond's did. All of these are fine choices but I think that for...
1. Connery's monochrome blue suit from From Russia With Love/Goldfinger. The epitome of minimalism and one of the best examples of "less is more". This blue suit gives a serious, office appropriate look to Bond, while not looking old and boring like Moore's pinstripes from Moonraker-View To a Kill. I would wear this suit in a heartbeat.
2. Moore's "cool" grey suit in The Man With The Golden Gun. Even if Castle has been criticised for the athletic look that he gave Moore, I quite like it. While some details like the wide lapels and the "bootcut" pants age it they look quite appealing and I would prefer these over the shrunken look of todays suits. A wonderful outfit that wins out over the cream suit from Moonraker. The only thing missing is a folded white handkerchief. This suit probably inspired another favourite of mine, the Burn Notice grey suit.
3. Connery's flannel chalk stripe suit in From Russia With Love. The suit itself is a classic, timeless allrounder. Although I would've preferred wider lapels than what most of Connery's Sinclair suits have in the 60's, this is a diverse and understated outfit. Very fitting for a man who has to blend in like Bond. The ecru shirt/handkerchief bring a nice twist that look good on Connery's complexion. This list also had to include a striped suit so that every type of suit would be covered.
4. Moore's navy blazer from Moonraker/Spy Who Loved Me. Even if this list includes very dark suits, I think that this blazer matched with cream pants bring another good colour to this sartorial palette. The striped shirt matched with the lovely silk tie give this suit a playful attitude, and one that's needed in Moore's less serious films.
5. Brosnan's charcoal suit in The World is Not Enough. Some fans would normally off this as a "disguise" and makes Bond look like a faceless banker in a Brioni suit (not Bond). I would normally agree but everything from the Jensen cufflinks to the light blue shirt matched with a very interesting tie ranks this look among my favourites of the series. But if I'm going to be honest, I would probably ditch the belt and make the pants with side adjusters (even if they saved Bond's life).
I'm sure that Lazenby's suits are well tailored but they were overshadowed by Lazenby himself, for me at least
Also, keep up the good work Matt and thanks for making me notice details on Bond's suits over the years. It's something that will last me a lifetime on any suit that I see. When will you get around to the villain's wardrobes?
Some excellent choices! And thanks for reading my blog! I have already written about a great many villains on my blog. See here for breakdowns of over 40 villainous outfits: http://www.bondsuits.com/category/villain/
What about this suit is not in good taste? If you picked out the cool grey suit as one of your favourites, what's wrong with the navy suit? It's made in the same style, just with slightly narrower lapels and likely belt-less trousers. http://www.bondsuits.com/navy-in-new-york/
Was hoping you would comment on this thread Matt S. To clarify, the glen check worn at Hagia Sophia is also the one I prefer, I think.
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I really should've added this one to my honorable mentions because it's a beautiful suit. The color is great and I like the cut because it's 70's but not aggressively 70's like Angelo Roma's cuts.
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1. George Lazenby reading the Playboy- The Glen Check Suit with a Blue Overcheck. If I was picking out any suit for myself I would want this. I have a similar frame to George and it just looks like a great fit.
2. Sean Connery in FRWL - Warm-Weather Glen Check Suit in Istanbul. Classic. This is how Bond should look.
3. Roger Moore pheasant hunting scene in MR- The Donegal tweed with the brown suede elbow patches. Love the elbow patches. Looks like a great outfit for the countryside.
4. Sean Connery YOLT - Pink linen shirt and those trousers. It's been said that real men wear pink. I tried to copy this outfit once. Sanchez in LTK wears something similar, no?
5. Roger Moore arrives in Venice in MR- Grey silk suit. Just in general I like the grey or tan suits best. Roger looked SMOOTH in this suit.
Honorable Mentions:
Roger Moore in TMWTGG- Light cool grey silk suit. Again, I just like grey the best.
Roger Moore in AVTAK- The Tan Gabardine Suit in San Francisco. Roger has some surprisingly cool outfits in AVTAK, but this suit is my favorite of the bunch.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
I would've swapped out Roger's to Dalton's Gabardine suit, it worked better sans tie and fit Dalton's complexion, it's just a shame it wasn't tailored.
I don't know about the Venice suit, it's a bit too blue-ish for me and the tie doesn't work in my opinion.
Apart from that, excellent choices.
It's not at all blue-ish. It's more of a warm grey with a slight hint of orange, and you can see that in the outdoor shots. Indoors it looks like a pure grey. I think the tie is perfect with it! That tie goes with just about everything.
http://www.bondsuits.com/the-elephant-grey-silk-suit-in-moonraker/
2. Skyfall London bunker suit
3. Skyfall Barbour outfit
4. From Russia With Love train suit
5. From Russia With Love Venice suit
The orange probably stems from the direct sunlight on it.
I was thinking of Bond sneaking up on doctor Goodhead around the city when I typed blue-ish. It's probably the silk reflecting the light on it that made me feel that way.
I'm still unsure about the tie, it sure is versatile, as you said but I would've opted for a solid tie rather than a patterned one. I think that it would've matched up better with a darker suit (not an option as it was probably very warm there). Come to think of it, is this the first patterned tie (apart from stripes) that Bond had worn?
QOS Bolivia Sill Mohair suit.
Thunderball Pick and Pick Junkanoo suit.
Spectre PTS Windowpane suit.
From Russia with Love M's office Suit.
The navy tie with a light grey suit is classic Bond style! You should be complaining about what Connery wears in every film instead. The suit is silk, so it's not particularly good for hot weather, but it's perfect for the Mediterranean climate in Venice.
It's not the first patterned tie. The first is the tie Bond wears with his dark grey silk suit on the train in Live and Let Die. The crocodile-patterned tie in Live and Let Die could also count, though it's a different kind of pattern.
I liked the consistency of Connery's wardrobe, even if it eventually got a bit boring. That said, I love the details from his suits and as you said in your post on Connery, he stood out with cocktail cuffs, not with his ties.
1. Goldfinger - The 3 piece suit. Yes, he looks like a banker, but man does Connery wear that suit! http://www.bondsuits.com/goldfinger-suit-article-updated/
2. Goldfinger - Blue suit when picking up the DB5. An iconic scene and I like that Connery wears a knitted tie. http://www.bondsuits.com/could-it-be-herringbone-flannel/
3. OHMSS - The break in scene at Gumbolds. Love this suit, just like most of you here it seems. http://www.bondsuits.com/the-glen-check-suit-with-a-blue-overcheck-in-on-her-majestys-secret-service/
4. TWINE - The 'banker' suit of Brosnan is beautiful. Brosnan was made to wear suits, he always looked the business. http://www.bondsuits.com/charcoal-suit-in-bilbao-in-the-world-is-not-enough/
5. FRWL - He wears some great suits here: the charcoal at arrival, the blue suit in venice. But my favourite of this movie is the grey suit right after the bombing at Kerim's office. http://www.bondsuits.com/a-glen-urquhart-check-suit-for-spring-in-from-russia-with-love/
1. Connery 2. Craig 3. Brosnan 4. Dalton 5. Lazenby 6. Moore
1. Connery 2. Craig 3. Brosnan 4. Dalton 5. Lazenby 6. Moore
But a poorly dressed banker too, unless he was off duty. Bond doesn't start dressing like a banker until OHMSS.