Vitals

Daniel Craig as James Bond, British secret agent

Lake Como, Italy, August 2006

Film: Casino Royale
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

The name is Bond… James Bond.

After more than two hours of anticipation, Daniel Craig finally delivered the words that 007 fans were waiting to hear. 007 had embarked on an adventure with more ups and downs – both emotional and physical – than we’re used to seeing with our sophisticated hero, and Casino Royale reintroduced audiences to a character with an impact similar to the initial book’s release 65 years ago this month. I know that the moment I left the theater that Thanksgiving weekend in 2006, I had to resist the impulse to buy another ticket and head back in for a second viewing.

For the 00-7th of April, let’s celebrate not only a stylish and classic springtime business look but also the 65th anniversary of the publication of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s first novel and the spark that so ferociously lit the James Bond franchise when it shelves on April 13, 1953.

What’d He Wear?

If Casino Royale served as a reboot for the James Bond franchise, we knew the transformation was complete in the end scene as 007 stands over the fallen villain, beautifully attired in a sharp tailored suit, offering up his trademark introduction as a brassy orchestration of that now-famous theme song screamed into the scene.

Casino Royale continued a few traditions of the Pierce Brosnan era, including the sharp Brioni suits. This was the last Brioni suit that Daniel Craig would wear on screen as James Bond, as Tom Ford would take the reigns in the following adventure, Quantum of Solace (2008). Compare this suit’s fuller silhouette to the tighter suits seen in Skyfall (2012) if you want a primer on just how much fashion can change in less than a decade.

A fine detailed description of the the suit itself, as well as an exploration of the context for Mr. Bond choosing to wear it, can be found at the seminal home of all things sartorially related to 007, The Suits of James Bond by Matt Spaiser. The suiting is a dark navy wool with double sets of blue-gray stripes creating a subtle pinstripe effect described as “track stripes” on The Suits of James Bond.

The single-breasted jacket has notch lapels that roll to a three-button front. Little is seen of the suit jacket on screen, but set photos prove that it has flapped hip pockets, a single back vent, and “kissing” four-button cuffs. The six-button waistcoat (or vest) makes this Daniel Craig’s first three-piece suit as 007, and he correctly leaves the lowest button unfastened. It has welted pockets and a notched bottom.

Bond sticks to blue for his shirt and tie, an appropriately flattering color for Daniel Craig given the cinematic impact of the scene that calls for him to look his best. The light blue cotton poplin shirt is also from Brioni with a high semi-spread collar, front placket, and double (French) cuffs likely worn with a set of silver-toned S.T. Dupont cuff links. His tie is micro-woven in blue and white silk, tied in a substantial four-in-hand knot. The “Royale Tie” by Magnoli Clothiers is likely meant to replicate this particular tie, described as “a repeating pattern of rounded diamonds produced by light blue threads on a dark blue background.”

The flat front trousers are shaped with darts around the hips with a wide, straight fit through the legs consistent with mid-2000s styling. They’re almost certainly worn with a belt like all of Daniel Craig’s other business suits in Casino Royale, even though purists would advice forgoing a belt with a waistcoat. The trousers have slanted “quarter-top” side pockets and narrow turn-ups (cuffs).

Bond wears the same John Lobb Luffield plain-toe derby shoes that he wore earlier with his other business suits and his tuxedo with black “museum calf” leather uppers and two lace eyelets. You can read more about these shoes at James Bond Lifestyle.

While this brave new Bond is no longer wearing his suits “with such disdain”, as Vesper had noticed on the train, he is still outfitted with his signature Omega Seamaster that had caught her eye during the same conversation. That scene marked the first appearance of the blue-dialed Seamaster Professional Diver after Bond graduated from the sportier rubber-strapped Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Size” that he had worn in earlier scenes. The Omega Seamaster Professional Diver, model 2220.80.00, has a 41mm stainless steel case with a blue dial with a 3:00 date window, a blue rotating bezel, and a stainless link bracelet. You can read more about this watch at James Bond Lifestyle.

A Theory…

007 fans, particularly those with sartorially inclined eyes, will notice that we leave James Bond at the end of Casino Royale sporting this navy striped three-piece Brioni suit. The action picks up immediately where we left off in Quantum of Solace with Bond wearing… a navy striped two-piece suit from Tom Ford? The obvious reasoning for the difference is the change from costume designer Lindy Hemming working with Brioni in Casino Royale to costume designer Louise Frogley working with Tom Ford in Quantum of Solace, with the latter interpreting this finale suit and putting her own expert – some may even say improved – touches on the ensemble.

Personally, I prefer to imagine the Lake Como confrontation occurring two years after getting the tip from the late Vesper’s cell phone in Casino Royale. Bond ends a two-year manhunt when he tracks Mr. White to the Lake Como house, shoots him, and then spends about 24 hours interrogating him on his own. Perhaps in that time, Bond changed into the Tom Ford suit we see in Quantum of Solace, allowing time for M and Craig Mitchell to set up a safe house in Siena… and also allowing time for Quantum goons to find out their boss was in distress and to track Bond down.

Perhaps I’m overthinking things, but it’s not beyond Bond to pack several similar suits for one mission… think From Russia With Love and the five different gray-toned suits that 007 took with him to Istanbul.

How to Get the Look

It’s only one shot, but it’s a memorable one as Daniel Craig fully assumes his cinematic identity as James Bond. No less than a tailored navy pinstripe three-piece suit would do the trick.

• Navy pinstripe wool Italian-tailored suit from Brioni:
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, single back vent, and 4-button cuffs
  • Single-breasted 6-button waistcoat with two welted pockets and notched bottom
  • Flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Light blue cotton poplin Brioni dress shirt with semi-spread collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Silver-toned cuff links
• Blue-and-white woven silk tie
• Black calf leather two-eyelet John Lobb Luffield plain-toe derby shoes
• Dark navy dress socks
• Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 2220.80.00 dive watch with stainless steel 41mm case, blue dial (with 3:00 date window), blue rotating bezel, and stainless link bracelet

To read more about this particular suit, do visit the comprehensive analysis at The Suits of James Bond.

The Gun

For a scene meant to introduce Daniel Craig in the traditional image of a confident, well-suited James Bond, you’d expect 007 to be carrying his signature sidearm, the Walther PPK or even his more modern Walther P99. Instead, Mr. Bond is packing heavy heat in the form of a Heckler & Koch UMP submachine gun.

German for “Universale Maschinenpistole”, the UMP was introduced in 1999 to supplement the aging MP5 submachine gun that you’ve seen in countless action movies and video games for the last quarter of a century. The UMP fills a unique niche in the firearms market as a submachine gun chambered to fire higher caliber pistol cartridges like the .40 S&W and .45 ACP in addition to the standard 9×19 mm Parabellum.

In Casino Royale, Bond is clearly armed with the UMP9 based on the curved “banana”-style magazine as opposed to the straight box magazines of the UMP40 and UMP45. Bond’s UMP9 is also fitted with a suppressor to conceal the sound of the shot he fires to wound Mr. White in the leg.

Although the suit, shirt, and tie change when the story picks up in Quantum of Solace, at least 007 is still armed with the same weapon, albeit with the suppressor removed for easier combat while speeding his car through the windy mountainous roads between Lake Como and Siena.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie… and the book, which celebrates its 65th year in publication!

The Quote

We need to talk.

Footnote

They don’t appear in this scene, but the tortoise sunglasses that Daniel Craig wears in the above behind-the-scenes photo with the H&K UMP-9 are the same Persol 2720 shades that he wore with his two-piece navy suit when receiving his new Aston Martin in Montenegro.