In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig wears a Sunspel ‘Riviera’ polo shirt. The fitted navy polo is made from knitted cotton mesh and has a self collar, two-button placket and a breast pocket. This is the first time Bond wears a short-sleeve polo shirt since Thunderball, and it’s a welcome return.
Craig wears the polo with khaki, jean-style, five-pocket trousers with a wide, bootcut leg. The cloth is most likely cotton, in a weave that’s a cross between bedford cord and a basketweave, and they are worn with a dark brown belt. The shoes are tobacco suede chukka boots in the ‘Trapper’ model from Loake.
A perfect polo shirt, comfortable in hot weather and elegant. My favourite summer look!
Undoubtedly a great look and Craig carries it off really well. You’ve really got to be in good shape though to look good in such tight T shirts. Reminds me of Connery in Dr No.
Which size do you think Craig wore? I would have thought a large as though he is muscular he isn’t overly tall.
If only this was in my price range. £80 isn’t exactly cheap.
Is it worth it?
I agree: the Sunspel Riveira polo is a great shirt. Very comfortable. It’s too bad the colour used in the film is no longer available though. The one on sale now is not as dark as that used in the movie.
Interesting post; I had never realized that the fabric of the shirt had a mesh weave to it. I suppose that this helps it breathe better in warm weather? Would that type of weave for the pants achieve something similar?
As for sizing, it’s interesting how some people think that this shirt is “tight”. To me, this is the way that a polo shirt is supposed to fit. Mind you, it’s difficult to find proper fit in North America because of vanity sizing. 20 years ago a shirt that fit me like this would be a size medium; now if I go to an American chain like The Gap or Club Monaco I have to buy an extra-small! And even then the body is often too wide.
This reminds me of a great website (or more likely a blog) which I haven’t been able to find for a long time. In it, an early-20s guy was inspired by CR to completely revamp his wardrobe after his girlfriend went on and on about how well dressed Craig was. It was fantastic reading and watching (he posted photos) this guy trading in his two-sizes-too-large polo shirts and jeans, baggy cargo shorts, velcro sports sandals, and backward baseball caps for outfits like the one above. I’ve tried in vain to find it to show it to friends who would benefit from its advice. Does anyone else remember reading it?
Mesh does indeed breathe better in warm weather. I think the weave of the pants would breathe better than a twill cloth, like denim or chino, but there are better cloths for breathability.
Perfect timing, Matt – I ordered this shirt literally yesterday. Craig’s look is a great, classic one. The polo looks nice and slim, which I am looking forward to as most shirts in America are just too large through the body for me. One of the best casual looks of the entire series.
Hi!
Through JamesBondlifestyle I came to the Polo-Shirt.
I have many Sunspel T- and Polo Shirts.
And it´s my favourite Brand.
Suppose they weren’t overly concerned with matching the belt since he wears the shirt untucked…
To me though? There’s nothing like a fit guy wearing a tucked in, slim polo shirt. It actually looks better IMO because the hem isn’t bunching around the belt line as you see here. I’d urge new readers to stay away from such a close fit for woven shirts though. The reason you can get away with it for polos and t-shirts is because the fabric is a knit and stretches. Woven shirts worn as close fitting as your average RL model will look like a grabby, wrinkly mess within a couple hours of wearing.
Classic, sober, simple, adapted to the climate. It’s a perfect look for the weather and it flatters Craig’s body. I just can’t believe that Bond didn’t worn a polo shirt since Thunderball ! It’s a very simple piece of clothing that can’t look particulary outdated. Curious that Brosnan or Moore didn’t worn it at least once, especially Moore, since Brosnan wore less casual clothing than every other Bond. Navy and khaki match well too. I am just not mad of carrying a gun in the back of the trousers -like in QOS-, it’s more a cowboy or a gangster look than something Bond would do.
I also think that rather wide trousers are better for Craig than short and slim ones. They don’t make him look shorter and are more classic.
I must disagree. Although we’ve come to expect Bond to use a shoulder holster, in reality this would be almost impossible when carrying a Walther P99 (Bond’s weapon of choice in this scene). I understand that Brosnan’s Bond did it, however that is a full-sized combat pistol and could not be concealed in a shoulder rig underneath a well-tailored suit jacket. Likewise, with a polo in a warm climate, like here, a shoulder holster is completely impractical and therefore a holster in the small of the back is the only real option.
The PPK, or course, is a different story and I was glad to see the character return to this weapon in QoS and Skyfall.
I completely agree about the P99 being too big to be carried with a holster under a suit jacket. However, I don’t see why Bond couldn’t have a shoulder holster with a polo shirt. Remember that in Madagascar, he does use a shoulder hoster, and the climate quite the same as here in the Bahamas.
La Chiffre,
Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but I am not sure what you mean by using a shoulder holster with a polo shirt. I believe in the scene in Casino Royale, Bond had the P99 in an inside-the-waistband holster. A shoulder holster is always carried under a jacket and don’t really work for concealment with larger handguns unless you are a really big guy with looser jackets (think Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry), or you want the holster to show.
I too was glad to see Bond to return to the PPK. It is no longer a top-shelf weapon (though it gets the job done), but it is Bond’s traditional sidearm, and it is nice, for once, to see the producers not take the product placement money for the sake of tradition. Not sure who to credit (Craig perhaps?) but kudos.
FS, Christian, my mistake. After seeing the scenes again it’s obvious that Craig has got a holster attached to his belt, and besides using a shoulder holster without wearing a jacket or something on doesn’t make sense.
Anyway, it’s a pity that Craig’s skinny and tight shoulder holster-cut like his suits, as a matter of fact !- in Skyfall had really nothing in common with Connery’s one in Dr. No…
That’s right Christian. Every firearms text I’ve ever seen describes the Polizei Pistole Kurz as a masterpiece, and often notes that as it “points” so well, a high level of accuracy can be achieved, even after cursory training. Hitler used to stow his personal PPK in a leather pocket lining sewn into his trousers, and of course, used this sidearm to off himself, another plus point. For me, Bond has the right rig for the locale/climate. The (MI6?) man in the background looks as though he is about to pass out! The boots also sound like an upgrade on the trainers Bond sports in other scenes.
One point I would make regarding the chinos or khakis. The seem ill fitted towards the hem. Alot of break and what appears to be flare as well. Not very Bond.
Craig with flared trousers? Bring on the satorial mob critics of the Moore era!
Jokes aside, these jean trousers are without a doubt a complete and utter refreshing antidote to those Topman chinos – and every other trouser – in Skyfall.
As for the break, they would have been well justified to put a guardsman slant on the hem – it’s almost mandatory in order to get a clean line with trousers cut wide at the knee and hem without exposing too much of the heel.
A bit of break in front is fine, but the fit looks off the rack. Tasteful, but off the rack.
-Kurt
Just received my polo yesterday. It is a great shirt, very comfortable and perfect for the quickly warming LA weather. And it is extremely dark, so I am not sure that it is correct that the current color is lighter than the one in the movie.
The lighting in the movie can be deceiving. The color of the polo is Sunspel’s cobalt, not navy blue, though it appears this way in the photos and in the movie. I have this polo in the new Sky color and love it. I want one in EVERY color.
When this shirt was first made, it was only available in navy and black, then red and irish cream. Cobalt came out a bit later. This is the navy shirt.
Having had this shirt for a few months now, I have to say it is not worth the money. Yes, it fits really well, and the material is nice, but the material is also delicate. It is showing wear and tear far too quickly for its price (and it isn’t like I am particularly rough on clothes – it must be hand washed or dry cleaned, and the material is simply not very durable).
I don’t know if there was a trend for wider trousers in 2006, I don’t remember it. I just wore standard straight leg jeans or slacks at the time. The suits had trousers with regular straight legs that I had at the time. Slim fit, tapered trousers didn’t really hit the scene till 2010 from memory. Craig has solid legs but I think the wider leg trousers don’t look right on him, considering all his shirts and polo’s are fitted. Daniel Craig wore standard straight legs in Layer Cake in 2005. What do you think Matt ?
I think the wide legs look good on him. They keep him from looking top-heavy with all of his muscle.
True, especially in Casino Royale as he was at his biggest then. I personally think standard straight leg trousers are more classic. The chino’s he wore in Spectre were very narrow, not as narrow as in Skyfall though. From what i’m noticing with trousers recently they are getting a little more slouchy and not as tight.
I’m going to the Bahamas in a month’s time. Any clue on where to get these trousers as I have the polo? I’m guessing from the post and the comment thread these were tailored. By Brioni? Any alternatives? Also should I fake my orgasm.
Sorry ignore that last one, I was just on a roll.
The maker of these trousers has long been a mystery. The good news is that it’s easy to get the look with five-pocket khakis, and I assume you’d want an updated silhouette that isn’t so wide.
They could be made Ted Baker like the taupe linen trousers he wore prominently in the film. The brand was well known in 2006.