The 007 60th Anniversary Socks Giftbox from The London Sock Exchange

The London Sock Exchange has released an official James Bond 60th Anniversary sock collection, their third collection of six James Bond-themed sock designs. This collection features four new designs and two repeat designs in new colourways.

The London Sock Exchange gifted me the the James Bond 60th Anniversary Giftbox which is valued at £72/$90. These new socks are only available in the gift box and not individually.

Each sock features a repeating motif related to James Bond, and the motif is woven into the sock with the utmost detail. While these socks are obviously not something James Bond would wear, I think they are a fun tribute to James Bond that many fans can relate to. The price for the 60th Anniversary box set may not be inexpensive, but it is an affordable and reasonable price for well-made socks.

Read my review of the first collection—which is still available—for more about the quality and for my thoughts on the concept. I’m still happily and comfortably wearing the socks from the first collection two years later.

The London Sock Exchange describes the technical details of the socks as, ‘69% cotton, 30% nylon, 1% elastane. The sock is principally constructed out of cotton; the finer nylon fibre is used for the detailed motifs and elastane is used in the ankle band to make sure it stays up on the calf.’ The socks are knitted with 200 needles and finished by hand in Turkey.

The 60th Anniversary Packaging

The packaging is a significant part of the experience of receiving clothes in the mail, and the creative giftbox for this collection made receiving these socks even more exciting. The packaging and presentation was a big step up from the first collection. The new box slides open from two sides, presenting three pairs of socks folded and stacked on each side. When each side is opened, a panel slides out on the opposite side revealing a chronological list of the word marks from all the James Bond films—half of the films are listed on each side.

The socks also came with a card picturing Sean Connery in a promotional still from From Russia With Love.

This box goes above and beyond for what one would expect from socks, but it’s exactly the kind of product one expects from a 007-branded product. While I plan on keeping the socks in my sock drawer and not in the box, I will be keeping this box in my collection with other special 007 boxes.

Also compared to the first collection, the labelling on these socks is made to higher standards.

The Six Socks

The socks are themed from films spanning the first two decades of the Bond series. The colours in this collection are amongst the most versatile of all the 007 socks from The London Sock Exchange, so they’re easy to grab without having to think too hard about how to wear them. I appreciate the colours of these socks from a menswear perspective. While the designs are all clever choices and intricately fascinating, from a wearability standpoint it’s the colours that matter most. I think the colour choices succeeded just as much as the fun designs do.

The Jetpack features a jetpack-piloting Sean Connery in his grey flannel suit from Thunderball. The sock is sky blue to depict Bond flying through the sky. While the colour is a fantastic choice for the subject matter, it is the most difficult colour to wear in this collection. I could see myself wearing it in a more casual outfit matching a light blue shirt.

The Off-Piste features George Lazenby wearing his blue ski suit posing with a gun and a set of skis, an image famously used on poster art from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service illustrated by Yves Thos. This sock is in an oatmealy off-white colour that reminds us of snow, but it avoids a pure white to make it easier to wear. This sock pairs well with pale-coloured trousers, especially stone-coloured chinos.

The Undercover features an image of Roger Moore in his all-black tactical polo-neck and shoulder holster look from San Monique in Live and Let Die holding a revolver. Though Roger Moore is remembered for his blazers, this black fashion from Live and Let Die is amongst his most iconic as James Bond and reminds us of how tough he could look in character. The sock is a maroon colour that pairs easily with most other colours, including trousers in shades of grey to blue to brown with shoes in any colour. They can even work well with a dinner jacket. The versatility of deep red socks such as these has made them a menswear classic.

The Moonraker features a motif of Roger Moore holding a laser gun in two different poses in a silver spacesuit as seen on poster art for Moonraker. The base of the socks is charcoal grey and has light grey flecks along with the occasional blue and yellow flecks to look like a muted starry outer space backdrop. The charcoal grey colour makes these socks a good pairing with charcoal or dark grey trousers and black shoes.

The Double-O was part of the first collection, but this time the colour is dark blue (a little lighter than navy) instead of mid blue. It depicts James Bond in his quintessential black dinner suit, pointing his gun up in a pose that Pierce Brosnan was often pictured in. The black-outfitted figure doesn’t pop much on the dark blue background, but it makes the socks more subtle and easier to wear. The dark blue background makes these socks much more versatile, whether its with a navy suit or a dark wash denim. Since the socks are dark blue, they could pair decently with a midnight blue dinner suit for a fun and meta style.

The Agent is another design that was originally from the first collection, and now it is on purple rather than pink. The Agent portrays a black-haired Sean Connery in his ivory dinner jacket and red carnation in Goldfinger, holding a gun across his chest. Purple socks are another classic menswear staple while also being trendy. Like the Undercover’s maroon sock, purple socks pair well with almost everything. These could even pair with a dinner jacket and black trousers, just like the motif on the socks.

Wearing the Socks

Unlike the first two collections, which included a martini glass and images of Bond villains, these socks all feature images of James Bond himself. I think that is appropriate choice for celebrating the 60th anniversary of the film character to only feature Bond himself. However, these designs tie the socks a bit more conspicuously to James Bond, whereas nobody will directly connect a martini glass sock to James Bond if you’re wearing the sock when out for drinks.

These designs are all very direct in their celebration of Bond. Unlike wearing Bond-style clothing, you can’t be an invisible Bond fan in these socks. Still, it’s much more subtle than wearing the 007 logo on a graphic t-shirt or wearing a Bond film poster on a pair of swim shorts. In reality, few people will notice that James Bond is on your socks unless you cross your legs when sitting down, or if you’re wearing them with shorts. They make interesting conversation pieces on the rare occasion someone notices them.

If there is one complaint I would make, it’s that these socks cannot be purchased as individual pairs like in the previous two collections. They are only available as part of the box set right now because they wanted to make this more special for the 60th anniversary. I would understand if some fans would like to purchase individual pairs because they don’t like certain colours or films depicted, or if they have a limited budget.

These are socks that I am happy to have in my wardrobe, and I will be wearing them frequently. They make getting dressed more fun, even for a rather conservative dresser such as myself. I’m happy about the colours in this collection because it will make them easier to wear. The lighter colours of the socks in the first collection limit the opportunities when I can wear them, but most of these socks are in colours that I already wear regularly. I will be wearing them just as I wear any plain socks.

They’d make a perfect Christmas present for any Bond fan, even for those who don’t usually like getting socks for Christmas.

The box set of socks is available from both The London Sock Exchange and the 007 Store.