One week from today, N.Peal will be officially launching their 007 Cashmere Collection inspired by 50 years of Bond. N.Peal gifted me a second curated outfit from their James Bond collection after the Goldfinger outfit, and this one includes a sweater, scarf and cap inspired by Timothy Dalton’s casual clothes in The Living Daylights. While it does not recreate a standout or unusual Bond outfit, I see this outfit as a one of casual winter essentials, and this is one that will certainly keep me warm during New York’s frigid winters.
The Fisherman’s Rib Round Neck Sweater
The sweater is the only piece of this outfit that is inspired by a piece of clothing from The Living Daylights. This is the sweater that Timothy Dalton wears under his black leather car coat in the scenes in Bratislava and Vienna, most notably during the Aston Martin V8 Vantage car chase and cello case sled. Of all the pieces in N.Peal’s 007 collection, I see this as one of the most versatile and accessible in terms of its style. For someone who isn’t into clothing but still wants a beautiful sweater for winter, this is it. It’s a truly timeless piece that goes well with woollen flannel trousers as well as with jeans.
This is a heavy, chunky sweater, so it’s going to be warm. It’s going to be fantastic for long walks outside in the winter, though I do worry about it being too heavy to wear indoors in New York City’s winters when every place is over-heated. But it’s a sweater and easily enough removed. Because this is such a thick knit, it would be prohibitively expensive in 100% cashmere, so it is 50% cashmere and 50% superfine merino wool and exceptionally soft and plush. I don’t usually wear sweaters directly against my skin, but this one would be very comfortable against the skin.
N.Peal calls the colour of this sweater “dark charcoal”, but while a dark charcoal suit would be close to black, this sweater is undoubtedly a dark shade of grey. This grey is classic and versatile, and it looks exactly the same as the colour we see on Bond in the film.
This sweater is of the “round neck” style, which is also known as a crew neck. The sweater is knit in two pieces, a front and a back, including the sleeves, so it has more shape than something knit all in one piece. Thankfully, the fit of the sweater is much better than Dalton’s. N.Peal always has a good fit that flatters different body types. You could size up for a loose fit like Dalton’s, but I do not recommend it. I have a 38-inch chest and usually wear a size small, and this sweater fits me perfectly in a size small. I don’t think that sizing down will be necessary for most people.
The Chunky Ribbed Hat
This outfit is accessorised by pieces that Timothy Dalton did not wear in The Living Daylights. The navy cap, also known as a “beanie”, “tuque” or “touque”, is made in a chunky ribbed knit that is long enough for any size head and able to fold up at the bottom.
For most of my life I did not like wearing knit caps because they messed up my hair. Now that I have shorter (and thinner) hair I am more concerned about keeping my head warm. Though I have not had a need for that much head warmth yet this year, I have faith that this cap will be especially useful on my long walks to work every day when I’m dressing more casually. This is the most comfortable knitted cap I have ever put on, and cashmere counts when wearing something snugly against the skin, especially on the head.
Though this cap does not feature in The Living Daylights, it is the same style as the cap that Bond wears with his N.Peal cable-knit turtleneck in Spectre. I think the cap goes beautifully with this sweater, having similarly chunky textures.
The Fine Gauge Checked Scarf
The scarf is a very fine gauge 100% woven cashmere. It is mid grey with a large light grey check. It is 36 inches wide and 82 inches long, so it needs to be folded in width once or twice before being wrapped around the neck. It’s more of a wrap than a scarf and can be worn in many different ways. Its incredibly long length allows it to wrap around the neck, the body, the head, or any other place you’d like to wrap it. You could easily wrap it around two people. But it is a very thin scarf, so it is meant to be wrapped multiple times or folded in half lengthwise. It does not have much nap and is a smooth cashmere. Though I prefer to wear it outside of the sweater, N.Peal demonstrates it tucked inside the round neck collar, and it is so fine that it can easily be tucked inside.
James Bond did not wear a scarf in The Living Daylights. The most similar thing that Bond wears to a scarf in the film might be the Afghan turban. I am not suggesting that N.Peal were inspired by the turban when making this scarf. The scarf ultimately makes a very nice modern Bond accessory to the outfit.
N.Peal will have black leather 007-branded gloves made by Dents, another Bond brands, that I think would have been a better match for this outfit than the hat and scarf since Bond wears black gloves with this sweater in The Living Daylights. The gloves are beautifully made by Dents and have a red cashmere lining.
Like the other 007 pieces from N.Peal, this one has a 007 hang tag and an N.Peal hang tag, both attached to the inside clothing labels with a gold safety pin. These arrived in a beautiful box, as seen below in an unboxing video. Peter Brooker shows off his On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ski blouson, turtleneck and black gloves (the same that I mentioned above) in the video first before the unboxing of my outfit.
Under the sweater I am wearing an ecru royal oxford shirt from Frank Foster and charcoal flannel trousers from Paul Stuart.
Thanks to Janna Levin Spaiser for taking the photos.
Much better.
N.peal or not collections must be a foundation and not look like some sort of gimmick
This is from the same collection as the Goldfinger outfit I shared last week.
Matt, I really like that gray sweater. Are the N. Peal garments made in China?
Yes, they are beautifully made in China.
Mah… Both this and the previous ‘Goldfinger’ outfit are quite forgettable. Not relevant as Bondian style, nor much peculiar by themselves. I prefer when a brand tries to accurately replicate a Bond outfit, introducing some personalizations and adaptations to current times, like Mason & Sons or Orlebar Brown. Just my point of view
This is the garment I believe you look the best in Matt. Dalton wore this well too with confidence but without the smugness of other Bond actors.
It’s a classic winter or fall sweater. I could see myself wearing it in a second. One of Dalton’s best casual items for sure. I like the black leather car coat also, I could see myself wearing that too in a slightly better fit. I’d love to see Wested Leather make a copy of the car coat.
Very nice sweater, it has a good thickness to it. Sweaters that are too thin don’t look good and reduces the stature of the wearer. I had a cashmere sweater that was too thin, I never wore it for that reason and it eventually got moth holes. Oh well!
I might get this one instead. What do you think of the length in the body?
I think the length is perfect!
Hi Matt, after reading your review I wonder what you would think if bond wore a sweater with a suit and tie? How do you think it should be done? Would it be an acceptable outfit combination for Bond?
I think the only suits that go well with sweaters are chunky tweed suits. Even then, I think a tweed jacket with odd trousers goes better with a sweater than a suit.