How did Dr. No transform Sean Connery from a self-described rough diamond into the most sophisticated action hero in cinema?
In the first episode of Dressing James Bond, London bespoke tailor Roberto Revilla examines the costumes, tailoring and carefully chosen details that established James Bond’s style in 1962 and created a blueprint the series is still following more than sixty years later.
Beginning with Connery’s iconic entrance at the casino in his midnight-blue dinner suit, Roberto explores the influence of director Terence Young, the tailoring associated with Anthony Sinclair’s Conduit Cut and the complicated history behind the shirts, suits and suppliers credited with creating Bond’s wardrobe.
Along the way, we examine the grey flannel suit that was completely wrong for the Jamaican climate, the lightweight Glen check and mohair suits that worked far better, Bond’s navy doeskin blazer, Turnbull & Asser cocktail cuffs, grenadine ties, black Derby shoes and the powder-blue polo shirt and matching trousers worn on Crab Key.
We also look beyond Bond himself to explore Dr. No’s Nehru-style clothing, the way costume is used to take control away from Bond inside the villain’s lair and the collaborative story behind Ursula Andress’s famous Honey Ryder bikini.
Most importantly, Roberto brings everything back into the real world and asks what men can still learn from Dr. No without dressing as though they’re heading to a James Bond fancy-dress convention.
Is Connery’s midnight-blue dinner suit still the greatest first appearance in film-style history? And if you could take one piece from Bond’s Dr. No wardrobe, which would you choose?
Follow Tailoring Talk Magazine so you don’t miss episode two, when Dressing James Bond continues with From Russia with Love.
Read the accompanying article at robertorevillalondon.com.
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