White Collar and Cuffs

Posted on 14 March 2013 by Matt Spaiser

Roger Moore wearing a navy bengal stripe shirt with a white collar and cuffs in For Your Eyes Only.

In the United States, the contrasting white collar and cuffs style has been all but tarnished by the 1987 film Wall Street. But it’s a classic style that has been around a very long time. It goes back to the days when collars were stiff and detachable, and men would pair white collars with a body of any colour. Now the collars come soft and attached. Some retailers call a shirt with a white collar a “Winchester” shirt—presumably named after the city in England, not the rifle—but I have not found an historical use of this term and believe it’s just a modern marketing term.

Bond wears shirts with a white collar and cuffs in For Your Eyes Only and A View to a Kill, made by Frank Foster. Though the style is best worn with double cuffs, Bond wears his with button cuffs. Likewise, a spread collar is the best collar to be in white, though point collars can work well too. White collars and cuffs are most stylishly paired with a body that includes white. Bond’s shirts have white in the form of bengal stripes, though it’s also common to see a white collar on an end-on-end shirt. Collars and cuffs typically wear out before the body of a shirt wears out, and the collar and cuffs of almost any dressier shirt can be replaced with white since it’s typically impossible to find the original cloth for replacements. And even if the original cloth is obtainable it’s not going to match a shirt that has been washed many times. Checks don’t mate so well with white collars because of the difference in formality and purpose. White collars are a rather dressy style and are excellent for morning dress. For everyday wear they work best with a suit or a dressier blazer but are best avoided wearing with other sports coats and without a coat or tie. And because of their daywear tradition they are best worn during the day.

Roger Moore wearing a pink bengal stripe shirt with a white collar and cuffs in A View to a Kill.

Though Bond only wears shirts with a white collar and cuffs in two films, Roger Moore wears them in his personal life, as well as in some earlier films and television, like in Street People and The Persuaders. In The Man Who Haunted Himself he wears a plain white detachable collar with a white self-stripe shirt. Pierce Brosnan occasionally wears shirts with a white collar—but not white cuffs—in Remington Steele, mostly with suits but occasionally with blazers.

Pierce Brosnan wearing a blue (probably end-on-end) shirt with a pinned white collar in the 1982 episode of Remington Steele titled “You’re Steele the One for Me”.

The Leather Blouson

Posted on 9 March 2013 by Matt Spaiser

In the 1980s Bond started wearing leather jackets, an item he’s worn as recently as Skyfall. In A View to a Kill it’s a dark brown, zip-front leather blouson, detailed with narrow leather straps. Shoulder straps go over the top of the shoulder seam and button down to shorter straps attached to the sleeve. A strap continues lengthwise down the sleeve to about six inches from the base of the sleeve, where another strap starts and buttons to the cuff. There is also a strap down each side of the front of the jacket under the front yoke, ending at vertical welt pockets. The jacket has a stand-up collar with an extended tab on the left side to close over the other side. The back has inward-facing side pleats below the yoke.

The sky blue shirt, probably oxford cloth, is made by Frank Foster and has a button-down collar, front placket and rounded, single-button cuffs. The dark brown trousers have a flat front and plain bottoms. The trousers are worn with a black leather belt, and the shoes are black slip-ons with leather soles, Moore’s usual shoes. The socks are brown.

White Bogner Ski Suit

Posted on 5 January 2013 by Matt Spaiser

In the opening scene of A View to a Kill, Bond is a wearing an all white ski suit made by Bogner. The parka has a zip front, with the identifying Bogner “B” zip fastener. A fly that fastens with four large snap fasteners covers the zip. The jacket has four patch pockets with Velcro-secured flaps, and the top two flaps additionally are buckled down with straps. The jacket has shoulder straps, adjustable straps on the sleeves and a narrow belt that ties around the waist. The Bogner logo is embroidered on the left shoulder. The parka has a cotton lining in a pink, grey and cream check. The coat has a removable hood, trimmed with fur and tightens with a drawstring. The pants match the white parka.

Underneath the parka Bond wears a half-zip jumper made of a thin, insulating synthetic. The zip fastener is the Bogner “B.” He also wears white bogner gloves, again with a “B” zip fastener. On his back he wears a white backpack. Everything he wears is white to camouflage himself in the snow. It helps when trying to avoid gunfire, though for the average skier it could make it much harder to be spotted in the event of an accident.

The parka sans hood was auctioned at Christie’s in South Kensington on 12 December 2001 for £940.

Tan in San Francisco

Posted on 10 October 2012 by Matt Spaiser

A tan wool gaberdine suit is perfect for in San Francisco’s mild autumn and spring, and even summer there too. Tan has always been a flattering colour on Roger Moore, but it’s especially beneficial to his aging visage (or facelift) in A View to a Kill. This suit has the usual cut of Roger Moore’s classic 1980′s suits, with natural shoulders, roped sleeveheads and a clean chest. The jacket is a button two with double vents, flapped pockets and 3 buttons on the cuffs. The buttons are lighter than the suit, made of beige horn. The lapels here differ in shape from Douglas Hayward’s signature notch lapels, which are cut straight across the top. The lapels have a concave curves along the top, and the pocket flaps are also curved on the side instead of straight down. Does that mean this suit was not cut by Douglas Hayward like most of Moore’s tailoring in the 1980′s? It probably still was. The shoulders match Hayward’s natural shoulder and the cut through the body is the same, down to the placement of the buttons and the hip pockets. The trousers have a flat front and a straight leg with a plain hems.

Moore wears a cream shirt by Frank Foster with a spread collar and rounded single-button cuffs. The tie is bronze with white and blue stripes. Moore wears dark brown slip-on shoes and black socks. The socks may be a very dark brown, but they look black and don’t match any other part of the outfit. He also matches the shoes with a brown belt with a silver-toned buckle.

Charcoal Flannel Again

Posted on 14 February 2012 by Matt Spaiser

The charcoal flannel suit has made many appearances throughout the Bond series, sometimes as a 2-piece suit and other times with a waistcoat, as Roger Moore wears his in A View to a Kill. This suit is made by Douglas Hayward with natural shoulders, a low 3-button front and a single vent in the rear. The coat has flapped pockets and 3-button cuffs. The waistcoat has 6 buttons and the trousers have a flat front, straight leg and plain bottoms.

Bond’s shirt has a bengal stripe pattern in what is probably pink and white, with a contrasting white spread collar and contrasting white cuffs. The contrast collar was a symbol of power in the 1980s, though it’s origins are in the detachable collars and cuffs that are now relegated to daytime formal wear. The repp tie is bright scarlet, a colour that complements Roger Moore’s complexion very well. Bond’s shoes are black slip-ons. Though he doesn’t wear it, Bond places a light brown trilby on the hat rack when he enters the office.

Happy 84th Roger Moore!

Posted on 14 October 2011 by Matt Spaiser

Today is Roger Moore’s 84th birthday and we will be looking at his classic riding ensemble from A View to a Kill. The outfit closely resembles Connery’s country outfit in Goldfinger. Moore wears a very similar 2-button brown barleycorn tweed sports coat, but this one does not have hacking pockets despite its intended equestrian use. But it does have a single vent, which is most practical on horseback.

Barleycorn weave

If you look closely at the lapels you’ll see that they are not typical notch lapels. This type of angled notch lapel is known as cran Necker and often found in Parisian tailoring. Whilst this sports coat was still most likely made by Moore’s regular tailor, Douglas Hayward, he might have made it this way since Bond is wearing the coat in France.

Notice the cran Necker notch lapels

Bond goes for a beige shirt, with a spread collar, placket front and 1-button cuffs. His tie is a yellow wool knit, tied in a Prince Albert knot that gives it the long shape. His trousers are dark brown jodhpurs, which tuck inside his tall black riding boots.

Completing the ensemble are a brown velvet riding helmet and gloves in beige cord and brown leather. This outfit is the last Bond wears as his alias St. John Smythe.

Blue Blazer and Day Cravat

Posted on 11 October 2011 by Matt Spaiser

Posing as horse stable heir James St. John Smythe, James Bond wears a blue blazer with a day cravat in A View To a Kill. The blue—slightly lighter than navy—blazer is tailored by Douglas Hayward is his usual low 2-button style with natural shoulders, roped sleeveheads and a clean chest. The blazer has brass buttons, with 4 on the cuffs, flapped pockets and double vents. Bond wears the blazer with stone-coloured trousers.

A white shirt and burgundy day cravat accompany the blazer. The shirt has a placket front, single-button cuffs and a spread collar, which is curved in inside the blazer. Bond only leaves the collar button unfastened. The day cravat is mostly burgundy, with a pattern including other colours. The cravat is more a part of St. John Smythe than it is a part of Bond.

Perforated Suede Blouson

Posted on 2 October 2011 by Matt Spaiser

In A View To a Kill, Bond wears a grey suede blouson with perforated panels in San Francisco. The jacket was made by Leather Concessionaires, who are better known for making Indiana Jones’ leather jackets in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The jacket has a zip fastening, a fold-down collar, set-in sleeves with cuff straps, epaulette straps, and slash pockets. There are perforated panels on the front, back and sleeves.

Bond wears this jacket with grey trousers of worsted wool with reverse pleats and a straight leg. The button-down shirt by Frank Foster is white with grey stripes. Bond’s shoes are black.

The jacket was sold at Christie’s in South Kensington on 12 December 2001 for £823.

The Suits of James Bond

Category Archives: A View to a Kill