Dressed To Kill: Bond's Best Style Moments

Dr. No (1962) - The Midnight Navy Tuxedo

One must start at the beginning. Dr. No sets the template for what’s to come, and even though it isn’t the, ahem, gold standard for the series, and lacks a little for incident, it’s still got plenty of charm. Bond is known for tuxedos, and what an opening salvo this is - so much so that the new film directly quotes it. The world’s first on-screen introduction to 007 is this midnight navy shawl lapel dinner suit. The gauntlet cuffs are a nice touch, and all finished with a pleated dinner shirt and neat bow tie. That’s how you make an entrance.

Goldfinger (1964) - The Grey Prince of Wales Check Three-Piece Suit

Goldfinger is the 007 blueprint (goldprint?) - one of the best, and certainly the most iconic Bond films. Great setpieces, an excellent villain with a decent plot and plenty of screentime, a steely lady - it’s the complete package. It also has several brilliant bits of tailoring. Special mention goes the cocktail cuff shirting - an underappreciated style we’ve recently added to our made-to-measure programme - but the standout is the Prince of Wales check three-piece suit. This is Sixties suiting encapsulated, but it’s all about the grace notes here - note the ticket pocket, the double-pleated trousers, lapels on the waistcoat. Of course, Goldfinger also has Bond’s bewildering and inexplicable blue terry-cloth playsuit, but hey - can’t win ‘em all!

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - Part 1: The Glen Check Hacking Jacket

A messy, muddled Bond film, albeit with a great villain (played by Saruman himself, Christopher Lee - loving every minute), Golden Gun nonetheless features an absolute cavalcade of killer outfits, and as such we refuse to pick just one. The glen check he wears for the film’s island climax is one of the series' all time best jackets. 

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - Part 2: The Safari Shirt

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - The Double-Breasted Vicuña Polo Coat

Forever in the shadow of masterclass-level Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies is still easily the second-best Pierce Brosnan bond. Great villains, Michelle Yeoh (!) and a few fun set pieces, only let down by a pretty boring shootout at the end. Style-wise, the Brosnan and Dalton years are fairly slim pickings, though Brosnan gets the edge through sheer ‘90s power dressing. Nowhere is this more evident than Tomorrow’s absolute beast of a natural vicuña polo coat. From the low and leafy lapels to the calf length - this is how serious outerwear should be done.

Spectre (2015) - Beige Separates

Spectre is easily the best-dressed Bond film of the Craig era - pity it’s rubbish. Everyone remembers the (admittedly brilliant) Mexico City opening, only to forget the increasingly boring remainder of the film - and one of the worst climaxes of the series. Nevertheless, the outfits are consistently ace, and whilst the Goldfinger-redux ivory dinner jacket got all the press, it’s Bond’s impeccably tasteful earth-tone ensemble that demonstrates serious panache. We love the tonal matching - the sand linen jacket, beige chinos, tobacco tie and cognac belt balance perfectly. Take note - this is how you dress up for summer heat.