Can James Bond be accused of dressing ‘too colonial’? In this episode of From Tailors With Love, Matt Spaiser and I talk with David Evans, perhaps better known as Grey Fox Blog.
Firstly, we should clarify, what is colonialism? I have taken a screen grab from the Oxford Dictionary.
Let the games commence
Importantly, David gives us his insight on whether James Bond can be accused of dressing too colonial. The full discussion can be found on the podcast, but here is some of that interview transcribed below.
Too colonial?
‘First of I think it’s interesting that people think there is a colonial element to Bond’s clothing. I think you could say yes there is an element to his attitude, yes he’s a British Spy and that’s a symptom of the 50’s.’
It’s ok for Hemingway
About the Safari suit/jacket. It had its origins in the 19th century, but didn’t really appear in its current form until the mid-30’s.
Intriguingly its largely an American development what was previously an item of military wear. Hemingway was seen wearing it on many of his safari expeditions.‘ – David Evans, Grey Fox Blog.
How many times has James Bond worn a Safari Suit/Shirt?
I count two in The Man with the Golden Gun. One in Moonraker when he hunts down Drax in his lair, one in Octopussy when he is on the run from Kamal Khan who happens to be on safari in India.
Image sourced from Thunderballs.Org
Listen to the podcast
You can download the full interview with Matt and David (episode 26), available on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify.
Further reading
When I was in Vietnam I had a tailor make a safari jacket for me. You can see the process in the Vlog below.
David Evans is regularly nominated as Vuelio’s top 10 fashion bloggers here in the UK and you can read more about his personal on his own blog Grey Fox Blog.
