Original article published 7 December 2012
I am in the process of rewriting and republishing old articles about James Bond’s outfits that are in need of a refresh and expansion. All former comments are preserved below.
Brioni made a large number of suits for Pierce Brosnan to wear in GoldenEye, to wear to promote GoldenEye and to wear to promote Brioni. Three out of the four suits that Pierce Brosnan wears in GoldenEye were made as three-piece suits, but costume designer Lindy Hemming decided that only one would end up being worn as a three-piece suit in the film. Bond’s sole three-piece suit in the film is a charcoal grey windowpane suit.
This suit is charcoal grey pick-and-pick—also known as sharkskin—with a mid blue windowpane in lightweight worsted wool, around 8 oz. The pick-and-pick ground of varied shades of grey gives the suit a slight iridescence and makes the blue windowpane look more subtle.
This is a business suit, but because windowpane suits are uncommon it makes this a slightly unconventional and flashier business suit. A smart windowpane on a city suit like this one is quite elegant, and Bond’s example stands out amongst the more typical solids and stripes, though the windowpane is fairly subtle. The flashiness of the windowpane makes it a good choice for social occasions. Windowpanes by themselves are more often found on rustic or sportier cloths like tweed. A windowpane is commonly found as part of a Prince of Wales check where it’s often called an overcheck, and James Bond wears such Prince of Wales check suits in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Spectre.
Bond wears this suit for a visit to Q’s lab and when he arrives in Saint Petersburg. Bond’s plane ticket from London to Saint Petersburg is for 16 February, when temperatures are expected to be below freezing at all times. Considering how cold the weather is supposed to be in Saint Petersburg, Bond’s lightweight suit is not the most appropriate choice, but it is the modern type of suit that Lindy Hemming thought Bond should wear. He wears a cashmere overcoat over the suit, but he wears it unbuttoned as if it’s not so cold outside. Everyone else is dressed for warmth—Jack Wade is wearing a fur ushanka—but the cold Russian weather does not bother Bond. The Russian scenes were filmed in London and Surrey, which aren’t nearly as cold as the places they were standing in for.
Though Bond visits Q’s lab in his next scene after visiting M’s office, he wears a different outfit to tell us he didn’t merely ride the lift downstairs but returned to MI6 on subsequent day. In the following scene, Bond arrives in Saint Petersburg wearing the same suit and the same tie but a different shirt. The same suit and tie implies he left for Saint Petersburg immediately after being equipped by Q but for one reason or another changed his shirt. The ecru shirt in Q’s lab allows Bond to blend in and look like he belongs in the surroundings. The French blue shirt in Saint Petersburg makes Bond looks lively amongst the drab Russian surroundings and as if he has power over his surroundings, while also blending in with Jack Wade’s bright blue ZAZ-965A to make Bond and Wade look like a team.
The Brioni suit jacket, like Brosnan’s other single-breasted suits in GoldenEye, is made in their ‘Augusto’ model with their iconic straight shoulders with natural sleeve heads, and it has a full cut with a gentle tapered through the body. The jacket has a fairly long length overall, but it is flattering on the tall Pierce Brosnan. The jacket has three buttons down the front in a medium-low stance and has four buttons on the cuffs, double vents at the rear and slanted hip pockets with a ticket pocket. The double vents and slanted pockets add an Anglicised flair to the 1990’s Italian suit, helping to break up the rather boxy silhouette.
The suit’s ‘Snello’ model trousers have double outward-facing reverse pleats and turn-ups. The trouser leg is moderately trim and tapered, with a classic silhouette that looks balanced on Brosnan without the fashionable 1990s fullness. The trousers are most likely worn with a trim black belt. A belt disturbs the drape of a well-fitted waistcoat, but since Brosnan usually wears a belt with his three-piece suits and the waistcoat doesn’t drape as cleanly as it should, there’s probably a belt here. The waistcoat has six buttons and two welt pockets. Bond wears the waistcoat’s bottom button unfastened, allowing him to sit comfortably.
Bond’s two shirts were made by Sulka, both in the same style with a semi-spread collar, double cuffs and a front placket. The semi-spread collar has moderately short points and only a small amount of tie space, a fashionable look in the mid 1990s. The collar is a continental style, while the placket is stitched 1 cm from the edges to give it an English appearance. The French blue shirt was on trend for the 1990s and has a semi-solid appearance that suggests an end-on-end weave.
The tie is a grid pattern of red, cream and yellow with black outlines on a dark blue ground. A puffed dark blue silk handkerchief in the breast pocket coordinates with the blue ground of the tie and, to a lesser extent, with the suit’s mid blue windowpane and the French blue shirt. The blue shirt coordinates well with the windowpane.
Bond’s shoes are the Church’s ‘Diplomat’ semi-brogue oxfords in black. The busy perforations were previously uncommon on Bond but followed trends for sophisticated business dress in the 1990s.
An example of this suit was sold at auction at Bonhams in Knightsbridge on 6 Mar 2007 for £8,640. The lot included a blue Sea Island cotton shirt from Turnbull & Asser (probably made for The World Is Not Enough) and a Simpsons of Piccadilly tie in navy, red, beige, brown and green that was worn in Bond’s passport photo in GoldenEye. The auction listing also mentions a cloth label inside the suit that reads ‘MARK SOUTWORT REF 3.’
Bond wears a navy cashmere overcoat over the suit when he arrives in Saint Petersburg. The coat has a dramatic style, due to its wide shoulders, long length with its hem below the knee and wide notched lapels with a low gorge. It has three buttons down the front in a very low stance—the top button is at the height of the suit jacket’s middle button—and it exposes too much of the chest to be a practical coat while negating any advantage of the coat’s long length. To create even more drama, Bond wears the collar flipped up. While flipping up the collar can shield one from the wind and cold, if Bond were concerned with warmth he would have buttoned the coat. The coat has a welt breast pocket, straight hip pockets with flaps, three buttons on each cuff, a rear vent and a black felt undercollar.
The coat is Italian in style, prioritising fashion over practicality. This coat is more like a superhero’s cape, especially in the way Bond wears it. English single-breasted coats typically fasten higher and have a fly front, both so the coat better protects the wearer. With the overcoat he wears a pair of dark brown wrist-length leather gloves and have three rows of stitching on the back of the hand to shape the glove to the hand.
Bond wears his suit jacket fastened at the middle button when wearing it under the overcoat. He otherwise wears the suit jacket open.
Now Pay Attention
| SUIT | |
| Tailor | Brioni |
| Fabric | Charcoal grey sharkskin with a blue windowpane, worsted wool |
| JACKET | |
| Front buttons | 3, medium-low stance |
| Lapels | Medium-width notch |
| Shoulder | Padded with natural sleeve heads |
| Breast pocket | Welt |
| Hip pockets | Slanted with flaps and ticket pocket |
| Vents | 2 |
| Cuff buttons | 4 |
| WAISTCOAT | |
| Front buttons | 6 |
| Lapels | None |
| Pockets | 2 Welt |
| TROUSERS | |
| Front | Double reverse pleats |
| Support | Belt |
| Front/side pockets | Slanted side pockets |
| Rise | Medium-high |
| Leg | Tapered, medium width |
| Hem | Turn-up |
| SHIRT | |
| Shirtmaker | Sulka |
| Fabric | Ecru cotton poplin and French blue end-on-end cotton |
| Collar | Semi-spread |
| Cuff | Double |
| Front | Placket |
| TIE | |
| Brand | Unknown |
| Fabric | Grid pattern of red, cream and yellow outlined in black on a dark blue ground |
| Knot | Four-in-hand |
| SHOES | |
| Shoemaker | Church’s |
| Style | Black ‘Diplomat’ semi-brogue oxford |
| ACCESSORIES | |
| Pocket Square | Puffed dark blue silk |
| COAT | |
| Tailor | Brioni |
| Fabric | Navy cashmere |
| Length | Below the knee |
| Front buttons | 3, low stance |
| Collar | Medium-wide notch lapels |
| Breast pocket | Welt |
| Hip pockets | Straight, flap |
| Cuff | 3 buttons |
| Vent | 1 |
| Edges | Bluff |
Great suit, shirts, and pocket square (sadly he didn’t wear enough of them), even if I believe Brioni was ill-suited for the very British James Bond. Not sure why they haven’t gone to a quality London tailor yet these days. Many of them now make off the rack suits to reign in people who are scared of MTM or bespoke. Always admired the button stance and lapel roll on Brosnan’s three button suits, though. In fact, I used them as an example of what to look for in one of my blog articles: http://nouveauvintage.blogspot.com/2011/10/buttoning-options.html
That tie on the other hand… well. Most of the ties Hemming chose took Brosnan from secret agent with good taste to stereotypical car salesman. A shame.
I still fail to see what was so wrong with Brosnan’s ties; they matched his high contrast complexion and were certainly more interesting than the current “minimalist” ties which might as well not be there. Is hating on Brosnan’s ties the current version of hating on Roger Moore’s safari jackets?
Some of Brosnan’s ties I think look dated, but this one here I think is really nice. It’s not as bold as the one worn with the blue suit. I think the tie that was sold in the Bonhams lot was awful.
Hi Matt,
I was at Bonhams on one of the viewing days of this auction in March 2007 and took a couple of pictures of this suit which shows the pattern a bit better. I can send these to you if you are interested.
It would be great if you can send me pictures. My email can be found in the sidebar. Thanks!
Perhaps, but “dated” is not synonymous with “unstylish” or even “unattractive” – the suits worn by Cary Grant or Gary Cooper in their heyday might look” dated” to our eyes, but they are vastly better in every respect than today’s “shrunken look”.
This comment has aged well
Like a 30-year old fine !
Indeed!
this is actually one of Brosnans best suits in my opinion. but by far his best ties were the black, orange pattern from TWINE, the blue,brown hamburg tie from TND, and the blue sphere tie from DAD….oh and the Bilboa tie from TWINE
I understand that for Skyfall 300 suits were made . London tailors would struggle to make this quantity in the timescales required for filming and I suspect this is why other sources are used now. However I agree with the sentiment of the comment. Costume designers have lost sight of the Britishness of Bond and I doubt very much he would have worn the Skyfall creations
I agree that London tailors would be unable to accomodate the needs of the film. I also think that the producers (in the most recent films) have done their best to adhere to the spirit of Fleming’s Bond and I commend their effort. But excessive homage to Fleming’s Bond, or even Connery’s, is inadvisable for he is a largely a relic of a bygone era and not fit for modern times. Yes, I agree that the suits in Skyfall are too tight. But that is how people dress in 2012. I agree that Bond should be timeless to a point, but he is also a creature of his times. Lindy Hemming’s comment that Bond must be a global citizen rings true for me.
People now often wear their suits closesly-fitted, but only on the runways do they wear suits as tight as Daniel Craig’s in Skyfall.
Come to Scandinavia Matt, there you’ll see loads of young professionals wearing these types of ultra skinny suits. We call it the “Swedish look”, and particularly Swedish “fashion” brand Tiger sell a lot of these condom like suits.
It is can look acceptable on the tall and thin, but here also the overweight middle aged have started wearing them, and that is a ghastly sight.
S
Here in Los Angeles, the suits are worn too. My only issue with them is that they are too short.
No, I simply believe they are ugly… ease up.
Wonderful post and outfit, although a subtle glen plaid in grey-blue (like the North by Nortwest suit) could have been equally good. I don’t understand why everybody dislikes the Goldeneye tank tie ; to me, this tie is as luxurious but more flashy, and fortunately the waistcoat makes its presence less loud. It’s a shame that Brosnan seems to be wearing a belt under his vest… About the shirt, I hate to disagree with you Matt, but isn’t the colour of the shirt a little darker, like a medium or even close to a French blue ? It reminds me a little the colour of Borsnan’s shirt in Bilbao in TWINE.
Keep up the great work !
I was waiting for a review of this outfit. The handkerchief is perfectly puffed, i like the tie aswell. I’ve seen that red, navy, cream green tie you say in some sort of promotional shots and photos, there is one that shows Bond wearing that tie with this same suit and shirt, with the aston martin in the back. As you say that tie is awful, is the only Brosnan tie that i don’t like, glad it didnt make it into the movie.
I think Q’s hairpiece is more offensive than that tie…
In all seriousness, that tie wasn’t to my taste in 1994 or today – I’m not a fan of abstract patterns like that because they were so widely pushed by cheap vendors such as Tie Rack and BHS and will, for me, always bring to mind the dreaded pre-packed ‘shirt and tie in one packet’ offerings from these stores. But Brosnan gave Bond a decidedly new style and even though I’m not a fan of much of the neck wear I respect and admire that. And the suit is a thing of beauty.
Brosnan’s ties are like the MWTGG plaid jacket – even if you don’t like that sort of thing, you can admire it… and both are a world away from these children’s suits Daniel Craig keeps squeezing into!
I forgot to ask: What about the overcoat bond wears over this suit? ist it black or navy? details?
There are very few things that I don’t like about Brosnan’s suits (surprise surprise!) One is his penchant for wearing belts with three-piece suits as seen here. However I’ll forgive this in Goldeneye since the belt incorporated a clever Q gadget. At lease they decided to forgo the waistcoat with the navy birdseye; I think that would’ve made the belt piton gun scene a little awkward.
Even with some of the tailoring details of the time– low button stance, longer coat, and wider trousers, this suit doesn’t scream 1990’s, and though it wouldn’t be at the height of “fashion” today would look absolutely appropriate on a well-dressed businessman. The English details like the ticket pocket create a nice harmony of styles. I also like this tie, I’m glad they stuck with this one for both uses and didn’t use the other one from the publicity stills. That was a bit much!
Great post, big fan overall.
Kyle, you can blame Lindy Hemming for the belted three piece suits. She did the same thing with Daniel Craig at the end of “Casino Royale”. At least Jany Temime had Mallory wearing braces, even if the suits for Bond himself were underwhelming.
Can anyone post the URL for these infamous publicity stills?
Here’s the tie in the auction: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15337/lot/175/
The suit had ‘silk effect’ lining? I’ve never known a Brioni that wasn’t lined with Bemberg… though I wasn’t buying them then…
I think “silk effect” is the auction’s way of describe Bemberg.
Other readers in this website have noted how it’s a shame Bond is no longer dressed by English tailors. I just want to point out that Skyfall is fortunately not devoid of English tailoring. My tailor at Thom Sweeney informed me that they made the silk, cream jacket worn by Javier Bardem’s character. They also made the dark trousers worn by Bardem when he impersonated a police office. (I also read that Ralph Fiennes’ suit was made by Timothy Everest.)
I asked my tailor if it would be possible for Thom Sweeney to dress Bond in future films, and was told that’s highly unlikely. Tom Ford’s company paid over one million dollars in endorsement fees to be the dresser for Bond. Also, since Bond is now more of an action character than the gentleman spy, a huge amount of suits need to be made for filming. According to my tailor, that’s difficult for Thom Sweeney and other London tailors to handle.
However, I wonder if large design houses like Burberry or Dunhill can take the mantle in dressing Bond in future films.
See, that’s what I’m saying. I find it hard to believe that they can’t go with a British brand like Burberry at the very least. Certainly, their suit style is English enough and they can mass produce in enough numbers for action scenes.
I also never got the point of endorsement fees from Brioni and Tom Ford. Exactly who is going to know that those brands are in the movies besides people like us who search it out (more out of curiosity than a desire to own everything from the movies)? You can maybe see the Brioni label if you look for it in “Casino Royale”. Clothing brands that don’t have logos on them are not as immediately recognizable as Heineken, — which I was worried about given the TV spot for it, but was thankfully limited to a couple shots lasting maybe three seconds each. Does it really make that big an impact on sales, given the asking price for a ready-made suit (not even MTM or bespoke) from one of these brands and the average income of moviegoers?
While it’s true that a number of English brands could handle the Bond series’ needs, they also have to be willing to provide the clothes for free.
Given how large the budgets of these movies are, are that many suits really going to put that much a strain on production?
If they can save half a million dollars I’m sure they won’t pass that up.
I seem to recall a rumour circulating before production began on Quantum of Solace stating that Alfred Dunhill would be dressing Bond. Although I am not as critical of the Tom Ford suits as many on this site, I do believe a British brand such as Dunhill would be a better match for Bond.
This is why Doug Hayward always said “I’ll have the money, you can keep the credit”
Could the cloth be a plain weave worsted ?
It could be, but it’s more likely a twill prunelle.
Is it me or is the shoulder roping here less pronounced than in TWINE/DAD ?
I think you’re right. It does look less pronounced in GoldenEye.
Does that contribute as to why the silhouette is boxy?
It’s part of it, but the boxiness is mainly in the cut of the body with little shape.
Would the suit jackets in GE/TND be considered long by 1930s/1940s standards?
The button stance seems overall medium to me (or medium-low), at least in the rare photos that exist of him wearing a jacket buttoned for this film.
https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/news-photo/irish-actor-pierce-brosnan-1995-news-photo/158681788
You’re right. It’s not a Hayward low stand.
The button stance always seemed more close to medium to me. The middle buttonhole seems to be almost at the middle of the jacket height. Q’s suit in comparison does have a low button stance.
Matt,
What’s your opinion of semi-brogues with city suits? Does the windowpane (subtle as it may be) add enough visual interest to allow the diplomats to work with the overall presentation of this outfit?
It’s kind of a selfish question since I purchased a pair of black Church’s Diplomates myself a long time ago, but they’ve barely been worn since I feel they don’t work with my plain worsted and pinstripe city suits
I think semi-brogue oxfords are perfectly fine with city suits. I think a pattern or texture of some sort can help to balance them. I think Brosnan’s windowpane, Prince of Wales check and birdseye suits have the right amount of pattern and texture to balance the shoe. They would be great with flannel or a thick chalk stripe too. A solid or subtly pinstriped worsted might not be as good of a suit for them, but it’s not wrong.
Well said ! Looking good is all about balancing colors, textures and patterns well. However, I think the slightly added design of the shoe can help adding interest/ losing the seriousness of a dark serge or pinstripe suit. As would a slightly patterned or textured tie, if such suit is worn with a solid shirt.
Even though it’s just a change of shirt, I prefer the St. Petersburg blue shirt combination to the ecru one worn in Q’s lab … just my $0.02. Either way, Brosnan looks pretty sharp in this suit. The tie is underrated too … I’d wear it in a heartbeat.
I’ve definitely come around on the tie. I had a neutral to slightly negative impression in the past, but seeing the movie in 4k really improved my opinion on it. Goldeneye always historically had a poor quality, muddied transfer on blu-ray and DVD which didn’t help.
I didn’t like the tie originally either, but it’s not as bad as I thought back then. It’s actually one of the more tasteful ties from the movie. I’m still not very fond of the one sold with the Mark Southworth stunt suit at auction though.
Is this suit really charcoal? I never thought it looked dark enough to be considered it.
It’s on the lighter side of charcoal, but after making comparisons to other charcoal and dark grey suits I thought it appropriate to categorise it as charcoal.
Any idea what that ‘MARK SOUTWORT REF 3’ inside the jacket refers to?
I haven’t been able to figure that out. I haven’t found anything about Mark Soutwort or Mark Southworth in my research.
Mark Southworth is a stuntman who worked on The World is Not Enough, so perhaps this suit was made for him, and not Brosnan?
Tredstone already enlightened me to this. It must have been made for Southworth and not for Brosnan, but it must have gone unused since I can’t figure out a shot that would need a stuntman.
Mark Southworth was a stuntman in Goldeneye.
Thank you for the information! I’m surprised that my search for “Mark Southworth” and “GoldenEye” in Google did not reveal this, but the information is on IMDB. There aren’t any shots in this suit that required a stuntman, were there?
Just a thought, but perhaps there was an action scene of sorts intended for some point while in St Petersburg. I can see perhaps Bond assisting in the funeral parlor heist he describes to Zukovsky.
It’s possible that such a scene was scripted and initial production steps were being taken, like having a stuntman suit made in addition to the existing ones for Brosnan in London/St Petersburg. But at some point the scene was scrapped before shooting. I’m not involved in film production so maybe the scenario I laid out wouldn’t have happened. That said, the film released in 1995 and the first draft of the script was made in 1994 and it is vastly different, so perhaps major changes could have happened after costumes and sets were made.
Also, if you have never read the initial draft of Goldeneye, give it a read. It’s very different and quite fascinating.
Brosnan’s suits are perfect. Thank goodness a more generous cut it coming back into fashion.
I wonder why you’d call this suit “charcoal” though. Charcoal is a super dark shade of gray that appears almost black (but not quite). Similar to midnight blue in this regard. This is clearly a mid gray suit.
This is darker than mid grey. Charcoal is not as dark as midnight blue; that would be oxford grey. I have clothes sold as ‘charcoal’ that look very much like this suit. Because it’s a pick-and-pick it has some dark and light in it, which gives it a different kind of look that a plain charcoal or dark grey. I find that the colour is very similar to the From Russia with Love pick-and-pick suit, which I generally refer to as dark grey: https://www.bondsuits.com/somersets-grey-pick-and-pick-suit-in-from-russia-with-love/
This makes me wonder, could all of Bond’s dark grey suits (the flannel suit in Thunderball, the suit at the auction in Octopussy, the flannel suit in Dr. No, the sharkskin suit in From Russia With Love etc.) be considered charcoal?
I didn’t think it was a strong suit then and I don’t think it is now. It’s at least a half size too big for Brosnan, I suppose to hide his early-Jimmy-Stewart lanky physique. The material is quite good but low slung 3 button suits rarely work–they’re two button suits for cowards. His Michael Scott tie is not Bondian but ok for corny 90s ties. Speaking of The Office, that particular shade of blue shirt just makes him look like a cheesy early 2000s regional manager for a restaurant chain.
While the suit has a full cut, it’s not large by 1990s standards. The lightweight cloth drapes poorly, so that’s making it look sloppier than the fit suggests.
The fact Brosnan wears all his jackets open in this movie does them all a disservice. They’re really not that full or low buttoning, just long. This shot from Thunderballs shows it.
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/31b808_1aaaff04c61d4bc59b06df3843a627fc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_799,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/31b808_1aaaff04c61d4bc59b06df3843a627fc~mv2.jpg
Couldn’t agree more. They date much better than other suits from the mid-’90s, owing partially to the trouser cut being a little more tapered as well.
Which post are you agreeing with?
Timothy. Not sure why it didn’t post as a reply to their comment, because that’s what I did.
May have been the weird formatting of my comment which precluded a proper reply, I probably should have run that link through a shortener or something!
Matt,
Are you sure that the T&A shirt in the Bonhams auction was from TWINE? Doesn’t it look more like a PoW collar from TND?
S
It looks wider and higher than the POW collar to me, just like the TWINE collar.
That looks like the collar from TWINE.
Hi Matt, I’ve been reading your blog for a fair while but this is my first time commenting. Since you updated this article, I’ve been searching on-and-off for a close match to the on-screen cloth, since there doesn’t seem to be any existing information regarding which mill initially provided it. I recently came across this example from John Foster: https://pepperlee.co.uk/collections/suiting-fabric/products/pick-pick-windowpane-check-super-160s-wool-john-foster-signature?variant=45184187924799
Whilst I can’t be sure it’s the exact same cloth used in the original suit (I don’t even know how long John Foster have been weaving this design), it looks similar enough to my eye, and details such as the light weight and the fact that it was sourced from a Yorkshire-based mill match up with both your observations in this article and the fact that Brosnan’s other suits in Goldeneye were tailored from cloth sourced from historic Yorkshire mills.
Hi Edward, that cloth is similar but the windowpane is much thicker than Bond’s windowpane and the grey is too dark. The mills that the cloths came from for GoldenEye were reported, but it’s not clear who made each cloth other than the dinner suit mohair is William Halstead and the navy birdseye is Schofield & Smith. Schofield & Smith said that Bower Roebuck & Co made the Prince of Wales check, but it’s possible they made the windowpane too.
Thanks for letting me know, Matt! It seems my search for this elusive cloth continues…
This is kinda random but I read somewhere recently (I forgot where unfortunately) that the Snello model trousers have a hidden coin pocket slit on the left side of the waistband so I assume Brosnan’s did as well.
Most of Brioni trousers of these period have it. The delta as well.
Q’ 3-piece deserves a post. The contrast between the two is pretty fun to watch.