Skyfall Istanbul grey sharkskin suit alternatives

DB6

Anyone know of a good alternative to the TF suit in the Istanbul opening sequences from Skyfall?

I'm considering getting a MTM if I can't find a decent RTW suit - its usually hard to find one that has enough of the details.

I'd love to hear opinions and experiences.

Thanks

Agent Double-O Daniel

Dufus wrote:

Anyone know of a good alternative to the TF suit in the Istanbul opening sequences from Skyfall?

I'm considering getting a MTM if I can't find a decent RTW suit - its usually hard to find one that has enough of the details.

I'd love to hear opinions and experiences.

Thanks

Well I can't speak of the quality but Oliver Wicks has a few suits that look quite a bit like some of the Bond suits. They have a grey pick and pick which seems to be pretty close. I'm actually thinking of getting that one eventually. They also have a blue Prince of Wales (Spectre PTS) and one that looks like the brown suit from the QoS Bolivia airport scene. What is nice about them is you can have several of the details added to the suits to make them more like the TF suits. Such as lapel selection, single or double vents, slant or straight pockets, ticket pocket and 1,2,or 3 buttons , double breasted or 3 roll 2 as well as a full canvas option. And then you can choose to have side adjusters on the pants.

I'm sure our man Mr. Matt Spaiser could give some insight on this.

Good luck and please share pics of which ever one you go with. Cheers. -{

Daniel

Matt S

I'd recommend going to Mason & Sons for a suit. They have a grey sharkskin suit ready-to-wear, but the jacket style is a bit more Connery than Craig, though the trousers are very Craig-styled. Through Special Order they can make you something very close to the Skyfall style. Oliver Wicks in my experience will not come so close. You get what you pay for.

DB6

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have a Mason & Sons conduit cut suit in navy but was looking for something closer to the more 'modern' cut of the Skyfall suit for some variety in my wardrobe.

I'll drop them an email and see what can be done.

Matt S

Dufus wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have a Mason & Sons conduit cut suit in navy but was looking for something closer to the more 'modern' cut of the Skyfall suit for some variety in my wardrobe.

I'll drop them an email and see what can be done.

The Mason & Sons ready-to-wear and Special Order suits already have a much more modern cut than the suits Connery wore. The Skyfall suits don't have any more modern of a cut than the Mason & Sons suits in a "Slim" fitting. To get the Skyfall look from them all you need to do is wear a size too small. You can get the narrower lapels in Special Order from them.

When I tried on the Spectre model at Tom Ford in my usual 38 R, it fit very well in a traditional sense. When I tried on the 36 R I got the look that Craig wears. There's nothing about the cut that makes the Tom Ford suits more modern; it's that Craig is wearing a 38 when he really needs a 40.

DB6

Thanks for the insight Matt, much appreciated.

I thought the jacket was cut shorter but the 'one size down' explains that. I really like my conduit cut suit although my one reservation is that the fabric between the two vents (so the centre piece/flap - must have a name I'm sure!) tends to protrude - it sort of life up - as I have what may be described as an 'sprinters butt'. I wondered whether a single vent would help resolve this although I have read conflicting opinions on what would remedy this; single or double vent.

I also wonder whether tailors shudder when asked for suits that really don't fit well in the name of a hobby....... 8-)

frommeyer

Dufus wrote:

I also wonder whether tailors shudder when asked for suits that really don't fit well in the name of a hobby....... 8-)

My tailor's primary focus is bespoke suits and he claims he's turned clients away after requesting a too tight cut. He doesn't want his name on the look. Not sure how I feel about that personally but, by way of answering whether or not some some shudder, yes. Or at least one guy has a emotional reaction to the request.

Matt S

Dufus wrote:

Thanks for the insight Matt, much appreciated.

I thought the jacket was cut shorter but the 'one size down' explains that. I really like my conduit cut suit although my one reservation is that the fabric between the two vents (so the centre piece/flap - must have a name I'm sure!) tends to protrude - it sort of life up - as I have what may be described as an 'sprinters butt'. I wondered whether a single vent would help resolve this although I have read conflicting opinions on what would remedy this; single or double vent.

I also wonder whether tailors shudder when asked for suits that really don't fit well in the name of a hobby....... 8-)

There's no stylistic solution for the seat of the jacket not fitting well. Double vents and single vents both spread open when the seat is too tight, while a jacket with no vent that is too tight in the seat will pull against the seat and spread open in the front. Was your suit from Mason ready-to-wear or special order? I suspect that in Special Order they should be able to fix this.

I know that suits that are too tight are not the Masons' taste, but they've done it for people.

nafets47

RLBL has a similar cut and has the Sharkskin grey. -{

DB6

nafets47 wrote:

RLBL has a similar cut and has the Sharkskin grey. -{

I’ve not tried any RLBL - what is the quality like? Says it uses canvas in the jacket construction.

MFisher

I have used Oliver Wicks now for three different suits... The great part is being able to get the details correct.. The ONLY thing they have yet to add as an option is the barchetta styled breast pockets.. which is too bad.. but every one I have picked up has been fantastic.. They have one pattern which matches the SPECTRE opening scene quite nicely... as well as the grey pick and pick you are after.

nafets47

RLBL is one of the best suiits available in a middle range. RLPL is up there with Tom Ford, and RLBL is under that.

I have owned both and RLBL is one of my favorites, I just like TF more.

Matt S

nafets47 wrote:

RLBL is one of the best suiits available in a middle range. RLPL is up there with Tom Ford, and RLBL is under that.

I have owned both and RLBL is one of my favorites, I just like TF more.

Are you talking about Ralph Lauren Black Label? Sadly that line went away a few years ago. They also were a high-end suit, definitely not middle range.

nafets47

Yes Ralph Lauren Black Label.

Oh, really? Wow, what a surprise. Swore they were middle range, guess I dont know what that is )

You can still find their items on ebay, grailed, and styleforum if you look.

Matt S

nafets47 wrote:

Yes Ralph Lauren Black Label.

Oh, really? Wow, what a surprise. Swore they were middle range, guess I dont know what that is )

You can still find their items on ebay, grailed, and styleforum if you look.

Compared to Tom Ford, which has the quality of a proper bespoke suit, they're middle range. The same way that a Mercedes-Benz S-Class is middle-range to someone who only drives Bentleys. RLBL suits have a full canvas, they're made of high-quality materials and a considerable amount of development was put into their cuts. That makes them high-end suits, especially since they're better-made than at least 90% of suits out there.

JamesJohnB

Matt S. beat me to it on the recommendation of Mason & Sons, grey conduit cut suit. I have the TF Skyfall grey suit (and the TF Spectre midnight blue suit MTM) and prefer Mason & Sons suits over TF personally.

DB6

I can see a ‘Polo I’ which looks to be very similar to the Skyfall suit. Description says canvas is used in the construction but I’m assuming by the price - £595 - it’s not black label. Feeling like it’s worth spending the extra on a made to measure

Matt S

Dufus wrote:

I can see a ‘Polo I’ which looks to be very similar to the Skyfall suit. Description says canvas is used in the construction but I’m assuming by the price - £595 - it’s not black label. Feeling like it’s worth spending the extra on a made to measure

Polo is a lower line from Black Label (and it keeps getting lower), and you're not going to find Black Label on the Ralph Lauren website anyway since it was discontinued a few years ago. I don't know how much canvas is in the jacket, but I would assume half canvas at that price. That last time I believe Polo did full-canvas ready-to-wear suits was in the mid-1990s. This is also a button-two jacket instead of button-three like in Skyfall, and the silhouette of the jacket is completely different. Mason & Sons can still get you closer (and make you a better suit) with Special Order.

DB6

Thanks Matt, appreciate your insight and thoughts.

I’ve been in touch with Elliott at Mason and Sons -{