Below is some show notes from the From Tailors With Love podcast. Episode 51, Enjoying Death. Matt Spaiser and I talk about the Funeral Dress Code for James Bond.
James Bond has been to 4 funerals thus far.
Thunderball:
A dark grey flannel suit 3 piece, straight bottom waistcoat, blue shirt and a black grenadine tie. Not exclusive to funerals.
6 buttons is a typical for an english waistcoat, in ready to wear 5 buttons, 6 is the standard for bespoke. Even for today.
Diamonds are Forever:
Black three piece suit, black tie and a cream shirt. James Bond doesn’t wear a tie bar or pocket square to any funeral. A funeral is not the place for a fashion statement.
My thoughts:
Not everyone has a funeral suit. Funerals catch people out and they just go for the most blackest thing in their wardrobe. I mention the Alan Partridge Funeral outfit in the podcast.
The World is not Enough
Very dark double breasted over coat. Wearing it open, common for Brosnan. But he has his arm in a sling, he wears it like a cape.
Underneath is a tweed suit, which is appropriate for Scotland this is charcoal and grey. A sporty tweed. The grey gives it a serious look.
Is this a Bondian style mistake
A windowpane tweed is too sporty for a funeral.
Spectre:
A Black three piece by Tom Ford. This is the flashiest that James Bond has worn. But if you’re going to a gangsters funeral you do need to wear something flashy. Peak lapel, three piece. Shirt with a collar pin. The sunglasses and the coat is ok.
Listen to the podcast
This podcast episode on the Funeral Dress Code of Bond is available to listen in the player below or on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify.
Further reading
Matt’s blog, The Suits of James Bond, is a great place to find all the suits and descriptions.
I have taken all the images from the Thunderballs website. I encourage you to check that out and make a donation by buying some merch.