When James Bond visits Q’s lab at the end of Spectre, he wears a sporty checked three-piece suit from Tom Ford. Bond has worn few sporty three-piece suits in the series, and this one follows the iconic three-piece glen check suit from Goldfinger loosely in idea but neither in execution nor iconography. Like the glen check suit in Goldfinger, it’s a suit for relaxed Bond rather than for a 00-agent ready for business. And being a three-piece, it shows shows that Bond is a man who appreciates fine clothes even when he doesn’t need to dress up. Though it’s a sporty suit, the dark grey colour, smooth finish and waistcoat also make this a fairly dressy suit, but it’s not a business suit.
The suit is anthracite—a very dark charcoal—with a pin-point damier check. A true damier is a checkerboard pattern whilst this pattern is more like a variation on the shepherd check. It’s a check made up of pin dots with a 32-yarn repeat in both the warp and the weft. For 16 of the 32 yarns in each direction there is a yarn that creates a line of white pin dots every four yarns. The overall effect is a dark grey check. The content of the suiting is 70% wool, 18% silk and 12% mohair. The silk and mohair give the cloth a subtle sheen and increase its formality.
Like the two-piece suits in Spectre, this suit is the O’Connor model designed by Spectre’s costumer designer Jany Temime along with Tom Ford. The jacket has straight, padded shoulders with roped sleeve heads. The front has three buttons with narrow lapels rolled to the middle button for a button two look. This is known as ‘button two, show one’ or ‘three-roll-two’. The jacket is detailed with a single vent, slanted hip pockets, a curved ‘barchetta’ breast pocket and four buttons on the cuffs. The last buttonhole on the cuffs is longer than the rest, and Bond wears the last button open. Like the other O’Connor suit jackets, this suit jacket is too short and too tight. This suit jacket is tighter than the rest because of the waistcoat underneath.
The waistcoat has six buttons with five to button. The bottom button is placed on the cutaway portion of the waistcoat, and the bottom button and buttonhole do not line up. The waistcoat has four curved ‘barchetta’ welt pockets. The low-rise suit trousers have a wide extended waistband, slide-buckle side-adjusters, side seams curved forward at the top with on-seam pockets and narrow straight legs.
Under the suit, Bond wears a sky blue cotton poplin shirt with a point collar, double cuffs, a front placket and back darts, which give the shirt a close fit in the small of the back. He matches the shirt with a folded sky blue handkerchief in his suit jacket’s breast pocket. The tie is solid black silk twill from Thomas Pink and tied in a four-in-hand knot. Bond’s shoes are likely the Crockett & Jones Norwich model: black calf five-eyelet, cap-toe derby shoes with Dainite studded rubber soles.
Do you like the suit, Matt? I guess you like the suiting, and the fit less so. I wager most people would agree with you on this one; perhaps a modern fashion-forward fit rather than stylish fit.
The choice of a black tie is also interesting, though I do like the look of the fabric.
On a personal note, if anyone can recommend somewhere I can get shirts with long collar points it would be appreciated! (I am 6ft3 and if a collar fits me the points rarely reach the lapels).
I’d like the suit if it fit.
I haven’t seen any ready-to-wear shirts with long enough collar points for my taste.
But can you identify the watch he wears with it? Visible on his wrist is a timepiece attached with a black or brown leather strap. Not seen anyone identify it yet, my bet is its the new Omega Globemaster.
I cannot identify the watch, but it’s not the Globemaster. It’s a chronograph watch.
Look at those arching lapels…a result of not enough ease built into the cut to allow the arms to move. Pretty bad fit.
In my mind, Lazenby has yet to be surpassed as the best dressed Bond, kilt and jabot notwithstanding.
Tony,
I agree on both accounts; Tom Ford’s suits (at least in the Bond movies) look OK as long as Bond is standing perfectly still with his arms at his sides; the moment he moves, it all goes to pieces.
We should be questioning why no one at Eon are themselves questioning this.
If, during filming, there was an issue with the lighting, the director would question the DoP’s decision to light a shot in a certain way. The editor might, later, also think “I won’t use that shot, it’s strangely lit.” The producers would also see the footage and might ask who was responsible for letting this through as a badly lit scene makes the audience unconsciously question the professionalism of the production.
And yet – seemingly – Tom Ford, Jany Temime, Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig, all on set photographers, Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and all the publicity heads at Eon have all failed to notice that Bond’s clothes haven’t fitted him properly since 2012.
Which leads me to suspect this is intentional! Why, I’ve no idea, but perhaps Bond just likes wearing small clothes – as much as he likes sh0rt sleeved shirts with his suits in the novels, a choice that’s equally as odd.
Can you please make a book? I would 100% buy it.
So would I!
Or host a conference!
Interesting, apparently I completely missed the fact this was a three-piece!
This is the sort of tiny check I wouldn’t have the courage to pull off. For some reason I just can’t ever see myself wearing them, I don’t know why. I’ve got a suit and a few tweed jackets in large glen-checks but small patterns like this are something I don’t trust. It makes little sense, since it certainly doesn’t look bad on Craig.
It took me a very long while to come around to the herringbone weave as well, so maybe it’ll happen with this one day.
This is a suit that I greatly admire in concept if not execution, as Matt says in this article. When I first saw the film I assumed that the suiting was a houndstooth pattern, and didn’t realize it was a more intricate weave until I saw the suit for sale at Selfridge’s.
http://www.selfridges.com/US/en/cat/tom-ford-three-piece-mini-check-wool-suit_416-3002347-314A4C616R12/?previewAttribute=Charcoal#
This is one of my favorite suits in SPECTRE, along with the gray herringbone, and it’s a shame we don’t see more of it and that it’s so ill-fitting. Seeing this suit was a bit of a surprise, as it’s the only one in the film that wasn’t shown in any sort of publicity photos prior to its release. I absolutely believe that “James Bond” would wear a casual 3-piece in this scene, it’s perfect for the character. To me SPECTRE is really the first film that Daniel Craig plays “James Bond” and not just some guy who happens to be named James Bond. The numerous flaws in fit aside, they seem to be trying to make sure that his clothes reflect this.
Good point! I wonder whether Craig will stick around for one more movie in order to keep playing “James Bond”!
Fit issues aside, Ms. Temime has been good for Craig’s Bond in one respect. If you think back to Casino Royale, it seemed as though Bond couldn’t wait to get out of his tailored clothing and put on a t-shirt or a polo. Flash forward to Skyfall, and to an even greater extent, Spectre, and we see a Bond who clearly enjoys wearing tailored clothing. For all of Temime’s flaws (which have been exhaustively discussed here), it’s clear that she “gets” the basic essence of Bond in this regard. In the modern era of uber-casual dress, it’s refreshing that Bond still sees fit to put on a three piece suit for a Sunday drive. The execution should be better, but the idea counts for something.
FS,
You make a very good point; I wonder whether the progression you describe is indeed intended to symbolize the evolution of the character, or whether it was due to the negative response to what was perceived as the early Craig’s excessive casualness.
In Casino Royale, the way he dressed was part of his character development. He didn’t like wearing suits early in the film, but then by the end he wears a three-piece suit to show he has matured and was now the fully formed Bond (which really wasn’t the case until Spectre).
Although I find the pattern absolutely horrid, I have to accept the nuances brought up by FS.
Still a horrid pattern. So far, in the Craig era, we were spared the pattern at the expense of the fit.
Now we have both ‘dishonour and war’.
It does not really show on the pictures, here, but when finally seeing Spectre on a big screen, this last scene was cringeworthy for me: such a beautiful vintage car hosting such a suit..
Nothing wrong with checks, but this one veers towards the clownish.
Reminds me of Eastern Europe in the 1970s….
USD 4.3K for that ?
Wake up, Savile Row ! It’s time for an overhaul.
I actually found it refreshing to see Bond add a little pattern to his clothes. I think our eyes have become too accustomed to the ‘undertaker” look (you know, dark solid suit, white shirt, dark solid tie or no tie at all). Matt, do you have any better screen captures of this suit?
I’ve used what I think are the best ones. The suit didn’t have much screen time.
I have to say I was disappointed to learn this was another grey suit. The check, driving gloves and and Aston Martin say country pursuit, so it would have been nice to see him in something with earth tones. Perhaps even a tentative tweed!
Agreed!
This scene positively screamed for a tweed hacking jacket. Ms. Temime could have remained faithful to her color scheme by putting Craig in a grey herringbone or barleycorn hacking jacket with a navy or black wool tie, but nooooo!!!
I never seen this unique suiting in a Bond film before and the Anthracite colour as never been used before. But when thinking back all the Tom Ford suiting used in the three films he has made suits for has all been unique. Can anyone ID the Omega watch Craig’s wearing in the last scene ?.
The colour is a dark charcoal, and Bond has worn dark charcoal suits before. I used the “anthracite” description since that’s what Tom Ford uses.
Nobody, as far as I know, has been able to conclusively identify the watch, Omega or otherwise. It doesn’t match anything in Omega’s current collection.
Yes true of course on The Dark Charcoal colour Bond has worn it before, but it almost looks more metallic than even most charcoals. Interesting the descriptive words fashion houses are using to describe standard colours. ‘Ink’ for dark navy for example. I have to say I’ve never seen that kind of check in a Bond film and not much in any other film, in that sense it’s unique.
Not a fan of the pattern either. On a different note, I don’t understand the seeming inacceptance of Bond dressing in casual clothing. Connery spent much of Thunderball and You Only Live Twice in casual clothes. I don’t think Craig’s casual clothing is ever inappropriate for the time, place, and setting of the scenes. His casual wardrobe in Casino Royale and Quantum is near perfect. While Dalton apparently wanted to dress the character down (according to Some Kind of Hero), I have not read anything about Craig’s attempting to do so. Indeed, he, Mendes, and Purvis and Wade constantly refer back to the Fleming sources (again according to Some Kind of Hero) and Craig is suited up in scenes where it really makes no sense to be so accept that it is a Bond movie (i.e., the Istanbul opening in Skyfall). Craig’s casual clothing is generally perfect for the movie and the 21st century. This last scene of SPECTRE looks like it is out of another era, which is what the last two films have often (successfully) evoked.
Excellent points. I think some of Craig’s casual clothing is bad, like the printed shirt in Casino Royale, but it’s mostly very good and appropriate. Spectre’s last scene look like it’s from an era long before Bond.
Christian, I agree that most of Craig’s casual clothing is excellent, including the clothing in Casino Royale. Indeed, Craig’s casual clothes are superior to his tailored clothing in the last two films due to the poor fit.
In any event, my point was not designed to be a criticism of Bond wearing casual clothing.
I absolutely agree ! Craig’s casual clothing is excellent and has in fact influenced my own way to dress to a great extent. As for the printed shirt, this was a scene where he had to blend in. I in fact find it refreshing that he was appropriately dressed to blend in (as a spy should) even if it meant looking terrible. Compare that to the introduction scene in spectre, where he wears a suit for no reason, and a suit that stands out a lot in the mexican crowd at that.
Few of the other men around there wear shirts as loud as Bond’s. If Bond truly wanted to blend in, he would have worn something like what most of the other people there wear and not something louder, though the loud shirt allows us as the audience to spot him in the crowd.
“Spectre’s last scene look like it’s from an era long before Bond.” – so the idea of a well dressed man driving in a nice car with a beautiful woman is hopelessly outdated? The apocalypse is upon us!
I agree.
Not see nothing of outated in the last scene.
I didn’t say outdated. I thought it felt like the end of a 1940s film with Bond driving off with the girl and from the way it was shot. It’s the kind of thing I would picture with a cursive “The End” written over it.
I didn’t say outdated either. And I can’t add anything but agreement to Matt’s response.
And if behind a turn Blofeld wait with a machine gun…..
…..Like in OHMMS ending scene?
Could be the beginning of the next movie.
Matt – yes, I will say the Madagascar shirt is pretty ugly, but it blends in at least. Craig’s Scotland attire for Skyfall I also think is near perfect, and I am opposed to suggestions when that attire was discussed here that he should have worn a tweed sport coat (a look I like). That would just not fit the scene of preparations for a coming apocalyptic battle.
Turning my attention to the suit, it is ok, but I am not a fan of the pattern – nothing against patterns, just I am not sure I care for this one. Ignoring the 2015 fit, this look strikes me as a bit too “put-together” – which is one of the reasons I am not a fan of the Goldfinger suit. They both border on fussy, which is certainly not Fleming’s Bond, or most of the actors’ interpretations (I find Brosnan occasionally fussy but let’s leave that discussion for another time). And well-dressed or not, it strikes me as uncomfortable to wear a three-piece suit on a country drive in a very small sports-car. I can’t imagine Fleming’s Bond, or Connery’s or Moore’s choosing a three-piece suit for that occasion. Perhaps the Q-Branch suit from Goldfinger, Moore’s Moonraker Tweed or Octopussy/AVTK tan if a suit must be worn (because it is James Bond) on such an occasion. Or the Navy Blazer we just covered here…
Yes, excellent points, Christian. There is what appears to be an almost self conscious feel to the last Craig movies (despite laudable attempts to vary his wardrobe for the better with interesting cloths etc) that’s a little odd. We can appreciate why they are doing this but the manner of its execution can all appear a little “colour by numbers”. Dan Gale’s earlier point about the entire cadre of people involved on the movie being aware of the fit defects (and they ARE defects) yet ignoring them is also relevant here.
FS – Didn’t mean to call you out :) Just a pet peeve over the years coming out, and I apologize for reading into your comment that which was not there.
No worries! I think we are generally in agreement.
“Craig’s casual clothing is generally perfect for the movie and the 21st century.”
-On the whole I agree to that. There were some bad choices but those were rather a kind of disguise and not Bond’s personal choice. “Uber-nostalgia” is certainly not the right thing when it comes to dressing Bond.
Considering that the entire theme of Skyfall was “the old ways are better”, a little sartorial nostalgia might be welcome.
I’m inclined to agree with Christian, I think Daniel Craig’s casual clothing is some of the best in the series. Not all of it works, (not wild about the Madagascar shirt or “Enjoying Death”) but a lot of it does– the polos, knitwear, peacoats, and the Barbour jacket are some of my favorites. The various costume designers on the Craig films seem to know how to dress Bond appropriately for the situations he faces, at least in concept.
In case anybody still wonders what Jany Temime is thinking: http://www.christies.com/features/How-to-dress-like-James-Bond-7042-1.aspx
Craig casual wear hit high points in Spectre. His outfits in Austria all classic and appropriate. His navy polo, chinos and tan suede jacket could have come out of early Bond films or the novels. Even his linen blend sports jacket and chinos evoked classic Bond imagery and was very appropriate to the desert setting. Craig’s casual wear is at it’s best pared down and minimalist.
Very interesting suit indeed, and an odd choice for the occasion, even if its a “sporty” suit.
I would very much like a post about Qs clothing in Spectre, especially the outfit in this last scene with the knitted polo layering under the sports coat.
Hullo Matt, could you tell me what is meant by “O’Connor” suits made by Tom Ford? Is it different from a normal British suit cut? Or is it a particular style of cut? If so what are its specifications?
The “O’Connor” is the name of the Tom Ford model. The specifications are all described in the article.
Hi Matt:
When wearing a 3-piece suit, would you recommend getting a jacket that is one size bigger? For example when wearing a 2 piece suit, I typically wear a 46R, should I opt for a 48R when wearing a 3 piece suit to avoid the fit problem in the pictures above?
Thank you in advance.
You should not size up for a three-piece suit. This suit’s jacket is only slightly tighter because of the waistcoat. It would still be too tight without the waistcoat. You may need an extra half inch to deal with a waistcoat, not two inches.
Hi Matt. I am just wondering if you know if the trousers on this suit have the same turn-ups that the majority of the other suit trousers have in SPECTRE. Thanks in advance for your help.
Onscreen I thought it was a charcoal solid suit. Same for the first two pictures.
Only with the last pic I found out how nice the suiting is.
But I think it would have looked much better with juste a single odd checked jacket and dark grey flannel trousers ! Or dark brown twill to recall Goldfinger.
I couldn’t agree more!
That waistcoat looks more of a sweater was it intentionally cut that way or my imagination?
It’s quite a normal waistcoat. It’s your imagination!
That’s funny, I thought it was a cardigan vest first myself.