For a drive in the Aston Martin DB5 in GoldenEye, James Bond wears a navy cable knit crew neck jumper. Bond wears the jumper with the cuffs turned back, exposing the shirt cuff underneath.
The shirt is a French blue end-on-end with a fine white grid check from Sulka. The shirt has a moderate spread collar and single-button cuffs with the stitching close to the edge for a modern look. Inside the shirt’s collar, Bond wears a dark green silk foulard day cravat. A day cravat can be difficult to pull off, but Bond’s is subtle and only peeks out of the shirt’s collar. It’s a stylish way to step up a casual outfit.
The rest of the outfit isn’t seen in the film but can be seen in publicity stills. The trousers are light brown moleskin—a heavy, durable cotton that is sheared for a soft pile—with double reverse pleats with a trim, tapered leg and plain hems, and the shoes are brown Church’s full-brogue wing-tip oxfords, either the Chetwynd or Burwood model.
It's always nice to see Bond in a more casual, but still elegant, outfit, and I think this one is something that even the literary Bond would wear in a more modern setting (sans cravat). Dalton I think wore a similar outfit in TLD when visiting Bratislava.
Great blog BTW!
A fine outfit.
Personally, I would ditch the cravat. Just doesn't strike me as a Bondian item. But overall, the outfit is a nice blend between military casual (recalling Bond's naval career) and deboniar playboy, taking a girl for a ride in his expensive old car.
The shoes, by the way, are indeed Chetwynds.
matt, How about a comparison of all three examples of Bond’s ascots/cravats in the movies?
This is Brosnan’s best casual outfit as Bond. It’s a shame that as didn’t see him wear more clothing like this.
One question about the cravat: If one was to attempt this look in a casual setting, are there any parameters? Or is t simply down to one’s own panache?
The only thing to know is that they are only worn in casual settings, either like Brosnan wears his here or with a blazer, like how Roger Moore wears it in A View to a Kill. The jumper isn’t necessary, but be sure you wear it with a button-front shirt, not with a polo or other more casual shirts.
Thanks, Matt.
Matt, might you have any suggestions for from where one might procure a day cravat that fits the bill?
Sorry, I don’t know where to find a close example.
Might you then have a suggestion for a purveyor of day cravats in general? It is such a smart and classic look as Brosnan so subtlety proves. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have. And thanks for your wonderful site. I look forward to your book as well!
Turnbull & Asser have them. You could get a bespoke cravat from Sam Hober from any silk they have they that is wide enough, so that may be worth looking into.
Thank you, Matt!