Is this the Skyfall outfit the most influential, ever?
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Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
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Bond Collectors' Weekends
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The author seriously think's Bond's most influential outfit, is a modern designer label take on a Scottish Gamekeeper*, minus a hat?!
Not to mention Bond is seen wearing it through the most implausable action/survival scenes since DAD's CGI glut?
Urgh. Its not even either a stylish nor functional look. - Very poor (ie stupid) journalisim.
*As observed by a Scot who grew up in a rural highland area.
Cheers :007)
+ 1 agreed - one of the best looks of the recent films IMO and easily the one I’ve worn the most (especially given the British weather at the moment
Did QoS really bring back the cardigan? That's very interesting. As someone wasn't into Bond back when QoS was out, I always imagined (as I still do today) that cardigans have always been a very "hipster" or European (I don't mean to tie those two things together in any way) clothing style.... I bought the Urban Outfitters alternate for $20 after Christmas but I just can't imagine myself ever wearing it. (I'd rather it lay in the closet untouched than me regretting not getting a Bond item for so cheap. lol)
But most influential? Surely the GF grey suit is up there and how many dinner suits has James Bond help shift.
I wouldn't classify cords as jeans as the article did. I could see the Scotland outfit popular in areas with actual weather. So while not influential with me I can entertain the idea.
The cords are jean-style and called "jeans" by the makers. But I agree. Calling them "jeans" without the "corduroy" modifier is just wrong, since "jeans" alone without a modifier means denim.
Having said that SF did introduce Barbour into my wardrobe also. Can't argue with the influential nature of that film either.
I think the author of the GQ article gets most of the reasons why the Skyfall “Barbour” look remains popular and influential: it’s practical, it’s relatively accessible from a price perspective, and it appeals to fans of different “styles”: heritage/classic, street, workwear. But I think he's wrong about one important factor: it is a very unique look.
Most men are familiar with tuxedos and suits. Same with the popular looks from QoS. The shawl cardigan, Harrington, and suede chukkas are items most viewers were already familiar with, whether because of the McQueen connection or because of articles of clothing already on the market (the Baracuta G9, Clarks desert boots, grandpa’s cardi). When movie goers first saw those looks, they had a frame of reference: “That looks like X, but cooler!”
But a tailored, waxed cotton “sport coat”? I would guess that most people familiar with Barbours and waxed cotton jackets before SF (outside the UK at least) thought of them as “those baggy, boxy things people with horses wear”. The SF one was truly different. Add in the slim fit corduroy jeans and heavy wingtip boots and you have a look that many people had not only never seen on Bond, but hadn’t really seen anywhere before. “Cool British Hunting Kit” isn’t a costume description that comes up very often.
There are other factors of course. The outfit was worn for a long time in one of the most popular Bond films in the franchise’s history. And Bond was doing “cool” stuff while wearing it: stalking around an abandoned Scottish country estate, setting traps, fighting an army of mercenaries with his DB5 and a shotgun, blowing things up. Plus, the cinematography by Roger Deakins was beautiful. We also need to consider access to the internet, the rise of social media, and how easily and quickly a photo or film clip could reach a large number of people. It’s almost like that look became a men’s style meme.
I agree that Bond’s GF suit and the tuxedo remain his most “iconic” looks. But in terms of influencing the way many men today dress in their day-to-day lives, I can see why the SF Barbour look is near the top of the list.
Just my opinion!
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I spotted the presenter on Countyfile wearing one this weekend: they're still a hit!
Still, I agree with what canoe2 said. "Cool British Hunting Kit" can be a great look, but I haven't seen anyone wear a version of it as well as Craig does in the movie.
As far as most influential outfit in film history? Off the top of my head, I think that Brando in the "Wild One" had a little something to do with popularizing the leather jacket. But what do I know? I'm not a writer for GQ.
The funny thing is that it's not what Craig wore that was so influential but what the poster designer created. James Bond has been wearing midnight blue dinner suits frequently ever since Dr. No. The midnight blue dinner suit at the opera in Quantum of Solace had little impact. But whoever created the Skyfall poster really intensified the blues to turn the midnight blue suit into royal blue. Then people started wearing royal blue evening wear all because of the poster. The poster made this style such an easy reference point, and remember seeing it everywhere I turned when the film came out. Without the poster, people would have thought he was wearing a black dinner suit in the film, just as they always have thought despite midnight blue being Bond's usual colour for his dinner jackets. Also because of the poster, people thought that "midnight blue" was a bright blue. I've never seen a royal blue sky at midnight! Midnight blue doesn't draw attention, and it's supposed to look black at night. In the nighttime scenes in Skyfall, it does in fact look black.
You're absolutely right!
There’s been a few posts on this problem and you are not alone.
If I remember right this particular jacket has a membrane under the waxed cotton. And so it’s like wearing a plastic bag. No breathing.
I suffer just like you, so for me it’s a cold weather jacket only to avoid the excess sweating...
I concur. I also experience a "clammy" feeling wearing this coat when the it is not too cold.
I think i remember a member here talking about removing the membrane from the coat. Is that even possible?