Article by Eisuke – Inspired by Bond.
Too close for comfort?
Since Casino Royale heavily depends on eye-closeups and upper-body shots, the three-button front is hardly seen on Daniel Craig throughout the film. For Pierce Brosnan, it was to justify the extra length for his jackets, but for Craig, it was more or less trend-driven. The jacket buttons are higher than any of Brosnan’s jackets for a contemporary look and to elongate the legs for an elegant silhouette.
Bit short?
Consequentially, the jacket has a very short look compared to the AUGUSTO. Rest assured, as it does cover Raccoon’s buttocks.
The Vents
As for the vents, we were totally unsure about the direction we wanted to take it. Based on the scene where Bond picks up his new Aston in Montenegro, we could easily have said the jacket had a single vent. However, when Brioni confirmed through their archives, the jacket models were named “CHIGI 21,” with 21 being Brioni lingo for “double vents.”
We knew that at least one of the jackets had a single vent, but if Brioni confirms double vents… where do you go from there? The dinner jacket had no vents, and the linen suit had double vents, so we knew this film already showcased several vent styles. It could literally have been anything.
The gorge
At this point, there was no right or wrong. We were awaiting the “Being James Bond” documentary for answers, but the documentary had no scenes that explored this suit any further. After many weeks of thought, we settled on double vents.
Onto the gorge, where the collar meets the lapel. The AUGUSTO is much lower with a sloped gorge, while the CHIGI is high and only falls slightly, sitting on the shoulder depending on your posture. This showcases how different models mean different jackets, and different times mean different aesthetics. Observe below the difference.
Shoulder talk
There was one interesting detail that we figured out only after the suit was made. The shoulders used for the two jackets were very different. Angelo Petrucci, chief tailor of Brioni, talks about the “Bond” shoulder,
“For Pierce, we developed a special type of shoulder, the Bond shoulder. (Here you can see) there is barely any padding in it, and it’s, in fact, a very soft shoulder. We spent a lot of time developing it.”
Shoulders cont..
I’ll discuss in depth the Bond shoulder another time, but in the CHIGI’s case, it was more or less a simple, straight, wide padded shoulder. It’s the association people have had with Brioni’s tailoring in general and Roman tailoring as a result, but this is classic in its own way. Roping at the end accentuates a structured look.
I’m guessing they didn’t go with Pierce’s Bond shoulder for Daniel considering his body type, but more since the approaches to tailoring were different – there was more suppression in the waist and more width in the shoulders that formed a more aggressive V-silhouette.
Onto the trousers
The SNELLO trousers used for Goldeneye were, in my opinion, as slim as they could have been. Jackets and trousers have to be in proportion, so a loose jacket with skinny trousers would either make your legs look skimpier than they are or look like you borrowed your dad’s jacket. They were undoubtedly “slim” compared to the DELTA model used for Daniel Craig. (Have a look at the previous Brioni articles).
The DELTA model used for Daniel Craig’s suit in Casino Royale was used primarily outside of Asia, apparently, since there was little give in the rear and opened to a relatively straight leg. The typical Japanese physique tends to have a larger rear, as Raccoon’s, so a different trouser model was paired with the CHIGI in Japan back then. (I forgot what the name was).
You can see how the silhouette is quite different to the two SNELLO trousers he ordered previously. The taper is a little less pronounced and tends for a straighter silhouette.
The DELTA was used for Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day as well. They wore the same model of trouser, but as we know Daniel Craig likes to wear his trousers low (as we can see with his Tom Ford trousers), so I’m guessing the full break is more a result of him wearing the trousers lower than they should be.
Either way, it made no sense to make something bespoke with a full break. Raccoon does not have Daniel Craig’s monster thighs that iconically filled in those La Perlas, so the shape overall resulted in a more natural look. Observe the silhouette from the side. (See below).
Sans pleats
Detail-wise, the most obvious difference from his past two trousers is the lack of pleats, replaced by a sewn-in darted front. It provides a cleaner look while wearing more comfortably than a regular flat front. Personally I find these DELTA trousers have a bit of a Roger Moore look to them with their simplicity and straightforwardness, while the SNELLO is, in a way, an Italian iteration of Sean Connery’s Sinclair trousers.
People usually associate pleats with baggy trousers, but I believe this is an excellent example that that isn’t always the case. The DELTA is a wider leg trouser without any pleats, while the SNELLO has a narrower leg but with pleats.
The Goldeneye Look (click image to see previous article).
Alterations
Raccoon originally had the suit finished, but the suit wasn’t as comfortable as he had expected it to be so he requested a few alterations. He let the arms out as the suit wrinkled from the shoulder to the forearm. He also asked Brioni to move the position of the sleeve buttons so that his double cuffs wouldn’t get caught when he stretched his arms out. These were issues that weren’t present with the AUGUSTO jacket, so from what I can deduce from Raccoon’s experience, the CHIGI model isn’t for everyone. But so is Tosca.
Learn more about the style of James Bond in the book From Tailors With Love: An Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films, available on Amazon.
The result
He loves the resulting product, though. He describes it as the following,
“This is purely based on opinion, but along with the quality of the fabric, it feels lighter than the Augusto, almost like a feather. I’m satisfied.”
Stripes
He rarely wears this suit, though. He wore it once for his wedding anniversary, taking much more attention wearing it than his AUGUSTO. Raccoon also adds the next time he’ll be wearing it would probably be for somewhere special, like a celebratory event or anything of the kind. The Brioni clerk apparently told Raccoon that “it wouldn’t be your everyday suit.”
Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, 2006 (left) Matching the pinstripe for Raccoon’s Bespoke Brioni suit (right)
His impression towards striped suits have changed after his experience with this suit. He had the impression of a bold, nouveau-riche gangster prior to making this suit, but wearing this really changed his opinion. The stripes look very subtle, almost invisible depending on the lighting, making this suit very wearable.
Many would probably wonder why he went for this striped suit and not the three-piece from the final ‘Bond, James Bond’ scene in Casino Royale. Raccoon’s response was:
“This is the first instance we see Daniel Craig’s Bond in a tie, yet it oozed Bond with the beautiful lady, the gourmet, and the drinks.”
Further reading
Many thanks to Raccoon007 for sharing his experience with this Brioni suit, and reaching the clouds that we could only dream of touching. Follow Raccoon on Instagram here. Photos sourced through various platforms and used here under the fair use doctrine.
