The Spy Who Loved Me has Bond wearing the most naval clothing of any film in the series. Not only does Bond wear a dress uniform and greatcoat, he also wears battle dress, a style that dates to World War II. The dark navy serge jacket is waist-length and buttons three down the front with notch lapels. The bottom of the jacket has an extended tab for a tighter fit at the waist. There is a patch breast pocket with button flap and box pleat on each side of the chest. The cuffs close around the wrist with one button. The jacket has epaulettes that mark the rank of commander. The buttons are shanked brass.
Underneath the jacket Bond wears a light navy polo neck shirt. The trousers match the jacket and have a long rise, darted front and straight leg. They are worn with a belt, which is hidden under the jacket. The shoes are black polished leather derbies.
A few examples of the pieces in this outfit sold across a few auctions at Bonham’s in Knightsbridge. The jacket sold for £9,600 on 16 November 2005 and another for £11,760 on 6 March 2007. A false front for the jacket to wear under a wetsuit was sold for £720 on 16 June 2009 after failing to sell at three previous auctions. A pair of trousers was sold for £384 on 16 June 2009. All of these pieces are made by Bermans & Nathans.
What exactly is a darted front for a pair of trousers, Matt ?
It’s like a closed pleat, which acts similarly. It adds fullness to the front of the trousers that most people need.
Excellent, perfect for the character and the setting, with Roger at his peak.
Love the movie and this uniform. Moore’s best film, even though the wardrobe is the most dated of his films. But this navy uniform is very practical for the action scenes, and surprisinlgy elegant. A welcome addition to the series.
Very cool rig, a great piece of British military heritage. Though not just British. By 1945, the US Army and even the Wehrmacht were issuing battle dress type uniforms. Ironically, the very baggy original design was inspired by ’30’s civilian ski/golf suits. Matt, I recall an episode of THE SAINT in which Moore wears the army version of battledress while infiltrating a gang made up of ex-soldiers. However, I can’t find a plotline of this sort on the databases I looked at. Do you recall such an episode? I hope Moore didn’t find the serge too scratchy!
Must have been the only occasion when Moore as Bond wore shoes other than slip on loafers!