David Mason of Anthony Sinclair is currently in New York to visit clients and run the New York City Marathon, but he found some time to meet with me for a drink this evening to give an update on what’s going on at the firm. If you don’t know, Anthony Sinclair—the late man—was the off-Savile-Row tailor who made almost all of Sean Connery’s suits for the Bond films. David Mason revived the legacy of Anthony Sinclair and has kept the brand true to the original. Earlier this year, Anthony Sinclair moved to a new location, in Marylebone at 34 Montagu Square. Some of you may be familiar with that address, as it’s the location of the flat Ringo Starr leased in the 1960s where Paul McCartney spent a lot of time writing and recording. John Lennon and Yoko Ono later moved in. Jimi Hendrix also lived there. This isn’t the first time the Beatles and James Bond clothing have crossed paths. Frank Foster, who made shirts for Roger Moore, Sean Connery and George Lazenby, also made shirts for the Beatles.
The biggest piece of news is that Anthony Sinclair has a special new client: Sir Roger Moore! Five years after the passing of Douglas Hayward, Sir Roger has moved on from the firm he patronised for over thirty years. Sir Roger has thus far ordered two suits—including one in a charcoal version of the Goldfinger glen plaid—a blazer and a dinner suit. And all the pieces are double-breasted, which Roger Moore prefers to wear these days. Mason has visited Sir Roger in Monaco, where the former Bond spends much of his time. Mason also received a call from Sir Sean Connery in the Bahamas, who showed interest in becoming a client as well.
Anthony Sinclair now offers two ready-to-wear trousers: the ‘SEAN’ model and the ‘DANIEL’ model. The ‘SEAN’ is modelled after the trousers Connery wears with his hacking jacket in Goldfinger and Thunderball. They are tan cavalry twill wool, have a medium rise, frogmouth pockets and slide-buckle side adjusters. Though they are tan, they are lighter in colour and weight than what Connery wore. Mason told me the darker colour is not available in the lighter weight, but he doesn’t think most people would want to wear the heavier, old-fashioned hunting cavalry twill. The ‘DANIEL’ trousers are beige cotton drill and have slanted side pockets and belt loops. They have a low rise and slimmer fit that follows today’s trends. You can find both trousers here.
And if you were wondering, David Mason is wearing a Goldfinger-inspired suit, but in sharkskin instead of a glen plaid.
Matt can you describe what you are wearing? From what I can tell it looks like your wearing a sports cost in beige, a light blue shirt with barrel cuffs, black grenadine tie, black handkerchief, and black or charcoal trousers?
My sports coat is camel hair in a dark grey and cream herringbone weave, perfect for the cold autumn we’re currently having in New York. The shirt is a blue hairline stripe from Frank Foster with cocktail cuffs, the tie is a black grenadine from Anthony Sinclair, the handkerchief is black silk and the trousers are charcoal flannel.
Nice choice of clothing!
Seems to have stopped doing the made-to-measure Connery inspired Conduit Cut suit as an option on their website in favour of the trousers. I’d’ve thought that the suit was likely to be the more popular option.
If I had the cash, I’d be more likely to go for a classic suit than a pair of casual trousers and, frankly, the suit seemed better value than these trousers do.
He is still selling the Special Order suits that he was before, though it’s possible that may change.
How similar is Mason’s cut to what Sinclair cut for Connery? The suit he is wearing in the picture looks to fit much slimmer, although it’s very hard to judge the tailoring due to the way his body is positioned. What about trouser rise, button stance, etc?
The cut is very similar. I think the cut is cleaner than what Connery wore, but everything else is the same. Mason is also a slimmer man than Connery was, so that makes a difference too.
You make an interesting point regarding body size/shape and how that affects one’s tailoring. Perhaps in the future you could do a post about this as it relates to the different men who I’ve played Bond.
It is everything. that is why it is so important to wear what suits you, not what fashion dictates.
I second that request. That could be very instructive indeeed !
Is it an optical illusion or are his right and left lapel differently cut?
I think it’s just an optical illusion.
Your look is very cool, Matt.
And I second FS’s suggested post.
Have to say that I’m amazed that Sir sean is interested in buying some more suits. What has he done with all of his old AS suits? They’re probably worth a lot of money. Matt, any way you can get him to make a few choice comments on the blog?
Right! I often wonder where are the suits Connery mentioned on his famous middle sixties Playboy interview, the ones he kept from the Bond movies
Yes, very dapper indeed, Matt. It seems your long awaited batch of shirts from Foster arrived too. I would be interested in a post with your appraisal of them in the near future!
No, I just have the one shirt, still.
and THAT is why I’ve reluctantly had to stop using FF
Very nice sport coat and shirt, Matt.
Nice to learn that Sir Roger Moore himself is going “back” to Sinclair ! Maybe Moore and Connery will meet at this place.
That would be a nice hommage to Anthony Sinclair’s work and talent.
On another note, I am quite disappointed by the trousers’ offers. I would have expected a “Sean” model that would be a typical “Connery era” model, with daks tops, double forward pleats and so on. Especially since the price is quite important. The Daniel trousers have really nothing special to me, and look like trousers you could see in any ready-to-wear store.
Mr. Mason said there’s no demand for the usual Connery-style trousers since hardly anyone wants to wear pleated trousers right now. He said most people don’t even want a medium-rise flat-front like the SEAN trousers.
That’s really too bad. Fashion trend is really to blame for it.
“Mr. Mason said there’s no demand for the usual Connery-style trousers since hardly anyone wants to wear pleated trousers right now. He said most people don’t even want a medium-rise flat-front like the SEAN trousers”.
This is strange; in Italy pleated trousers are still worn,(especialy one pleat trousers) with suits.
Flat front are for the most for sport-casual trousers.
I HATE CURRENT FASHIONS!!!! They are killing good tailoring!!!
And, as if it wasn’t enough, they are also killing
the common and, if I may say, “logical” sense of style of many people.
Agree absolutely. Some fashions are very divisive. The excessively loose cut suits, many double breasted, with very wide shoulders, no vents and absolutely no shape at all were the big thing 20-25 years ago and I hated them with a vengeance. The trend of the last 3 years or so is equally abominable.
The original trousers on which the “Sean” is based are flat front, so it makes sense that they would copy this style.
https://www.bondsuits.com/?p=9
I agree that the “Daniel” model doesn’t seem to be anything particularly unique, and to be honest I think the price point on both is a little rich for ready-to-wear trousers.
Hm… Sort of sounds like Mason called up Roger and Sean offering them some free suits in exchange for talking about it. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s sort of how it sounds. (If that’s not the case, has discretion in tailoring completely vanished?) What happened to Richard Payne? Wasn’t he Sinclair’s successor with the shears and the actual cutter behind Mason’s business savvy? Also, Mason’s shoulders look considerably more built up than anything Sinclair cut in the 60’s. I say all this not to poke holes but because I’m desperate to find a tailor who can really do an authentic interpretation of the conduit cut. I’m just not sure Mason is it.
Sean Connery called up Mason on his own accord. I don’t know how Roger Moore found his way to Anthony Sinclair, but he has publicly stated he is wearing Anthony Sinclair. Bespoke tailors don’t give away suits for free.
Richard Paine still cuts for Anthony Sinclair and cuts in the authentic style. Mason’s suit has natural shoulders just like Connery’s suits did, and I could see that in person. That picture isn’t the best example. I don’t know of anything closer.
Thanks for the reply Matt. Very informative! Connery calling up Mason on his own would certainly lend credence to the argument that the house is producing a product along the lines of the old Sinclair. I do think the conduit cut is much more complex than it looks. I think it’s an interesting mixture of relaxation (soft shoulder, generous waist) and modernity (streamlined, short, tidy) that brings to mind the insouciant elegance of the A&S/Scholte school. I actually inherited a Sinclair shawl collar dinner suit made for my father in the 60’s and I love the way it feels compared to my ‘firmer’ coats from other houses. Are there any photos of current bespoke Sinclair creations on the clients? I’d really like to see more examples of what the house is producing at the moment.
I’d love to see pictures of your father’s dinner suit, gsm. Actual “conduit cut” examples besides Sean Connery’s James Bond suits are very hard to find. The only other examples that I’ve seen are Warren Beatty’s wardrobe in the 1966 movie KALEIDOSCOPE (given the Sinclair connection, and the fact that the movie “borrows” its central plot point from “Casino Royale”, maybe a suitable future entry for this website?).
Is impossible that Roger Moore,a customer by Cyril Castle,not know the other big tailor in Conduit street,Antony Sinclair.
Is interesting the choise of double breasted.
How is a Sinclair double breasted?
Very clean i presume.
If any photos from Roger Moore’s current tour pop up we can see how it looks.
Mason seems to be slouched somewhat. His suit suit and shirt are creasing as a result.
Very stylish Matt. My favourite style of outfit.
Wow that is a very classy looking suit.
I really like the suit David Mason is wearing here. It’s a wonderful color and I love the sharkskin pattern. And it coordinates perfectly with his gray hair too!
Matt, grey ensemble also!
I like very much the “Goldfinger suit” cut.
As is not a cosplayer costume i think that is right make it in others cloths and colors.
For exemple would great in blue-gray shade or in a sober pin strip,or charcoal flannel.
The slim lapels and clean look are right for our times, less than not ruin the suit with ultra skinny flat front low rise trendy absurdity and go to a beautiful high (or at least medium rise) clean,moderate slender trousers with daks tabs and double ( or single) forward pleats .
Is,beyond James Bond, a great look.
A British look at his best
Oh man… if only I had the money, this would be the place where I’d get my suits.
I visited David in August, at that time he had just moved to Montagu Square. He told me that Sir Roger had called to make the doubled-breasted jacket you are talking about, Matt, and I had the privilege to see it ! I didn’t noticed any real difference with what Sir Roger wears nowadays. As far as I can remember, it is a 6×2 with straight flapped pockets quite low on the hips, and a natural shoulder line. I think it has also double vents. Do you remember the link-button cuffs ? He told me that it was Sir Roger’s invention. And even more important, I learnt that an interview was filmed on the first trial (and that David had to go to Monaco, as you already said). David Mason is a very kind man to chat with ; we will meet each other again in December.
I hope these details have helped a bit,
Cheers
I’m not sure if I buy that Roger Moore invented the link-button cuffs, since Patrick MacNee wore them earlier.
Nice watch Matt. Is it a speedmaster or daytona?
Cheers
Ryan
Just can’t pick a winner in this sartorial showdown – both men look great. It looks like M sending Bond off on a mission. Perhaps M’s office is being de-bugged or renovated, so they have to meet in a café. Matt, is your look an update of the basketweave sportscoat Moore wears at the beginning of LALD?
Looking forward to seeing what Anthony Sinclair provides for both Moore and Connery.
I don’t think I can compare my look to anything in the Bond series.
Matt. Do you recall what shoes you were wearing here?
I was wearing black wingtips from Crockett & Jones that slip-on with elastic gussets.
Very nice. Thanks
Ryan