Vitals

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, sophisticated British secret agent

London, November 1999

Film: The World is Not Enough
Release Date: November 8, 1999
Director: Michael Apted
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

February 27 is National Cigar Day according to some, and – while it may not be recognized universally – it’s always nice to have an extra reason to relax with your favorite cigar.

Like Roger Moore before him, Pierce Brosnan eschewed the cigarettes favored by the literary (and, at one point, cinematic) James Bond in favor of cigars. Both actors preferred cigars in real life as well, and it’s been recorded that Moore frequently received several thousand pounds worth of Montecristo cigars during his outings as 007.

In The World is Not Enough, Brosnan’s Bond returns from his action-packed trip to Bilbao for what should be a quiet day at the office that begins, as usual, by casually flirting with Miss Moneypenny (Samantha Bond).

Moneypenny: James! Have you brought me a souvenir from your trip? Chocolates? An engagement ring?
Bond: I thought you might enjoy one of these…

Bond hands Moneypenny a Romeo y Julieta Churchill tube, one of the ones he picked up from the aptly nicknamed “Cigar Girl” in Bilbao. Even the screenplay describes it as “a large phallic TUBE.”

Moneypenny: How romantic. I know exactly where to put that. (tosses it in the trash)
Bond: Oh Moneypenny, the story of our relationship; close, but no cigar.

Gliding into M’s office on his cheeky wit, Bond’s day takes an unexpected turn when a glass of Scotch tips him to eminent danger in the building. The danger comes to fruition in the form of an explosion that leads to 007 “borrowing” Q’s latest contraption – a state-of-the-art “fishing boat” with a full weapons system and dive capabilities – as he faces off against “Cigar Girl” herself, in actuality an assassin named Giulietta da Vinci (Maria Grazia Cucinotta, who had a memorable role on The Sopranos that same year.)

The exciting action sequence to follow concluded the longest pre-title sequence in the Bond series to date, wrapping up after nearly 14 whopping action-packed minutes that found Bond in two continents (and two sharp charcoal Brioni suits!)

What’d He Wear?

The opening scene featured Brosnan’s Bond moving through the streets and skies of Bilbao in a solid charcoal two-piece suit with a rich blue shirt and patterned tie. 007 arrives at MI6 headquarters in the following scene wearing a different charcoal suit, this one a three-piece with a subtle gray pinstripe and unique details like the jacket’s single-button closure and the countrified waistcoat with lapels and pocket flaps.

Constructed from worsted wool, this Brioni suit features the strongly structured Roman shoulder that was a hallmark of Brosnan’s Brioni suits, although the suit shoulders in The World is Not Enough are not quite as wide as they had been in GoldenEye, four years earlier.

The suit jacket’s notch lapels elegantly roll to the single button, located at Brosnan’s waist and in line with the bottom of the ticket pocket flap and the fifth button of his waistcoat. The flapped pockets on the hips sit slightly angled toward the back. The jacket has long double vents and “kissing” four-button cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

Bond’s gray silk display kerchief, worn puffed into his jacket’s breast pocket here, nicely calls out the gray pinstripe of his suiting while also drawing out the gray in his tie. This is the last appearance of a pocket square for Brosnan’s Bond, and 007 wouldn’t wear another one until Daniel Craig revived it in Quantum of Solace when also wearing a dark charcoal suit in London’s MI6 office.

The distinctive touches of Bond’s matching waistcoat can easily fly under the radar as the drape of his jacket keeps it covered through most of his non-action scenes, but his adventures that find him landing on the roof of the Millennium Dome reveal its interesting details: notch lapels and flapped pockets. The six-button vest properly has the lowest button over the notched bottom.

Despite a variety of colors and fabrics, Bond’s suits are styled with relative consistency throughout The World is Not Enough with one exception: some suits have pleated trousers while some are flat-fronted but shaped with darts. This suit is the latter, with belt loops, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and cuffed bottoms.

Bond’s black leather belt, which would normally be covered by his waistcoat, makes a prominent cameo as he slides down the roof of the Millennium Dome as the rectangular steel single-prong buckle pokes out under the waistcoat’s notched bottom. It is for this unsightly reason that three-piece suit wearers often abstain from belts in favor of suspenders or trousers fitted with side adjusters. The belt, likely made by Dunhill, also has two metal loops positioned directly left of the buckle to further secure it in place.

Turnbull & Asser provided the shirts and ties for Pierce Brosnan in his latter three Bond films, including The World is Not Enough. His white poplin shirt in this scene has a spread collar and front placket. The squared double (French) cuffs are fastened by a set of distinctive Dunhill cuff links that he wears with all of his business suits in The World is Not Enough, resembling two white gold rings connected by a short yellow gold bar.

More information about the Dunhill cuff links can be found at James Bond Lifestyle.

The geometric-patterned Turnbull & Asser tie contributed to The World is Not Enough‘s definitive “crowning moment of badass” when he uses his brief submersion in Q’s “fishing boat” to adjust his tie knot, supposedly a moment suggested by Brosnan himself.

The pattern consists of intersecting red, silver, and gold double-lined squares on a dark gray ground. Turnbull & Asser advertises that the tie is approximately 57″ long with a 3.75″ blade, all constructed from its “high-density 350-end woven jacquard silk” with a wool mix inner lining. In its excellent post about the tie, James Bond Lifestyle goes on to describe: “This silk has more warp and weft yarns per square inch than is customary, making the fabric denser and more substantial in both weight and feel.”

Turnbull & Asser wisely still offers the tie for sale, and interested buyers can use product code MTIE001-Z05501 or check out this link to purchase for yourself. As of February 2017, the price is $190.

If $190 is a bit steep for you, Magnoli Clothiers has produced a beautifully similar replica of Brosnan’s Turnbull & Asser tie, appropriately named the “Thames Tie”, highly recommended by several reviewers and available for $60 from their site and on Amazon.

Bond wears a fair amount of monk shoes from Church’s in black and brown leather all throughout The World is Not Enough, but he sports a more traditional pair of black wingtip brogues for his return to the office and subsequent dive into the Thames. The shoes are likely also from Church’s, possibly the same Church’s Diplomat half brogues worn in GoldenEye, and are worn with black socks.

Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as James Bond came with the added responsibility of being a brand ambassador for Omega, 007’s watch of choice from GoldenEye onward. In his last three Bond outings, including The World is Not Enough, Brosnan wore an Omega Seamaster Professional 2531.80.00 chronometer with a blue dial, blue rotating bezel, and stainless bracelet. The watch has an automatic movement – rather than the quartz movement of his 2541.80.00 worn in GoldenEye – and a power reserve of 44 hours. More information can be found at James Bond Lifestyle.

The presence of Bond’s trusty Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol signifies that he is likely wearing his equally trusty Galco Executive shoulder holster, positioned under his left arm with a fully lined Italian calf leather harness designed to fit a number of full-size and compact handguns.

For more information about this suit and to read other excellent posts about 007’s sartorial style, check out Matt Spaiser’s definitive blog The Suits of James Bond.

What to Imbibe

It’s hard to beat Scotch and a cigar… especially when you can work it into your work day.

Bond’s aborted attempt at innuendo involved a Romeo y Julieta Churchill cigar, obtained during his travels in Bilbao. If only Moneypenny had accepted the gift, she would have enjoyed a smooth, flavorful, and ultimately luxurious smoke.

As James Bond Lifestyle points out, The World is Not Enough wasn’t the first association of Romeo y Julieta cigars in the Bond universe; Sean Connery’s 007 had previously been given just the cigar’s aluminum cigar tube to store his underwater breather in “a convenient pocket.”

007 makes his way into M’s office where she is enjoying a libation with Sir Robert King. Following Sir Robert’s departure, M offers Bond a glass of 10-year-old single malt Scotch, namely Talisker. Talisker is a significantly peaty, seaweedy whisky from the Talisker distillery, which was founded in 1830 and to this day the only distillery on the Isle of Skye.

Bond drinks his Talisker on the rocks (come on, James…), and the chemical reaction of his skin to the ice cubes tips him off that disaster is about to strike the absent Sir Robert…

How to Get the Look

When in London, Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond dresses like the Romans do with a sharply tailored Brioni suit, but his English identity is well reflected through the suit’s details and the heritage of his shirt, tie, and shoes.

• Charcoal gray-pinstripe worsted wool tailored Brioni suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 1-button suit jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, slightly slanted flapped hip pockets, flapped ticket pocket, 4-button cuffs, and double vents
  • Single-breasted 6-button waistcoat with notch lapels, flapped pockets, and notched bottom
  • Darted-front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White cotton poplin Turnbull & Asser dress shirt with spread collar, front placket, and squared double/French cuffs
  • Gold double-ring Dunhill cuff links
• Jacquard woven dark gray silk Turnbull & Asser tie with an intersecting red, silver, and gold geometric square pattern
• Black leather belt with rectangular steel single-prong buckle
• Black leather Church’s half brogues
• Black dress socks
• Galco Executive black leather right-hand-draw shoulder holster, for Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol
• Omega Seamaster Professional 2531.80.00 stainless steel wristwatch with blue dial, blue bezel, and stainless bracelet

007 nicely calls out the suit’s gray striping and the dual gray tones in the tie by wearing a gray silk display kerchief in his breast pocket.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Footnote

Need something to pep you up during your morning commute? The techno-flavored variation of the James Bond Theme, “Come in 007, Your Time is Up,” will make your Camry on the parkway feel like a spy boat on the Thames.