In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore wears a very dark navy button two blazer that’s almost identical to the one he wears two years later in Moonraker. It’s made by Angelo Roma with a clean cut and straight, narrow, roped shoulders in classic Roman style that echoes English military tailoring. The lapels are an inch wider than they need to be, but they don’t detract from the excellent fit and timeless cut of the blazer. The blazer is detailed with silver-toned metal buttons, not shanked but with four holes like a regular button, sewn with navy thread. There are four buttons on each cuff, slanted pockets with a ticket pocket (which isn’t present on the Moonraker blazer) and deep double vents.
The off-white wool gabardine trousers have a flat front and bell bottoms, which if might ever be appropriate would be appropriate here. In white—worn with a navy blazer—they evoke a sailor’s uniform, and Moore is indeed wearing the trousers out at sea. The silk shirt from Frank Foster is cream with mid blue stripes spaced different lengths apart. Though at some parts it looks like the stripes are grouped in threes, it doesn’t all follow that pattern. The shirt has a large point collar and tab cuffs. The tie is mid blue shantung silk, tied in a four-in-hand knot. Moore wears black slip-on shoes from Ferragamo with a brass horsebit with a medallion in the centre. His socks are black to match the shoes. The outfit overall could best be described as dressy resort-wear. White trousers, though classic, dress down the blazer. They are best worn in a warm climate far from the city, where mid grey trousers work best.
Nice post to kick off the summer season, Matt. I think the (limited) number of tailored pieces on display in this movie are a little maligned. This and the tan sports coat are some of my favourites from the series and, as you say, perfectly tailored.
Moore wore similar color trousers with his double breasted Castle version in The Man With The Golden Gun but they weren’t so much on display. As well as mid grey I would humbly suggest that charcoal, beige or stone trousers would work equally fine coupled with a blazer in a metropolitan setting.
As a personal aside, I had the great privilege of staying in the Cala Di Volpe Hotel where this section of the movie was filmed exactly two years ago. It’s a beautiful location designed by the Aga Khan. I must admit I channelled Moore once again and wore a single breasted navy blazer by Aquascutum paired with ivory color trousers by Ralph Lauren for the occasion. Fun.
David,
THis has been one of my favorite outfits since the movie came out in 1977; with slight adjustments to the lapels and collar points, it is a gorgeously timeless summer outfit.
White gabardine trousers, cottone gabardine? Or (lightweight) wool gabardine? Whato do you think?
The trousers are most likely wool.
I’m not wild about the shirt, it isn’t my personal taste, but the blazer itself is as Matt says timeless. Very nice look for the warmer months. Moore does blazers exceptionally well.
This has also long been one of my favorites of the series. As Matt astutely observes, a perfect combination of traditional fine tailoring and military touches. It also has just enough 1977 fashion to look contemporary without being fashionable or anachronistic. And it seems to just perfectly fit the shift to a brighter and lighter tone that occurs in Spy, the (imo) best of Bond’s grand escapist flicks and also the most beautifully filmed movie of the series. This ensemble seems to fit perfectly, literally and metaphorically, and Roger wears it perfectly (of course). Top marks.
David, I would love to hear about your stay at the Cala di Volpe as we are considering going there next year.
Christian, it would be a pleasure for me to reminisce on my (too) few days in this terrific location. I’m contactable on marlboroughdavid@hotmail.com. Send me an e mail and I’ll give you the low down.
Nice to find your blog & discover someone else who enjoys the style/design aspects! I’ve linked to you on SPY VIBE.
Best,
-Jason
http://spyvibe.blogspot.com/
I’m a big fan of Angelo Vitucci’s tailoring and wear a number of his suits that my dad passed on to me. Your description of the cut generally held true well into the 1980s and 1990s, at least
The overall outfit advice here is spot on – classics to return to every year, I’d say
Best,
BON
Amazing look indeed, i like it a lot, the blazer fits like a globe, but, Matt i have a question, is it ok to wear same color shirt and trousers even if the shirt is striped in this kind of blazer outfits? If he removes the blazer he will be all white and will end looking like a nurse..
The shirt and trousers should not be the same unless made from the same material, like in some type of suit. But all white would look silly. There’s nothing wrong here because the shirt is not solid white.
I’m sure this is common knowledge, but Angelo used to have a store on Picadilly as part of the Ritz (at the Wolseley end). It was a great shop, very much like one of the San Carlo Brioni stores in Mayfair – lots of suits and blazers. I bought a double-breasted knit blazer there, like the ones Moore wore in The Persuaders, what must be a decade a go. It has been closed for a long time and I don’t know if it exists in Italy any longer.
That jogs my memory alright. I actually recall the store, as part of the Hotel (although I couldn’t recall the name of it) and the knit blazer you refer to on display in the window. About 1995/1996 from memory.
To my eye the whole thing doesn’t work at all: The blazer’s dark navy is far too much for his fair complexion, and the bold-striped shirt provides a stark contrast which makes the viewer’s eye go to the shirt and not to his face. And the tie’s vivid blue clashes with the blazer’s colour. Because the blazer is in too dark a shade there is no real alternative to black shoes but those clash again with the white trousers.
Instead he should have chosen a blazer in a lighter shade of blue (as he did in TMWTGG) and a shirt with a more subtle stripe. The whole combination is out of balance and could have worked if worn by someone with a cooler complexion (like all the other Bonds except Craig). But even then the outfit’s colour palatte remains questionable.
I can make out not even the slightest trace of “innate style” behind all that.
On the contrary, it is a great nautical-inspired outfit, very suitable to jet-set around the Mediterranean. I have loved that particular outfit (making allowance for 70’s idiosyncrasies, like flared pants and pointy collar) ever since I first saw the movie back when I was in college. Those were the days when Bond was fun!
Besides, Moore was so tanned that the high-contrast palette worked very well. As far as ‘innate style” goes, perhaps “innate” is too strong of a word, but the fact remains that some men care about style and some men don’t, even though anybody can be taught how to dress well.
“Besides, Moore was so tanned that the high-contrast palette worked very well”
-Tan can’t repair a wrong colour choice. If the colour palette and the grade of contrast is not in harmony with the wearer’s complexion the only way is to look for something better fitting. Matt’s first shot exemplifies that very well – one doesn’t even notice Moore’s tan because the blazer’s dark navy drains him too much.
“…even though anybody can be taught how to dress well.”
-To a certain extent that’s true. But the outfit above merits to be presented as an example how NOT to do it. So even if it’s not aesthetically pleasing, at least it’s got some teaching value.
“…If the colour palette and the grade of contrast ARE not in harmony with..” – sorry!
Always liked this outfit. But then Moore also was an expert at wearing navy blazers.
By the way Matt how long were Moore’s collar points in TSWLM and Moonraker?
I’d say there were about 3 1/2 inches long.
Are you sure this is Navy, it looks midnight blue?
Darker forms of navy and midnight blue are essentially the same thing. The name used is based more on the context of the clothes rather than the actual colour. There are often multiple names for the same colour based on the type of garment and fabric.