Again Im sure that this has been brought up, virtually everything has, but I like hearing from fellow fans. Naturally styles have changes over the decades but which Bond actor do you think wore his threads the best? This doesn't just mean his tux. Everything from his suits to his casual wear to his robes. I actually had a dream last night that I was discussing this with Roger Moore over coffee. Please don't think Im crazy, its just the randomsy of sleep. In any event, here are mine.
The best- Daniel Craig
One of the many reasons I love Daniel Craig's Bond so much is that he can wear almost anything and make it work. He can look extremely sharp in his well tailored suits but at the same time look cool as ice sporting his sunspel polos and khakis. Before Craig I never thought a Bond actor could get away with wearing jeans or t-shirts but he proved me wrong. Some people might think that this is James Bond losing his class but what they’ve done is make Bond more presentable in the real world. I never once felt that a man like Pierce Brosnan’s Bond could exist. But I do feel that Daniel Craig’s Bond could and I think that that’s one of the many reasons people have gravitated to him so much. He’s Bond closer to reality. Needless to say I’ve stolen many of Craig’s looks from his films and I always get complimented.
The worst- Timothy Dalton
It breaks my heart to say this as Dalton has always been one of my favorite Bonds, he’s my third favorite, but they really took a step down in dressing him as James Bond. Ofcourse this could have just been the 80s but a lot of his wardrobe choices did him no favors in the style department. For instance, much of his clothes in The Living Daylights are too baggy as if they’re trying to hide that Dalton is fat which couldn’t have been further from the truth. It just always seemed like he bought his clothes a size too large. Examples are the tan windbreaker he wears on the Tangiers chase and the leather jacket he wears in Vienna and in the Aston Martin. Personally I feel that baggy clothes are more for kids or teenagers not James Bond, no matter how expensive. Another instance for me is the Navy Blue suit he wears at the airport and Felix’s house in License to Kill. It’s not as baggy but it doesn’t fit him as if it were tailored for him and looks kinda wrinkly. It looks more like he bought it at a men’s warehouse than having it measured for him by his Saville Row tailor. His suits only look a hundred times better than mine. James Bond’s suits should look a thousand times better than mine. One exception is the Tan Suit he wears while confronting Puskin. I’ll admit Dalton looks sharp as a tac in that outfit. And ofcourse he always looked great and extremely classy and suave in a tux. Anyway none of this takes away from my enjoyment of Dalton as Bond. I adore both of his movies and rank them highly. I’ll take Dalton over Brosnan or Lazenby any day. Afterall he is my profile pic.
Comments
Perhaps somebody clever could photoshop Roger Moore's head onto some modern clothes?
The worst? As much as I like him, I'll have to say Lazenby. I mean, every damn thing he wore in that movie was a COSTUME. Wonder if that's the real reason he quit! (Kidding)
Roger comes in a close second.... but at least he could rock the tuxedo/business suit.
Being a teen who was very conscious of his appearance (which is part of being a teen) in the mid-late 80s I can tell you that Dalton's clothes were thought to be really cool, especially his tan windbreaker outfit in Tangiers. And although there were some mistakes in LTK (his suits looked like they were "off the rack" the navy blue wrinkled suit mentioned above was supposed to be a bit baggy and wrinkled - if memory serves it was linen.
For Best Dressed I'd say either Craig (because everything he wears looks good) or Brosnan. Brosnan didn't have any glaring mistakes and was in fact called "The most nattily attired Bond" in an article I read around the time of TWINE.
For worst I'd have to say Moore. Connery has some fashion failures (blue terrycloth poolsuit outfit in GF, anyone?) especially later in his run. But a lot of what Moore wore was very "un-Bond" (how do you get to the gun in your shoulder holster when wearing a double-breasted suit or coat?) none worse than wearing a jean (denim) jacket and wife-beater combo in LALD. Ouch.
Great article on Connery's (early) style here:
http://clothesonfilm.com/sean-connery-in-dr-no-the-template-for-007/17788/
http://uk.askmen.com/fashion/style_icon/18_style_icon.html
In regards to Brosnan, yeah they played it safe with him. Most if not all of his suits were Italian, which in my opinion is such a cliche and uninspired thing for a "cool guy" to wear. It's really the perfect thing for the most cliched and uninspired Bond to wear. I suppose you can tell I didn't care for Brosnan at all.
:-D
Worst Dressed: Timothy Dalton - Well, it was the '80s...
http://screenmusings.org/LiveAndLetDie/pages/LaLD_057.htm
http://screenmusings.org/TheSpyWhoLovedMe/pages/007tSWLM_0057.htm
http://screenmusings.org/TheSpyWhoLovedMe/pages/007tSWLM_0165.htm
http://screenmusings.org/Moonraker/pages/Mnrkr_549.htm
Worst: Connery - His used car salesman get-up, tweed jacket (otherwise it's ok, but it's not a look he can pull off), that creepy towel thing, dungarees and too many different coloured wigs.
Worst dressed, Moore.
They managed to say nice things about all Bonds (well except for Lazenby) and their fashion.
That's a great look at Bond's clothes in the films.
As for best dressed Bond, Connery and Lazenby look the best.
Sean Connery
The dinner jackets, the grey suits, the trilby and the causal wardrobe…. Effortlessly cool.
George Lazenby
The perfectly trimmed hair said “Dress me in something dull”, and the black outfit for the skiing did the trick (how’s one meant to escape from Blofeld’s hideaway, especially at night?!), but for the rest of the movie the wardrobe department said “frills, beige cravats, jodhpurs and orange shirts. And full highland dress….
Roger Moore
It was the 1970’s after all, but the safari suit was never going to be a lasting symbol of MI6 cool. Lots of powder blue and light beige in evidence and double breasted jackets which rather having lapels had a wingspan….
Timothy Dalton
As befits the era, Bond’s clothes are classic but rather bland….. His hair is somewhat informal too… looking as if it was needing a slight trim. Deducted several points too for exposing a bit too much chest.
Pierce Brosnan
Undeniably cool and eschewing fashion while going for high style…. A return to well cut and finely detailed glory.
I would say, Connery and Brosnan as the two best dressed 007’s.
COOLEST dressed- Connery and Craig
Worst- Big Roger
The best : Pierce Brosnan. He's very "conscious clothes" like Roger Moore. But Moore was better dressed in "The Saint".
The best dressed Bond is Daniel Craig.
There's no worst dressed Bond I think, because the Franchise puts in a lot of revenue to make any Bond look good.
1 Sean Connery in the TB casino scenes.
2 Timothy Dalton in the LTK casino scenes (forget about the haircut, folks!)
3 Daniel Craig as he enters the casino in CR.
As for the worst? Well, I suppose it would be too easy to rant on Moore's 70s outfits. So here goes:
1 George Lazenby's in the OHMSS ski outfit.
2 Pierce Brosnan in his naval suit in TND.
3 Roger Moore in his LALD shirt with jeans outfit. http://media.photobucket.com/image/roger moore live and let die jeans/xshellofamanx/AffordableBond/Live-and-Let-Die_Roger-Moore_blue-jacket-and-vestbmp.jpg
Let's call these my least favourite bits of clothing on the Bonds. It's not that I totally despise them or anything, far from that in fact.
This reminds me of a Bond fan who despised Craig instantly when he first saw Casino Royale. His problem was that Craig was wearing casual clothes at the mongoose/cobra fight in Madagascar and got sweaty and dirty during the chase. This fan said that in a "real" Bond film, like the ones with Moore, Bond would have been there in a suit and would have finished the chase (after blowing up the embassy) looking immaculate without a hair out of place.
Needless to say I have a radically different opinion than his.
George Lazenby is another popular choice for worst dressed, mostly because of his colorful ensembles and kilt. The kilt doesn't count for me because he was in disguise. And yeah that orange and brown golf outfit was alittle too flashy. But he wins points with me because his suits really fit him well and looked top of the line. Same with Roger Moore.
http://thesuitsofjamesbond.com/
It gives a descriptive insight into a lot of suits and sports coats 007 has worn in the past adventures.
It's a great site. I posted about it further up on this very page. The blogger is a member of these forums, or was when in launched in 2010. He posted about it and I've been following it since day one.
Lovely find! Bond is one stylish chap!