Original article published 2 April 2011
I am in the process of rewriting and republishing old articles about James Bond’s outfits that need a refresh and expansion. All former comments are preserved below.
You Only Live Twice provides James Bond fewer opportunities to be his stylish self than most Bond films do. Bond’s wardrobe in the film is varied, with a military uniform, two suits, a few casual outfits, a tactical outfit and numerous Japanese outfits and disguises. The first suit sees Bond off to a decent start, but it’s not long before he dons a disguise that ruins his look.
Connery’s usual tailor, Anthony Sinclair, made the suit from worsted wool in a fine, light grey-and-black herringbone weave that, from a short distance, reads as mid grey with a subtle self stripe. It offers something new for James Bond while it continues the character’s tradition of wearing semi-solid grey suits and avoiding plain grey worsteds. The contrast in the herringbone pattern gives this suit a slightly lower formality than other semi-solids like pick-and-pick and birdseye because the pattern is more noticeable. Like a fine glen check, it adds a touch of sportiness, but it’s but it’s still appropriate for business and other daytime affairs
The cloth is an English medium weight, of around 350 grams. You Only Live Twice was filmed on location in Japan in the summer of 1966, and the cloth is unfit for Japan’s hot, humid summers. Herringbone, like other twills, is a tight weave that doesn’t breath as well as a plain weave, so it’s best avoided for summer weather, even in lightweight wool or linen. Bond appears to be uncomfortably hot in his suit, which would have been a better choice for Tokyo in autumn or spring.
The suits in You Only Live Twice have a trimmer cut than the suits in the previous Bond films, which may be the result of both fashions moving towards closer fits in the mid 1960s—which was apparent a year and a half earlier in Thunderball—and Sean Connery’s fluctuating weight. The jacket is noticeably too tight, with pulling around the waist. It suggests that Connery either gained weight since the suit was made a few months earlier, or that there was no fitting and Sinclair simply used Connery’s pattern for Thunderball. There’s certainly no room for Bond to properly conceal his Walther PPK.
The jacket has soft shoulders with slightly roped sleeve heads. It has two buttons on the front in a low stance. The narrow lapels—about 6.5 cm wide—high, straight gorge at a slightly steep angle and elegantly roll down to the jacket’s top button. The jacket is cut slightly open at the lower front. It is detailed with a welt breast pocket, flapped hip pockets (sometimes with the flaps tucked in), a single rear vent and four buttons on each cuff. The jacket’s buttons are mid-grey polyester, which have an attractive sheen on screen. The buttonholes and lining are both mid grey.
The suit trousers are Connery’s standard style, with double forward pleats, on-seam side pockets and one rear jetted pocket on the right. The leg is trim but with a little fullness in the thigh, and the hems are finished with turn-ups. The waistband has a square extension with a hidden hook-and-bar closure and ‘Daks tops’ side adjusters with an elasticised tab on each side that fastens to one of three rimless pearlescent grey buttons. There’s a coin pocket on the right side of the trousers under the waistband.
The suit was up for auction at Profiles in History on 11 December 2018 and Prop Store on 9 November 2021, but it sold neither time.
The cream cotton poplin shirt is bespoke from Turnbull & Asser. It has a spread collar with a low stand and medium-length points of about 7.5 cm long. The collar has too much tie space, which is likely a sign that the collar’s button was moved to enlarge the neck size after Connery gained weight. The shirt is also detailed with a narrow front placket, rear shoulder pleats and darts, and rounded two-button cocktail cuffs. Bond leaves the second button open on his cocktail cuffs so they roll more, and this may contribute to the cuffs getting stuck outside his jacket sleeves when applauding at the sumo wrestling match.
Bond’s tie is a narrow navy grenadine tie from Turnbull & Asser, tied in a four-in-hand knot.
Bond wears a pair of black slip-on shoes, likely the same shoes he wears the following day with his blue suit. Those shoes are made of pebble-grain leather on a slightly squared last and have a plain toe with elastic connecting the quarters across the instep under the vamp. The soles are trimmed close to the uppers, signifying that the shoes are not welted. Ian Fleming’s Bond would have appreciated these soft, casual shoes.
The shoes tell a more significant story than the rest of the outfit. Bond is familiar with Japanese customs for removing shoes, and he takes them off at the sumo match to sit cross-legged on the floor. He later removes them before entering Dikko Henderson’s home. Thanks to the elastic in the shoes, Bond is able to slip his feet in and out of his shoes without handling them, making them the perfect choice for his time in Japan. Bond’s socks are black, but it’s a shame they’re not grey to both blend in with his trousers and to emphasise that Bond has removed his shoes on these two occasions.
The Disguise
After Henderson is murdered, a sock-footed Bond immediately chases his killer outside. Bond kills the man and disguises himself as the killer, taking his trench coat, fedora, face mask and black-and-white shoes. The killer’s outfit was effective at keeping him incognito, but it likewise allowed Bond to easily disguise himself as the killer.
The knee-length olive trench coat that is part of Bond’s disguise is a classic double-breasted model with 10 buttons on the front, raglan sleeves, shoulder straps, slash pockets, a yoke across the upper back, a storm flap on the front right, and a rear vent. It has a self belt—which Bond lets hang—and wrist straps that secure with leather buckles. The coat’s lining is dark brown with a bold red plaid.
The hat is a black felt fedora with a medium-width brim, a centre dent and front pinch in the crown, and a wide grosgrain ribbon.
The shoes resemble co-respondent/spectator at first glance, but the style is different. The vamp is white and has a black stripe up the middle. The quarters are also white. The V-shaped toe cap that extends around the front of the shoe and the heel counter are black. The shoes have black elastic gussets on the sides of the instep. The soles and heels are black leather.
During the fight scene with a henchman played by Peter Maivia (the grandfather of Dwayne Johnson), the shoes appear to be taller. The white extends higher in the front and back, but not on the sides. It’s not unusual for different shoes to be used in the same scene for more physically demanding parts.
Bond wears these Japanese shoes for the rest of the night, and presumably he or one of Tanaka’s men fetches Bond’s own shoes from the late Henderson’s home for the next day. The black-and-white shoes jar with Bond’s own outfit on screen, both in close-ups and in wide shots. They resemble how out of place someone looks when wearing white athletic shoes with tailoring. They have to look out of place so the audience can notice that they’re not Bond’s own shoes. Bond’s black socks draw more attention to the white shoes than grey socks would have.
Now Pay Attention
| SUIT | |
| Tailor | Anthony Sinclair |
| Fabric | Worsted black-and-grey herringbone |
| JACKET | |
| Front buttons | 2, low stance |
| Lapels | Narrow notch |
| Shoulder | Soft with roped sleeve heads |
| Breast pocket | Welt |
| Hip pockets | Straight, flap |
| Vents | 1 |
| Cuff buttons | 4 |
| TROUSERS | |
| Front | Double forward pleats |
| Support | ‘DAKS Tops’ 3-button side-adjusters |
| Front/side pockets | On-seam side pockets |
| Rise | Medium-high |
| Leg | Narrow, contoured |
| Hem | Turn-ups |
| SHIRT | |
| Shirtmaker | Turnbull & Asser |
| Fabric | Cream cotton poplin |
| Collar | Spread |
| Cuff | 2-button cocktail |
| Front | Placket |
| TIE | |
| Brand | Turnbull & Asser |
| Fabric | Navy grenadine |
| Knot | Four-in-hand |
| SHOES | |
| Shoemaker | Unknown |
| Style | Black plain-toe slip-on shoes and black-and-white slip-on shoes |
I wonder about the YOLT suits being Sinclair, Matt and obviously you're also circumspect.
I recall from the film that the jackets looked quite ill fitting(and as can be seen in your first and last featured pictures,)as the suits from Connery's previous movies.
Also, were the suits in Diamonds are Forever -which fitted again fine, despite Connery's flabbier appearance in the movie – made by Sinclair or another tailor?
Thanks for this excellent blog, Matt. I found it at a time when some of my suits needed to be replaced and I got a lot of inspiration from your postings for Sean Connery. Also interesting to see the rollercoaster of style in freefall in the seventies and eighties. But what goes down must come up. Greetings from Jakarta, Olaf.
Matt,
The suit was indeed by Anthony Sinclair. The suit is still in existence. I could send you some images of it if you're interested.
David.
David, Sinclair made Connery's suits for Diamonds Are Forever, so it's likely he made them here too. The problem with the fit here is most likely because Connery probably gained a little weight after the fitting. He's clearly not as fit in this movie as he was in the past. Because the fabric is lightweight, it will show more imperfections. But the problem you see in the suit is an easy fix. The suit is very well-fitted in the chest, shoulders and arms. The blue suit later in the film doesn't suffer from this problem.
Matt, do you still dispose of those images David Mason sent you? Would be interesting to see them. Perhaps you could integrate them in your article and add some details to your description of the suit (because I think those in your article are only based on stills)?
Thanks + Best,
Renard
I’d have to ask David about that.
Matt,
Thanks for a great blog. I have just two things to say.
Although it's not an official Bond film, it would be very interesting if you in the future could take a look at Connery's suits in 'Never Say Never Again'.
Furthermore, I would like to see a bit more of your own opinions in each post.
Daniel S.
David Mason, I would love to see images of the suit (an others if you have). You can e-mail me at Mattspaiser@yahoo.com
Matt,
Congratulations on another superb post.
I think my next custom shirt is going to be ecru in that same style. I already have seven white shirts after all!
How about suggesting the nearest available fabric match (purchasable today), for every suit on this great site?
Since I don't have access to cloth books it's not easy to list an available match for each suit. Few companies put their books online, though J. & J. Minnis and John G. Hardy do. The closest I've found there for this suit is the Hardy Riviera 7557.
Yes of course. Thanks for the Minnis and Hardy tip. Not for one moment trying to look like 007. Just like some of the older cloth. Excellent site!
Cloth has changed very much since the 1960s. Most cloths were heavier back then, though Bond wore mostly lighter cloths more like what is common today. But nowadays we have Super wools, which did not exist in Connery's day. Super wool is softer and finer but it does not drape as well and is more fragile. For the look, feel and durability of the older cloth, stick with English cloth that has a low Super number (or no Super at all).
Could you cover the navy blue suit worn at Kobe Docks? Love this blog, thanks!
Also, do you find that the jacket here is shorter in length than the ones Connery wore in Dr. No & FRWL?
Since the bottom falls around the same place in relation to Connery’s arms I would assume the length is about the same. It could possibly be half an inch shorter, but probably not more than that.
As for the navy suit, it’s a light navy in exactly the same style as this one. I’ll write about it during a more fitting season when the weather is warmer.
I’m a fan of this suit, and love the herringbone pattern. Interestingly, Ralph Lauren’s American Living brand produced a natural shouldered version of this suit, the only difference were reverse pleats.
Watching YOLT tonight; it seems the fit issue is because of the cleaner chest the gun under Connery’s left arm is causing all the pulling. I think if we were to see the suit without the gun it would look 10 times better.
Nice summary Matt. By any chance is this the same suit that Mason and Son offer or is that from a different movie?
https://www.masonandsons.com/products/conduit-cut-suit-in-grey-sharkskin
Cheers
No, the Mason & Sons suit is sharkskin, while this suit is herringbone. This suit is not a copy of any of Connery’s suits, though if you got a special order suit Mason can do one more like Connery’s with a lower button stance, narrow lapels, straight pockets and pleated trousers. Connery wears similar sharkskin suits in From Russia with Love (on the train) and in Thunderball (to the Junkanoo). The Thunderball suit is the closest one to this.
Hello Matt,
I rewatched You Only Live Twice last night and I noticed that the suit’s pocket is a bit lower than it was in Connery’s earlier films. Does the fit of the suit have any relation to that or am I going insane?
I’m not seeing any change in pocket placement.
As to photos (David Mason): I would appreciate that – that would be a nice opportunity to make an analysis of an original Bond suit. I don’t think that any other blog has ever done that. BTW: Did David Mason show you any original Bond items when you were in London visiting him?
Thanks and
Best,
Renard
Mason did not show me any original Bond items. I don’t believe he has any in his possession, but he has been able to reference some in person.
I believe that Connery is wearing this suit in the famous 1966 photos of him having a drink with Bobby Moore, Jimmy Greaves and Yul Brynner.
Yes, along with the Japanese shoes he stole from the henchman!
At first, I thought you were joking but I’ve just checked and it seems you are quite right. They are hideous. To make matters worse, his top button is undone and his tie is loosened. This is clearly a Connery trait, and must explain why his tie was loose during the climax of Goldfinger. There is a picture of him relaxing off-camera with a kitten on the set of Dr. No, with his grenadine tie loose, and another in the famous Goldfinger three-piece check suit, and his knitted tie is loose. Presumably Guy Hamilton missed this, just as Terence Young missed the two buttons thing in Dr. No. But this is a small thing, really. The shoes are inexcusable, and it seems that he chose to wear them. Surely he wasn’t asked to wear this outfit as a publicity thing? I suppose he may have filmed the scene that day if it was done in the UK. Maybe they were shooting interiors?
I would have to guess this happened on a day they were shooting. There were a few scenes of him in this outfit inside, such as in Tanaka’s HQ.
Matt, what about the pictures of the actual suit worn by Connery that Mr. Mason spoke about ? Any news ? It would really be amazing if we could see actual pictures of a Sinclair suit, with all the details, etc… :)
I do not own the images.
The mask Connery wore with this outfit is another element that truly makes it timeless. He could wear that today and not look out of place.
Haha, quite true! I wrote an article about the clothes he steals here: https://www.bondsuits.com/black-and-white-shoes-and-more/
But I made no mention of the mask!
Do you know if the original suit you mention in the comments was auctioned ? It would be great to see actual pictures of it.
I can’t recall if it was sold at auction.
This suit did actually come up for auction but did not sell unfortunately. It’s rare to actually see a Bond suit go up for auction because Connery was allowed to keep any suit he wanted as part of his contract.
As for the suit itself, I think it’s actually really nice. Looking at the auction photos, it is indeed a black and white herringbone as you said but the pattern is so subtle you really need to be up close and personal to see it. Yes Bond should not have worn it in Japan’s hot weather, yes it didn’t fit him all that well because of Connery’s weight gain and I don’t like the single rear vent, but it’s otherwise a really snazzy suit. Except for the slimmer lapels, very timeless and charming.
First, many thanks for this website. I’ve been a regular reader for a long time. Second, I was browsing pictures of this suit on thunderballs.org and noticed that, in at least a couple photos, it appears to have flap pockets:
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/31b808_1a039e6f4ac4481cb2877eabd2c7767a~mv2_d_1417_1832_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_852,h_1102,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/31b808_1a039e6f4ac4481cb2877eabd2c7767a~mv2_d_1417_1832_s_2.jpg
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/31b808_a880cbb1880c49b8a2c471a60cd1938b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1417,h_990,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/31b808_a880cbb1880c49b8a2c471a60cd1938b~mv2.jpg
Perhaps they are tucked in other shots/scenes?
I have a shot of the pocket flaps in this blog, so I don’t know why I labelled them as jetted. He must have them tucked in the first shot.
My interest in pockets went from about 0 to 10 after ordering a Sinclair suit (navy herringbone inspired by Goldfinger) and noticing that many (most?) of Connery’s suits had jetted pockets, at least through Thunderball. I thought I had studied his suits fairly carefully, but that detail slipped by me.
Could not the tie be solid black here ?
In the well-lit shots it looks navy to me.
Is the herringbone weave black and mid grey or black and light grey and is this suit dark enough to be considered a dark grey?
The weave is in black and light grey, so the overall effect is mid grey. I don’t think it’s dark enough to call it dark grey, but it’s dark enough to be a classic business suit.
Thank you. I was just asking because the suit on the Anthony Sinclair website appears to be a black and mid grey herringbone and it looks much darker than the suit in the movie.
I thought that in person the suit from Anthony Sinclair looked very close to what I see on screen. I believe it is 7422062 from Holland & Sherry Target.
https://us.anthonysinclair.com/products/two-piece-grey-herringbone-suit
I assume you’re referring to this suit? It does look darker than the screen worn suit but that could just be the pictures making it look darker.
It’s the first time I think Connery’s jacket looks too short for him, yet it only does from the back. Sinclair did an excellent job at making Connery look like he is still in good shape in this suit, while in other outfits he doesn’t look that good. I like the touch of the half buttoned cuffs… while Connery was definitely bored with Bond at the time -who could blame him-, and probably did it just out of laziness, it looks quite cool and adds a touch of nonchalance, call it sprezzatura if you want. Such roll on a turnback cuff really demands bespoke quality.