The most significant outfit of No Time to Die consists of a commando sweater, a henley and combat gear, and it’s easily one of the most iconic looks of all of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films. Bond wears this outfit throughout the entire final act of the film, providing it with more screen time than any other outfit in the film. It’s also the final outfit of Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond; Bond meets his fate in these clothes. Its prominence in much of the advertising for No Time to Die has also helped the iconography of this look. Whether it was chosen for some of the film’s advertising based on how cool Craig looks in it or because of its prominence in the film is unknown, but it deserves its place on numerous posters.
This sweater is one of the few main wardrobe pieces in the film that is from a British brand: N.Peal. No Time to Die puts Bond in many clothes from Italian and American brands, but British brands should be important to such a British character. Because the sweater is from a British brand, it feels like one of the most Bondian pieces in the film. It lends some elegance to this tactical combat look.
N.Peal designed this sweater in collaboration with costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb specifically for Daniel Craig to wear in No Time to Die. Larlarb is quoted on the N.Peal website saying, ‘We wanted to give Bond a unique look in specific scenes of the film, and yet the piece had to be action-ready. It needed to be a strong silhouette, something that harks back to his military past and which also had a timeless quality to it as well.’
The N.Peal sweater is inspired by a classic British military sweater known as the ‘Woolly Pully’, so it’s the perfect choice for Bond. It allows Bond to wear a tactical piece of clothing that is necessary for his mission while still dressing in a traditional way that reflects his heritage. Bond’s sweater, as well as most of this outfit, is supplied to him by MI6, which is appropriate considering that the Woolly Pully is issued in real life as a service uniform.
The original Woolly Pully is a commando sweater that was created for the S.A.S and Bomber Command during World War II, and it has since become a classic British clothing item. It is made of a heavy wool ribbed knit and comes in many colours and in round neck, V-neck and roll neck varieties.
N.Peal did not entirely replicate the classic Woolly Pully but gave it a new look with a boatneck. The original’s round neck is high in the front for a slight boatneck shape, but N.Peal gave theirs a full-on boatneck. The boatneck has a unique look, particularly for a man’s garment, but it’s not the most versatile type of sweater neck. Bond wears a henley underneath, since anything with a collar would sit poorly under or over the boatneck. A shirt without a collar, like a henley or t-shirt, doesn’t need to worry about competing or clashing with the boatneck. The henley shows at the sides of the neck.
N.Peal call their sweater the ‘Ribbed Army Sweater’, though its worn by servicemen in various branches of the British military. Royal Navy officers like Bond wear them, and though this is the first time Bond wears one in the films, he would not have been a stranger to the Woolly Pully.
The sweater is made of a blend of 90% superfine Merino wool and 10% cashmere in a ribbed knit. It’s a good choice because merino wool makes this tougher than a sweater that has a higher amount of cashmere, but the 10% cashmere can still be felt in the hand. It has navy canvas patches on the shoulders, elbows and cuffs for reinforcement where the sweater sees wear in combat.
There is a drawstring at the neck. The original versions do not come with a drawstring, but it’s something that people in the military have threaded through their collars.
Bond removes his jumper to give to Mathilde to keep her warm, exposing his off-white long-sleeve henley and braces underneath. After he pushes up the sleeves, Bond’s outfit now tells the audience that ‘the gloves are off’. The henley is from Rag & Bone, one of Daniel Craig’s preferred brands, and it’s the piece that Bond wears more than any other on screen in the film. It is made from a slubbed cotton jersey and has a three-button placket at the neck. The edges of the collar have a frayed look, and the white buttons have darker worn-looking edges. The whole item is designed to have an aged look. Since Bond wears a henley with his previous outfit in the film, the audience can assume that the henley has been damaged in the course of action, so the ageing works perfectly in the context of the film.
The outline of a white vest (A-shirt) can be seen under the henley during the stairwell fight scene, but he’s likely not wearing the vest in every scene.
The combat trousers were made by the costume department under the direction of Suttirat Anne Larlarb, and now N.Peal are replicating them for civilian use. The trousers are made of grey cotton and are detailed with gun metal zips and poppers. There are a vertical zip pocket on either side of the hips and a patch pocket on the front left thigh with a flap that closes with two poppers and has additional internal flaps with poppers. There is a zipped opening at the bottom of each leg. The waistband closes with two buttons, and it has button-down belt loops as well as tan straps with buckles.
The trousers are supported with braces, which N.Peal are also re-creating in 97% cotton and 3% latex elastane. The braces button to the inside of the waistband with tan tabs, The back has an ‘X’ shape.
Bond’s black boots are from Danner in the 8″ Tanicus model, and they reproduced them in a special 007 edition. The uppers are made of a combination of suede and 1000 Denier nylon Cordura, for a very rugged boot. The design has five pairs of eyelets and four pairs of speed hooks. The Vibram outsoles have pentagonal lugs. The top of the tongue has a pocket made of stretch fabric to house the laces.
Bond’s sunglasses that he wears for flying in the glider are the Vuarnet Edge 1613 in a dark metal frame with grey lenses.
Bond also wears black tactical gloves to protect his hands and to give him extra grip.
The tactical look of this outfit calls to mind some of Pierce Brosnan’s tactical looks for the climatic battles in a number of his Bond films, while the naval look is like a more rugged version of Roger Moore’s naval battle outfit for the third act of The Spy Who Loved Me. This outfit is a completely new look for Bond, but it still considers the character and his history. The costume department seemingly put more care into this look than into any other look in No Time to Die. It perfectly suits the film’s action and story, and it allows Daniel Craig to exit the James Bond series with a bang.
I am happy Bond wore a wooly pull. Like you stated Matt, this attire signifies his military experience. This outfit proves that Bond is ready to showdown. It would have been neat to see Craig wearing the commander suit. Matt you cannot forget to mention that Bond wears Dodo on his side. What I like about this outfit is the functionality. This outfit gives Bond the tactical look, without making him look like a super hero. Thank you Matt posting this article on my birthday. Your enlightening entry is a thoughtful gift.
My best,
Bill
Historically in the Bond Series, Woolly Pully’s are generally worn by British officers or soldiers who are just about to die, like McGregor in FYEO or in the opening Gibraltar scene in TLD. Using it here seems fitting in its way.
One note… in the real world, early versions of the commando sweater had a drawstring neck.
Very interesting post as always Matt! I am happy to see you covering all of these different outfits from no time to die. As for this outfit I will say that I am a fan. I think that for the context of the story it makes sense that they would dress james bond this way for what he has to do. He is going on a mission in an area that is going to be cool. This is the right amount of clothing for him to wear while still be practical. As always well done.
Great post and stellar detail as usual! Instead of purchasing this jumper, I opted for the real thing made by T.W. Kempton, a British military contractor. I’ve owned other versions of the same jumper through the years and found them quite practical for my use. My LE agency even opted for several years to issue these as an alternative for a heavy coat. The Class A winter uniforms at the time required a tie so we got the V-neck version similar to what was worn by the US Army at the time. We’ve since changed uniform styles and I miss that jumper. I have the R&B Henley and the was lucky to get a pair of the screen-accurate boots as well which I wear daily. My preference for the trousers was a more practical homage piece using a pair of 5.11 Stryke tactical pants in the same shade of charcoal gray.
I just received my first piece of N.Peal knitwear (the Skyfall Blue Wave jumper) and wish I’d have made the investment some time ago! The quality and customer service are amazing.
This is probably my favorite of Craig’s casual winter outfits. I have the Barbour jacket and I was able to find a pair of the Crockett & Jones Islays in my size that are on their way as I type this.
This is one of the most successful looks in the film for sure. I wish they had gone with a round neck instead though. The boat neck is not very universally flattering in my opinion. A mutual friend of ours had some… stronger language about it than I do.
Truly love the outfit, especially for Craig’s more casual overall wardrobe throughout his tenure. While I generally would have expected Bond’s, er, finale to involve a tuxedo, this is a great look and appropriate.
One question that popped in: why the drawstring on the boat neck? In terms of historical inspiration, was there a practical use for one? The shape of the collar doesn’t seem to promote cinching, so I guess that’s the one thing that reads a just a little “off” to me.
The single-most annoying feature of this whole look applies not to the clothes but to the holster paired with them. In early publicity shots Bond is carrying a Walther PPK, which is far too small to be holstered usefully in that rig. In the film, when wearing this outfit and holster Bond is carrying and using a Sig, which fits the holster much better.
He carries the Sig in the holster and the PPK AIWB
I bought this jumper and love it, but warning to those considering it: it really doesn’t go with much other than a white henley, and it pills like mad! Otherwise: it’s a lovely piece.