A look at how Sean Connery set the gold standard for James Bond’s fashion.
Sean Connery’s portrayal of James Bond set a gold standard not just for cinematic espionage but for men’s fashion in the 20th century. Under the astute guidance of director Terence Young and the sartorial craftsmanship of tailor Anthony Sinclair, Connery’s Bond emerged as the epitome of sophistication, marrying elegance with an effortless functionality that has become synonymous with the character’s identity. This exploration into Connery’s iconic wardrobe reveals how these meticulously crafted outfits transcended the silver screen to inspire generations.
While this article provides an overview of Sean Connery’s iconic Bond wardrobe, it offers a limited focus. For more in-depth advice and detailed analysis on James Bond clothing, Matt Spaiser’s James Bond Suits is the ultimate online resource. Also check out From Tailors With Love, which he co-authored with Peter Brooker. It’s available from Amazon UK and Amazon.com.
The genesis of Bond’s style
Terence Young envisioned a wardrobe that would epitomise sophisticated elegance and recognized the need to mould Connery into his vision of 007. Known for his own impeccable sense of style, Young took Connery to his own tailor for a bespoke suit that would help him to fully embody James Bond.
Anthony Sinclair was located on Conduit Street – near the sartorial epicentre of Savile Row – and became instrumental in crafting what would become known as the ‘Conduit Cut’. This tailored precision, characterised by its waisted, slimline silhouette, became a defining feature of Connery’s Bond.
Legend has it that Young instructed Connery to sleep in his suit so that wearing one became so natural that he felt like James Bond in every aspect of his being. This underscores the effort that went into getting James Bond right and through Young’s guidance and Sinclair’s tailoring, Connery didn’t just wear a costume; he became James Bond.
Iconic outfits and their influence
Sean Connery’s James Bond is an emblem of classic style, effortlessly blending 1960s elegance with timeless sophistication. His wardrobe choices as Bond set a benchmark for the spy aesthetic.
Suits
Connery’s suits offered a sharp, modern look that defined Bond’s on-screen persona. They were characterised by soft shoulders, a full chest and a suppressed waist with high-waisted trousers with a tapered leg. The fit, which became fashionable in the early 1960s, emphasised Connery’s physique and tended to be made from lightweight fabrics, suitable for the exotic locations Bond often found himself in.
In contrast to the novels, in which Bond favoured lightweight navy blue suits, Connery’s Bond is usually clad in grey. His one blue suit appears in You Only Live Twice, although he does wear a navy blazer in Dr No, Thunderball and Diamonds Are Forever. And while he wore a variety of two-piece suits in the first two films, probably his glen plaid (or Prince of Wales check) three-piece in Goldfinger is the suit that is best remembered. Three-piece suits reappear in a variety of colours in both Thunderball and Diamonds Are Forever, but I personally find three-piece suits too fussy and prefer Connery without a waistcoat.
Dinner jackets
In Dr No, Sean Connery introduced James Bond’s iconic style with a midnight blue dinner jacket with a shawl collar and gauntlet cuffs. Elegant in its simplicity, the midnight blue fabric appears even darker than black in night settings. A similar style returns in Thunderball.
The ivory dinner jacket made its first appearance in Goldfinger and marked a significant moment in Bond’s sartorial history. In contrast to the Dr No dinner jacket, this one features peaked lapels. Later he wears a more traditional black dinner jacket with notched lapels.
In Diamonds Are Forever Connery returns to the ivory dinner jacket. He also wears a black dinner jacket with the collar and notched lapels faced in burgundy, and a navy velvet dinner jacket with shawl collar.
Casual wear
Although the first outfit that may come to mind when thinking of 007 is probably a suit or dinner jacket, Bond isn’t always so formal. In Dr No he wears a light blue polo shirt with trousers of a similar colour to go to Crab Key. Perhaps, like in the book, black would have been a better colour and perhaps this isn’t so much casualwear as he is dressed for a mission. But this would be a good casual outfit for the climate in Jamaica anyway.
When we first meet Bond in From Russia With Love he is enjoying some leisure time with Sylvia Trench. They are in a punt on the bank of a river with Bond dressed in a blue and white checked shirt and white swimming shorts. In Goldfinger we find 007 at Miami’s Fontainebleau hotel dressed in what amounts to a towelling onesie that even Connery can’t pull off. But the burgundy Slazenger V-neck sweater over a light grey polo shirt and black or dark grey trousers he wears when playing a round of golf with Goldfinger is a classic.
Later on he infiltrates Auric Enterprises in Switzerland. Like the light blue clothing of Dr No, his attire isn’t strictly casual, but at least this time he goes for a more sensible colour. His outfit consists of a polo shirt, V-neck sweater and trousers, all in black. This is a good look and one I’d go for. He is still wearing it when he wakes up on Goldfinger’s plane, enroute to Kentucky, but changes into a light grey suit.
Peak Bond casual
But Thunderball is the epitome of Bond casual. Largely set in the Bahamas, Bond dresses for the climate and once in the Caribbean he wears a number of shirts with a camp collar. This style is also referred to as a Cuban collar and his shirts are either pink or blue, in solid colour as well as both checks and stripes.
At Shrublands he wears the first of three polo shirts, a short sleeved one in black. And after investigating the underside of the Disco Volante he strips off his wetsuit to reveal a blue Fred Perry polo shirt underneath. Don’t try this at home though. While a full all-in-one dry suit would prevent him from getting wet, as in Goldfinger, a wetsuit allows a layer of water between the rubber and skin. And during a nocturnal reconnoitre of Palmyra he wears a long-sleeved black polo shirt and trousers.
He wears the camp collar shirts with both lightweight trousers and Jantzen swimming shorts. Usually the shorts are light blue but the shade varies quite a lot between shots. He also wears pink swimming shorts while telling Domino about her brother and white ones with the Fred Perry polo, as well as his wetsuit during the underwater battle at the end.
Bond’s feet are usually clad in sandals or light blue canvas slip-ons with an elasticated gusset. They’re often referred to as espadrilles, but the pattern doesn’t really match. This type of shoe is typically made using layers of a thinner material than for espadrilles. I’ve owned similar shoes and they usually have a rubber sole, although these appear to be rope.
After all that casual goodness, You Only Live Twice is a bit of a let down for casual clothes. He wears a beige – a colour that shouldn’t be allowed to exist – camp collar shirt when flying Little Nellie. And when he returned in Diamonds Are Forever there is only one outfit that can really be considered casual. Near the beginning Bond is searching for Blofeld’s whereabouts and told to “ask Marie”. When he arrives to ask the bikini-clad Marie, Bond is wearing a light-coloured shirt. Either knitted or in a rough weave, it is similar in some respects to a safari jacket.
Accessories and outerwear
Connery’s Bond often sported a trilby in the early films, making a memorable entrance into Miss Moneypenny’s office by throwing his hat onto the hat stand. This was an era when it was common for men to wear hats as part of their everyday attire and both the fedora and the trilby were popular due to their versatility and ability to complement various outfits.
In Dr No he wears a green trilby from Lock & Co, while From Russia With Love and Goldfinger see him in a brown one. Although he is seen holding one in Thunderball, Bond’s headwear is restricted to the straw hat he wears in the Bahamas. He also wears a wide brimmed straw hat in You Only Live Twice when disguised as a Japanese fisherman.
As for overcoats, Connery’s Bond has a grey herringbone coat draped over his arm while in Istanbul in From Russia With Love. He also wears a tweed coat when he leaves Shrublands in Thunderball with a suitcase in one hand and a trilby in the other.
A legacy of style
Each of the outfits mentioned here represents a facet of Bond’s character: the sophisticated spy, the charismatic gentleman, the action hero with a keen eye for detail, and the man of leisure with an impeccable sense of style. Connery dressed with real conviction and it is arguable that he influenced the evolution of menswear.
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