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To me, that accessibility is a bit of a problem, when looking at Bond for style inspiration. Or "accessibility" is the wrong word. The "normality"?
What I mean is: The things Craig wears are not often stand-out pieces on their own. They look great on him, because he is a very, very handsome man, who has a whole costuming department teasing every bit out of these pieces and camera and light operators framing him the best way possible.
When I wear a blue poloshirt, I look like an overweight 30 year-old in a polo shirt, and not like Daniel Craig or James Bond. A really good suit or more structured and layered stuff can really help someone like me put their best foot forward. On the other hand, I never went for the Sunspel. So maybe that is the problem :-?
He was still probably the single biggest style inspiration for me while buidling more of an adult wardrobe...
And on the plus-side: I have a dressing gown slightly similar to this one and hung-over sundays wearing hidiously oversized clothes around the house feel much better, imagining I am actually at a secret MI6 hospital on Lake Como.
I see exactly what you're saying, and to me if you want to go as Bond as possible, you have to look fundamentally at why he wears what he wears (if we're looking at the choices as made by the fictional character, rather than the costuming department, but also a little of both). Does Bond wear Sunspel because he has some intrinsic connection with Sunspel? No. Bond wears what fits him well, and what suits the occasion. So if you truly want to dress like Bond, the answer is; wear what fits, wear what makes you feel good, dress for the occasion.
The other thing I'd add here is, eschew fast fashion. It maybe tempting to go cheap, but higher quality material is going to feel better and last longer. Nothing is less Bond than buying cheap crap that wears out in less than a year, causing more frequent trips to Zellers or some such place. Invest in quality.
@ImpertinentGoon, well sure, that's the problem we all have. Do I wish I looked anywhere near as good as Connery in a suit? You bet. But who I am is who I am, and I have to take inspiration from what Bond wears and try my best to adapt those looks to my own. As @NickTwentyTwo says, and as the great David Zaritsky always says, you never want to just go for a cosplay performance when you're dressing like Bond. You want to take inspiration from the kinds of elements he brings to his style, reformat them to your own body type, fit and level of comfort, and go from there.
For instance, I gravitate towards a lot of blues because I have brown hair and brown eyes, so the colors really go together well. That's why Dan looks so good in blue with his hair color and gorgeous eyes, and why that is such a dominate color for both him and Sean in their films, the latter because he has the same hair and eye color as I do. Their features are suitable for blues, and they pop when wearing the color. That being said, depending on your hair and eye color, certain variations of color will be more suitable to you. So instead of wearing exactly the kind of color or fit that Bond wears, adapt the color choice and fit to what wears on you best.
Personally, there's just things Bond wears that I know I can never pull off. You'll never see me in anything made of toweling, for instance. I'm more rugged, on the whole, which draws me more towards the casual style of Craig in particular. I love wearing a suit as much as the next guy that looks to Bond as a style hero, but I don't have the face or posture for what Moore often wore, either. I'm more likely to shoot for classic grays, blues and blacks in traditional fits and button stances and styles than ever trying to pull off a double-breasted jacket or blazer. That stuff is just too far into the realm of fancy to me, and I'd feel like a clown wearing them because that just isn't me.
I'm more a throwback to the casual Connery/Fleming style of clothing. I love terry towelling (great for holidays), and love camp collar shirts too, which occupies most of my wardrobe.
I also love polos, which both Craig and Connery wore. I have 4 sea island cotton t-shirts from Niccolo P (more affordable than Sunspel) and also have the sea island cotton Fleming Riviera polo from Sunspel too (and 2 of their standard Riviera's).
Get showered in Pinaud shampoo, Floris facewash and shower gel, GEO F Trumper conditioner, then stick on a Floris roll-on deodorant and aftershave (I prefer JF to No.89), Floris moisturiser and balm, throw on one of these sea island polos, sea island cotton trunks, linen shorts and black leather sandals, and it's as close as you are ever going to feel to the big man himself - Ian Fleming. B-)
That's also my background, too. I live rurally, so there isn't any occasion where I'm going anywhere terribly fancy, and if you do dress up in my area you look foolish because that's just not the way people look here. Most of the time I'm getting prepped to go out and do some form of labor, so don't sweat the details, etc., because I'm going out to get sweaty and covered in filth anyway.
It's also to do with the way dressing in a certain style is taken where I'm at, like I said. There's been times where I wear a very casual looking but nice dress shirt tucked into some slacks, and people think I'm basically in a three-piece suit. I want to say, "If you think THIS is me dressing up, you've not seen anything." It's funny how your geographical region and the culture of the area you're in impacts how you think about dressing. But I take the weird looks and just roll with it, because if I'm going out I like to be presentable and put a good foot forward, not roll out of bed, throw some water on my unkept hair and get moving. I also want to have moments where I feel more in touch with Bond, simply by wearing something that makes me think of him, as there is definitely something to how dressing nice improves your confidence, and I could use a lot of that. Going out the door with Bond in mind definitely motivates me to be more daring and assured.
Winter is always a tougher time to have those sort of Bond moments, since we get hammered on the east coast and you're not going to be dressing super nice when you know you're going to be shoveling a mountain of snow every half a day. It's more in the spring and summer months where I can let myself get closer to the Bond style that is forced to be more dormant in the winter, as I can start breaking out polos, slacks and the like.
Niccolo P sea island polos are cheaper than Sunspel's sea island range.
Summer outfits are definitely the time to feel the most Bondian. I'm more comfortable with casual summer Bond outfits like I described above, than I am wearing a tux or a 3-piece suit, which is also obviously Bondian.
I recall that Fleming preferred casual rather than suited up too, and something he passed on to Bond. Did I read that somewhere?
I thought you'd enjoy this, though. It's an article by Matt Spaiser of Bond Suits, where he details how Ian Fleming's personal style influenced how he had Bond dress:
https://www.bondsuits.com/ian-fleming-wardrobe-model-james-bond/
I've always been personally fascinated by how flexible Bond was in his own style in the books. Even today, I couldn't imagine that the idea of wearing a short sleeve dress shirt under a suit would be "in fashion" in more snobby circles, but I love that Bond has his own unique sense of style, and that he keeps favorite coats around despite them being old and full of wear because of his attachment to them. I think Bond is so often seen as a style icon that it throws people off when a Bond actor wears clothes that push fashion boundaries in their movies, but I have always found that very Flemingesque in a sense because his original did the same thing. It's clear that, as with all things, Bond favored comfort over everything, and didn't seem to make himself beholden to fashion standards if they impaired his lifestyle and work. He seemed to have that sweet spot of middle ground between being fashionable and being his own man with his own maverick sense of style. And that's inspirational too, as you don't want to just look like a budget catalogue model or walking mannequin in your day to day life. Wear the clothes, don't let them wear you and whatnot.
https://www.bondsuits.com/ian-flemings-james-bond-clothes-films/
Thought it was cool to get a sort of compare/contrast between the many versions.
Also, I love this breakdown of what Bond wore in the novels, with cool graphics by Spaiser himself:
https://www.bondsuits.com/the-suits-of-ian-flemings-james-bond-illustrated/
I'm a very visual guy, being an artist myself, so I love when details from the book are realized by people in graphic form.
Here's an additional article on Fleming's Bond and his style by Gentleman's Gazette, which details his against the grain looks that are redeemed by his confidence and comfort in them:
https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/literary-james-bond-original-007/
I mean, the greatest irony in this entire thing is that James Bond would be the last person to build his entire wardrobe after something a film character wore. The whole point is that he has his own style and his own sensibilities and often those grow out of specific experiences, his circumstances or what he considers comfortable. Not just something he thinks he should wear to make himself look cool.
On a bit of a tangent, I always find it supremely silly that the brands that have an official partnership with EON immediatly go and slap the 007 logo on their products. I get that that is the point of the product partnership, but I am pretty sure, 007 doesn't wear clothes with a 007 logo on them.
There's a lot of discipline involved, of responding to the styles Bond wears and having the discretion to know what you can and can't pull off. As time goes on, I find myself far more inspired by Fleming's original than anyone else, as he knew style rules but didn't follow them to the letter when it impacted his comfort, which is very relatable, and he had his own personal style separate from others. There are definitely aspects of the fashion world that are as snobby as it gets, where so many boxes are ticked and others nit-picked to hell that it gives one a nauseating headache. What's in season, out of season, what colors clash or don't clash, what fabrics create a proper contrast in texture, etc. I just don't give a damn, personally. What always takes priority to me is what looks and feels good for me, and on me. Everyone is different, after all, and what looks like rubbish on one person will look like money on another. Such is life.
Thanks, I just bought his book From Tailors With Love, which is a very good read, based on this very subject. Anyone interested in Bond clothing should read this book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tailors-Love-Evolution-Menswear-Through/dp/1629337145/ref=asc_df_1629337145/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499247585259&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4418042972670845119&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045764&hvtargid=pla-1274861185362&psc=1&th=1&psc=1
:))
No one is going to see a pic of me wearing my GF onesie on here, that's for sure!
Coward :P
Ok, here you go. GF and DAF...
and one more in my Slazenger outfit, trying to pretend my car is an Aston DB5...
Cheers pal!
:))
At least Connery wasn't wearing socks too with those sandals. Now that would have been tragic.
If he were wearing socks, then all he would be missing is a 'Kiss me quick' hat. :))
The white dress shirt and the brown/rust knit tie are pretty easy to find. But the rest? Try these:
Amazon: Paul Jones knit blazer, color: Khaki. This blazer is the perfect color. It fits well and has a nice casual feel to it. It's lightweight, too.
American Eagle Outfitters: Five-pocket twill jeans, in "Dune Khaki." These jeans are more like chinos. They have a nice taupe color, and the fabric is soft, so it pairs well with the blazer. They narrow at the ankle and fit well over the boots.
Clarks: Bushacre boots in distressed sand suede. The color is a bit darker than the boots on Bond, but they are still lighter than the jeans and offer a perfect contrast.
.
The regular navy egyptian cotton is only 108 bucks.
https://www.niccolo-p.com/collections/the-weekend-polo-shirt-jersey-knits/products/inkwell-navy-egyptian-cotton-polo-shirt
The sea island 149 bucks
https://www.niccolo-p.com/collections/the-resort-polo-shirt-pique-knits/products/dark-sapphire-pique-polo-shirt-in-sea-island-cotton
I think they both have a better fit than the Sunspel (I like body hugging slim wearing shirts and polos), which appears to not be fitting near the belly:
https://www.sunspel.fr/mens-cotton-riviera-polo-shirt-navy-mpol1026.html
For further comparison, here's the sea island Sunspel which goes for a whoppin 260 bucks:
https://www.sunspel.fr/mens-sea-island-cotton-knit-polo-in-light-navy.html
Willy, can you tell if the Niccolo P are better body hugging fit? I think they also look classier than the Sunspels.
As an extra, here's an online article I found comparing them both which makes the case for the Niccolo to be more Bondish.
https://www.luxurialifestyle.com/a-polo-shirt-that-is-more-james-bond-than-sunspel/
I highly recommend the Niccolo P. They fit my body much better than Sunspel (and I have a slight beer belly!) And they still look great after multiple washes (another fault I find with Sunspel.)