In For Your Eyes Only, Bond wears a double-breasted navy blazer made by Douglas Hayward when out in Corfu. The blazer is likely made of worsted wool serge, a common material for blazers and a material used for military uniforms. There are six buttons on the front in a button two, show three configuration, with polished brass buttons. The button stance is quite low, with the middle buttons placed almost as low as the bottom buttons typically are on a classic double-breasted coat. This style gives the coat a longer lapel line whilst keeping the classic six-button arrangement, though the blazer has odd proportions and looks a little sloppy around the waist. The blazer has soft shoulders with roped sleeve heads, a draped chest and medium-width peaked lapels. Both lapels have a buttonhole. The jacket has double vents, flapped pockets and three cuff buttons.
The stone-coloured gabardine trousers are cut with a wide straight leg. The light blue shirt made by Frank Foster has a placket front with stitching close to the centre, a spread collar and two-button mitred cuffs. Bond wears the shirt without a tie, leaving the collar and first button open. His shoes are dark brown slip-ons.
The Frank Foster shirt was auctioned at Prop Store on 16 October 2014 for £1,200.
Brosnan wears a navy double breasted blazer with a similarly coloured shirts and trousers in Goldeneye, although the jacket remains open throughout. The last time Bond's worn a blazer. I think in recent years they've fallen out of fashion.
Moore seemed to like them a lot and his last Hayward made blazer we see, very briefly, in A View to A Kill. This is single breasted (navy I think) and worn with, I seem to recall, a burgundy colour, cravat/ascot. Brosnan, again in Goldeneye, was the only otherBond to wear this choice of neckwear. Anyone got an opinion on this?
With all due respect to the low button stance, it simply doesn’t work here. It looks like a 4-button DB jacket with two extra buttons sewn onto it.
I have to agree with KK – one of Sir Roger’s few fashion “misses”.
In retrospect, it’s also a case of not being able to judge a garment by movie stills/photographs. I just rewatched the Corfu scene, and the blazer doesn’t look half bad!
Are you quite sure the trousers here are absolutely straight-leg in their cut, Matt?
I’d say they were very mild wide leg – perhaps 1″ wider in diameter than the knee. Nothing obtrusive, but just enough to balance out the upper half of the trousers. My own preference for trousers are cut as I describe above, and the extra inch that makes up the wide leg is generally unnoticeable. It isn’t so painfully obvious as the cut used throughout TSWLM.
Last screenshot also shows a slight guardsman’s cut to the trousers to minimize the break; again, nothing like TSWLM; more likely not more than 1/2″ or 1″ difference in the length of the hem.
-Kurt
This blazer looks fuller cut then many of Moore’s other famous blazers. Usually his blazer’s have more shape around the waist, across all his tailor’s, What do you think was the reason for this Matt ?
Hayward may have wanted this blazer to look more casual.
Yes, that is a possibility as it is a very casual setting. The blazer still has standard flapped pockets, which are more formal. Hayward rarely used patch pockets on his blazers and he never used flapped patch pockets as far as I’m aware. The low button stance alone makes the blazer look very relaxed.
How would you describe the color stone?
A very pale taupe.
This is going to be interesting.
I just got myself a blazer from oxxford and it’s a hop sack. I’m wondering If the I got can be worn for both the beach and meetings within the city. Is it just a matter of changing the trouser and shirt?
From personal experience, I’ve worn my own blazer (a vintage Oxxford hopsack) for both locations/purposes. At the beach, it pairs effectively with trousers and shirts made from linen (tropical wool trousers are also fitting); it works just as well for (most) city business with a tie, a formal shirt, and wool trousers. Of course, the blazer’s cut could also determine how effectively it works in a given environment. Mine is cut with natural shoulders and patch hip pockets, so it is not the most formal variety for city-wear but still works. I’ve long thought Matt’s post regarding Simon Templar (https://www.bondsuits.com/the-saint-dressing-down-the-navy-blazer/) the best visual illustration of successfully wearing a city-appropriate blazer in casual settings (and Templar’s blazer is more formal than mine).
Nonetheless, please take my post as purely subjective; there are many dressers visiting this site who are considerably more experienced than I.