In For Your Eyes Only, M’s chief of staff Bill Tanner, played by James Villiers, dresses in a manner very suitable for a man in a high position. He wears classic double-breasted suits that are cut almost exactly the same as what you’d find from an English tailor today. His suit jackets have six buttons with two to button, and their lower placement is the only thing that separates them from what’s currently fashionable. The jackets have a classic Savile Row silhouette with a clean chest and straight, padded shoulder. They have flapped pockets and double vents. Neither lapel has a buttonhole. For this article we’ll just look at the charcoal rope stripe suit.
The shirt Tanner wears with this suit is a fine grey and white stripe. Grey shirts aren’t nearly as popular as blue and white, or even cream, but they’re a classically-stylish option in lighter tints. It has a small spread collar and rounded button cuffs. Tanner adds colour to his outfit with the tie and pocket square. The striped tie in navy and alternating red and brown for Winchester College. He ties it in a four-in-hand knot, and he matches a navy silk pocket square to the navy in the tie.
There’s a continuity error in the way Tanner buttons his suit jacket. In some shots he buttons the jacket the conventional way, with only the middle row fastened. In other shots he has only the bottom row fastened. Both are legitimate ways to fasten a double-breasted jacket, but the stiffer canvas on this jacket means the lapel doesn’t roll over the middle button so well when only the bottom is fastened. There are also a couple of fit problems with this outfit. The back of the coat doesn’t fit so well over the shoulder blades and the shirt sleeves are too short—but the jacket sleeves look fine. But overall it’s a very tasteful outfit and it commands the authority necessary for his position during M’s leave.
An overall very British and very stylish look indeed, although the grey suit and shirt seem to make him look extremely pale. I am beginning to like some of the 80s’ style !
I wonder if this could be his suit on Ebay -it looks extremely similar, apart perhaps from the button stance, and is dated from December 1980 :
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/MENS-VINTAGE-DOUBLE-BREASTED-BESPOKE-SUIT-40-41-R-W39-ANDERSON-SHEPPARD-GREY-/181166611375?pt=UK_Men_s_Suits_Tailoring&hash=item2a2e5f1baf
Matt, how do you define a rope stripe ? I mean what’s the difference between rope stripe and chalkstripe ? Is a chalkstripe the same kind of stripe but for flannel and flannel-like cloth only ?
Thanks in advance.
A chalk stripe means it’s on a flannel, though a thicker stripe on a plain weave weave can also be called a chalk stripe. The typical worsted suit is made from a twill suiting, which creates the rope stripe effect.
>I wonder if this could be his suit on Ebay -it looks extremely similar, apart perhaps from the button stance, and is dated from December 1980
No chance of that. Stripes don’t look the same nor line up on the jacket (though seeing that it’s been altered the stripes on the lapel are a better guide – and they don’t line up either).
-Kurt
Roger Moore wore that same tie in ‘Bullseye’ (funnily enough with a very similar suit) – it may just be one that Hayward had in stock…
The tie looks like Old Wykehamist (http://www.gievesandhawkesmilitary.com/acatalog/Old_School.html), which would signify that Tanner went to Winchester College, one of Britain’s top private schools.
The same webpage shows an Old Etonian tie. If I remember correctly, the guy who gives Bond a message in the casino at the beginning of Dr No wore an OE tie.
The agent that gives Bond the message at the Les Ambassadeurs Club is not wearing an old Etonian, even though it looked very similar. The tie actually has white and black stripes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b15-P12gIf0
http://www.stanleymorgan.co.uk/images/standrno2.jpg
The suit’s ok. Nothing remarkable or particularly distinctive as regards the overall cut unlike Bond’s Hayward suits at the time, however, it probably fits the character. My main gripe would be a personal dislike of the shirt collar style. High, full spread shirts like Bond’s are much nicer and more expensive looking, to my eye anyway.
I know this was not a James Bond movie, but one of my favorite suits worn by a character of authority was Alan Bedal’s suit in ‘The Day of The Jackal”.
I can confirm that that is indeed and quite definitely a Winchester College tie.
Is it traditional to fasten the bottom button on double breasted jacket?
It’s traditional to fasten the bottom button of a double-breasted jacket, either along with the top button or just the bottom. But for a button two jacket like this it’s most typical to just fasten the top button.
Moore always left the bottom button on the buttons that were supposed to be buttoned unfastened.
You’re missing what I’m saying. You have the option to fasten the bottom button of a double-breasted jacket. There are three equally valid ways to fasten it: top only, bottom only or both. Top only is the most common way. Bottom only works best when the jacket has a softer construction.