James Bond Black Tie

[ER]

Gentlemen,
Firstly this is my first post on the forum so my thanks to Mr Alden for allowing me to join this esteemed 'virtual' establishment and I hope I can bring value to the membership.

Following on from the earlier threads relating to the new James Bond character and his sartorial choice (or those of the wardrobe department) regarding black tie. As we all know Bond's shirtmaker of choice is Turnbull & Asser and their standard marcella-fronted shirt allows for 4 shirt studs. The button below that is mother of pearl which ensures that the cumerbund does not snag on the shirt front. However, the new 'Casino Royale' shirt has a fly front, negating the need for dress studs and I believe that the actor does not wear a cummerbund. So my question to the forum is this - when wearing a single-breasted, two-piece DJ, should a gentleman always wear a cummerbund?

[JamesT1]

Well first of all, welcome aboard ER.

As for your question, it seems to be a matter of personal preference. I, myself, prefer a waistcoat to a cummerbund. Traditionally speaking, I believe the cummerbund would be correct, although you can get away without wearing one now.

I have to say that if a cummerbund must be worn, I do prefer solid black over patterned.

[spoonern]

Just wanted to comment on the T&A point. About a year ago I was having a few bespoke shirts made at Dometakis in Great Portland ST in the west end of london. When I arrived they were making the shirts for the new Bond movie!! My shirts were delayed while this was going on, and when I went for fittings or to follow up they were beavering away on the Bond shirts - even got to see a few of the originals for the film.

[BirdofSydney]

Interesting, very interesting. Due to a sponsorship during the Brosnan era, Bond seems to have forsaken Savile Row tailoring for Brioni, and indeed their logo can be seen faintly on the tuxedo's carrier.

What concerned me most was the fact that he was playing cards with jacket off and no waistcoat, showing his suspenders - a major faux pas. Though, I surmise this may tie in to his rougher edge and the idea that he learnt to dress at Eton and Oxford, but always had a degree of disdain for it...

[couch]

Well, unless I misunderstood the scene in the movie, Vesper provides the dinner suit that Bond actually wears, with the implication that it is of better quality and better cut ("I sized you up the moment I first saw you" or words to that effect) than than the "but I already have a dinner suit" model. While in general I liked the way Craig played Bond, this to me is a letdown--the impression that Bond either doesn't care or hasn't mastered the details of connoisseurship required to blend in formal circles the way he does in the bush, so that the girl chooses his "good clothes," which turn out to be Brioni, and not fitted on him. This may be shrewd marketing to make the character more accessible to the average viewer. Or it may just be crass product placement, like the annoying watch moment. It's true that in the Connery days the scripts were humorously heavy-handed at times with the name dropping ("I prefer the Dom Perignon '53 myself") but most of the goods looked at home in their intended habitats. I found it hard to believe that Craig's Bond had spent much time in a dinner suit, while Connery (maybe because Terence Young made him sleep in it on set) looked at ease in a dinner suit even when wearing it under a wetsuit.

[zegnamtl]

Couch,

I do recall the Omega moment, but I do not recall if they ever mentioned Brioni by name.
Did they name Brioni?

[JamesT1]

Couch,

I do recall the Omega moment, but I do not recall if they ever mentioned Brioni by name.
Did they name Brioni?

When Craig walked back in to his room the garment bag with "Brioni" written on it was clearly visable.

The only positive was the Bond seemed annoyed that he had to wear what Vesper chose for him. "I already have a dinner jacket..."

[couch]

In addition to gracing the garment bag, the Brioni logo appears in the end credits.

[HappyStroller]

Well, I'm not sure showing his braces, etc., in the final round at the casino qualifies as a faux pas, unless one could say he was definitely at a Black Tie event. The CIA agent wasn't even wearing a DJ, if I can recall correctly.

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What concerned me most was the fact that he was playing cards with jacket off and no waistcoat, showing his suspenders - a major faux pas.
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