In three of the first four James Bond films, Sean Connery’s Bond wears or carries a brown felt trilby hat. Lock & Co. Hatters takes credit for the green-grey trilby in Dr. No, but they likely made all of Sean Connery’s hats. Today the brown trilby, as seen in From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball, is available from Lock & Co. in the ‘Sandown’ model. Up to the 1960s, the hat was a key part of the gentleman’s wardrobe. In You Only Live Twice, Bond carries a navy trilby of unknown origin.
The trilby was also a key part of Bond’s wardrobe, and it appeared in all of Connery’s gunbarrel sequences. Even though Bond doesn’t wear a trilby in Diamonds Are Forever since they had fallen out of fashion by the 1970s, the trilby still appears in the gunbarrel sequence that was first shot for Thunderball.
Brown is the most popular colour for a trilby, considering it’s popularity at horse races. As a city hat, brown is still an acceptable colour along with grey and blue. The trilby is characterized by it’s short, stiff brim, which snaps down in front and turns up at the back. The brim is finished with a raw edge. The slightly tapered crown has a pinch in the front and a centre dent. At the base of the crown is a very narrow dark brown grosgrain ribbon. The inside has a leather sweatband and is lined.
Didn’t you already have an article about the trilby?
An article on the trilby from Dr. No. I wanted to write something more specific on the brown trilby.
It’s a shame that people don’t wear hats like this anymore. I believe this one was made by Lock & Co., one of London’s finest hat makers. They, like many of Bond’s favorite shops, hold a few royal warrants.
As a trilby wearer myself I only wish I looked half as good as Bond does in one.