In Quantum of Solace, Bond found in a locker a perfectly-fitted dinner suit that was almost a copy of Bond’s first dinner suit that Sean Connery wore to introduce the character in Dr. No. The Tom Ford dinner jacket is a midnight blue 1-button, shawl collar model, which Bond hasn’t worn since The Living Daylights. The jacket has jetted pockets and double vents, and even the gauntlet cuffs (now with 5-buttons instead of 4) have been retained. The collar, cuffs, pocket jettings, button coverings and trouser stripe are black silk, slightly contrasting with the midnight blue mohair tonic.
The shirt and tie are also copies of Connery’s clothes. The shirt has a spread collar, double cuffs and a pleated front, but with mother of pearl studs instead of buttons. The bow-tie is the same diamond-end style as Connery’s, except it’s wider to better hamonise with the lapel width. Craig also includes a folded white linen pocket handkerchief. His shoes are black calf oxfords, not patent leather.
This black tie ensemble has a few differences from the one in Dr. No. The biggest difference is the trousers, which have a low rise and a flat front here whilst the trousers in Dr. No have double forward pleats with a longer rise. The trousers in Dr. No also have button-tab waist-adjusters, whilst these most likely have the same buckle side-adjusters as the the other suits in Quantum of Solace. Another significant difference is the waist-covering. Craig wears a cummerbund while Connery breaks black tie protocol and goes without any waist-covering. Some smaller differences include the addition of a buttonhole in the left lapel.
The cut and proportions of this dinner suit also differ from Connery’s. Following current trends, this dinner jacket has a trimmer cut, narrower shoulders and a higher button stance. Still, none of that is to the extreme and this dinner suit will still look good in years to come.
