Summer is nearing the end, but linen suits still have a little time left before they go out of season. When visiting Cuba in Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan wears a casual dark tan linen suit from Brioni, with strong padded shoulders, a clean chest and a longer jacket length. The fabric is probably on the heavier side for linen, so it rumples more than it wrinkles for a casually elegant look. Yet in a plain weave it still breathes well and is comfortable in warm weather. This is one of the few button two suits Brosnan wears in the Bond series. When the 1990s went out, the button three suit was no longer at the height of fashion and the button two grew in popularity again. This suit jacket is detailed with swelled edges, double vents, flapped pockets, and four buttons on the cuffs. The buttons are tan corozo nut.
The darted front suit trousers have a tapered leg with turn-ups and are worn with a dark brown belt. Brosnan wears the suit jacket open and with an open-collar shirt. The shirt is dark blue with stripes in what may be orange and yellow. The shirt has a camp collar, a plain front and button cuffs. Dark shirts ordinarily don’t pair well with suits, but it works here because this suit is casual and Brosnan does not wear a tie. Ties and dark shirts never pair well together.
Brosnan’s shoes are tan suede hand-sewn Venetian slip-ons (loafers) with perforated quarters. Venetian silp-ons have an apron toe with a plain vamp. They are made by Stemar in Italy, which is a better choice for Cuba’s hot weather than Brosnan’s usual heavier Church’s shoes. Having a lightweight sole and perforated quarters, they are a breathable and wear very cool. A signed pair of these shoes was sold at Heritage Auctions on the 23rd of August in 2014.
Is this the one that shrunk so much with all the water in some of the action scenes that the trousers almost become capri pants in some of the final outdoor scenes? :)
Still like it, though, the screengrab with it hanging open isn't the most flattering in terms of fit.
It's a great outfit. That suit would cut it today, only the turn-ups mark it out as not being 'of the current fashion', whatever that is this week. I've got a few vintage short-sleeved Hawaiian shirts with camp collars, but I don't think I've ever owned a long sleeved shirt with such a collar.
Daniel Craig wore turn-ups on all his suits in Quantum of Solace, so it's not something that dates the suits.
The suit is very elegant and I prefer the two button style to the 3 button but what ruins it for me is the shirt. Brosnan was used to the open collar shirt with his suits and it generally worked well but not so much here.
This type of shirt, with its camp collar, works better in a casual environment. I never cared for this mixing of casual and formal items of clothing and this "look" brings Brosnan's outfit perilously close to the dreaded Timothy Dalton territory!
I think turn ups have only just been revived in the last few years Matt, after their long run in the 80s and 90s. 1 out of 20 pairs of trousers available are still simple hemmed trousers.
I don't know when turn-ups were popular or not, but Brosnan and Craig wore turn-ups on their suits in all their Bond movies, whether the trousers had pleats or plain fronts. Connery wore turn-ups on all his suits except for the suits in Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever.
The jacket is too long, in my humble opinion, and it destroys the general very good look.
Looks like there’s a replica available: http://www.baronboutique.com/die_another_day_linen_suit.html
A listing that claims to be a stunt copy of Brosnan’s jacket has recently appeared on ebay. I don’t know if it’s the genuine article though.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/James-Bonds-Brioni-Linen-Blazer-from-Die-Another-Day-44L-45L-225-p2p-/140966705968
I can believe it’s genuine.
Matt, is there any other instance in which Bond wears tan or beige shoes? I don’t seem to remember any.
Longer jacket length and sleeve, mean the context that bond was running from MI6 and no time to prepare making his well-fitted suit I guess.
By the context and fitting, I thought bond got a ready-to-wear suit in the movie, even actually the suit was tailored.
In the context of the film, Bond has just gotten a few tailor-made suits in Hong Kong. While it’s not realistic, we’re supposed to believe that Bond has been perfectly tailored by his Hong Kong tailor. Any imperfections we see in the fit were not intended to be viewed that way. This suit is supposed to fit the same way the suits he wears later in the film fit, but Brosnan’s fluctuating weight accounts for the different fits.