Vitals

James Coburn as Derek Flint, bon vivant superspy

New York City to Marseilles, Spring 1965

Film: Our Man Flint
Release Date: January 16, 1966
Director: Daniel Mann
Costume Designer: Ray Aghayan

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

James Coburn originated the character of Derek Flint in Our Man Flint, one of the many spy spoofs in the wake of ’60s Bondmania, released sixty years ago today. Technically, the film premiered a month earlier in St. Ann’s Bay in Jamaica, though it wasn’t widely in theaters until the American release on January 16, 1966. It would be followed the next year by a sequel, In Like Flint—which also happens to be Austin Powers’ favorite movie… and, indeed, you can see plenty of shagadelic DNA in the Flint series.

Despite the reluctance of his old boss Cramden (Lee J. Cobb), maverick agent Derek Flint (James Coburn) is called back into service for Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage (Z.O.W.I.E.) after a trio of mad scientists prove that they can control the weather and, thus, the world. Our man Flint himself isn’t too eager to return, having retired into a jet-setting life of luxury in his swanky penthouse suite filled with rotating art displays and a quartet of international beauties. “The best,” Cramden describes him, adding, “undisciplined, but the best.”

While In Like Flint‘s satirical elements drive it even farther from realism than the already fantastical James Bond series, Flint’s loyalty to himself and his own materialistic wealth seems more aligned with real-life spies like Sidney Reilly rather than the ideology-driven 007.

---

What’d He Wear?

The first time we see Flint wearing anything that isn’t Karate gi or a bathrobe, he’s dressed for dinner out with his harem in a smartly tailored tuxedo styled somewhere between 007 and Dean Martin. After Flint saves Cramden’s life during an assassination attempt that evening using the classic harp-fired poison dart trick, Flint recognizes that “I think the dart was meant for me… seems that I have a job whether I want one or not.”

Flint’s black dinner suit presents a restrained, dry luster consistent with the wool/mohair blends that were especially fashionable in mid-1960s tailoring. Valued for its strength, crease retention, and cool hand, mohair was typically blended with wool to temper its natural stiffness while preserving a clean, elegant line under lights. As Flint’s cinematic contemporary, Sean Connery often wore suits and tuxedoes crafted from a wool and mohair blend in his 007 movies.

This single-breasted dinner jacket has silk-faced peak lapels that taper to a single silk-covered button positioned over James Coburn’s natural waist, matching the two silk-covered vestigial buttons decorating each cuff. Flint’s jacket also has double vents, a welted breast pocket that he decorates with colorful pocket squares, and straight hip pockets covered with flaps—the sole departure from classic black tie, which favors the more minimalist appearance of jetted hip pockets.

Though the tuxedo reflects generally traditional black tie tailoring elements, Flint takes a creative spin on the dress code by swapping out the requisite white shirt for a warmer-toned evening shirt made from cream poplin. Two small black studs buttoning up the front placket match the larger black oval-shaped cuff links fastening Flint’s double (French) cuffs. He also wears a black silk bow tie of classic proportions in the traditional butterfly (thistle) shape.

Flint initially wears a navy-blue satin silk pocket square when out to dinner with his four dates, then swaps this out for a scarlet-red silk kerchief for the dinner jacket’s remaining screen-time as he departs for his his bouillabaisse-tasting tour of Marseilles.

We see little of the trousers under the jacket that Flint tends to keep buttoned, but they appear styled with either a traditional flat-front or a darted-front. Side-buckle adjusters shine from each side of the waistband, unencumbered by a cummerbund or any other waist covering—following 007’s more laidback example of black tie (as explored by Matt Spaiser for Bond Suits.) Detailed with the usual silk galon following down each side seam, the trousers have side pockets and the usual plain-hemmed bottoms.

Rather than the more formal oxfords in polished black leather, Flint maintains his “lounge lizard” persona in sleek, low-cut loafers with black short-nap suede plain-toe uppers that have smooth leather trim around the edges. A decorative strap crosses the instep of each shoe, and the soles are also black leather. Flint wears them with black ribbed dress socks.

Though improbable, the tuxedo appears to have been designed to be serve as a disguise when reversed, as Flint emerges from a Marseilles dive’s bathroom with the jacket and trousers presenting their white lining to avoid detection from Galaxy operatives in the crowd. He completes the disguise with narrow-framed black sunglasses and a makeshift turban, crafted from paper towels.

Decades before the Apple Watch or Fitbit, Derek Flint wore a custom wristwatch that could do everything from tell time to revive him from self-induced extreme bradycardia. Likely crafted from the chassis of an actual chronograph secured to a gold-plated expanding band, Flint’s watch has a simple gold-finished case that belies its life-saving capabilties.

The dial consists of two recessed gold rings, with twelve non-numeric hour indices around the outer ring and small rotating hands (presumably hour and minute hands) on the inner ring, encircling a glowing purple center. Rather than a traditional crown, an arced piece of the case extends out from between the two pushers and rotates to activate Flint’s wrist, awaking him from suspended animation. Flipping up the crystal (itself framed by the gold ringed bezel), the watch can also function as a microscope for rudimentary examinations in the field.

Also on his left hand, Flint wears a gold-finished pinky ring with a small, rectangular cabochon stone set flush into the band. Though it occasionally reflects a deep blue cast, the stone may be a black onyx that matches his studs and cuff links.

---

The Gun

Flint turns down Cramden issuing him a “Walther PPK with silencer, high-velocity, extreme penetrating power,” favoring his own lighter complete with 82 different functions—”83 if you wish to light a cigar.” This leaves him unarmed (but hardly defenseless) when he’s cornered in Marseilles by Galaxy gunman Hans Gruber (Michael St. Clair), a former member of the Hitler Youth who escaped during the Nuremberg trials but, unlike an identically christened terrorist, would never make it to Nakatomi Plaza for Christmas Eve.

Gruber aims a suppressed Beretta Model 1935 pistol at Flint, who knocks it out of his hands before the fight that results in Gruber’s ignominious stabbing death in a shabby bathroom stall. Flint then pockets the weapon for himself, firing it into the air during the following scene (the gunshots are heard at full volume, despite the suppressor.)

Inspired by the small yet effective Walther PPK, Beretta invented its own compact blowback pistols in the 1930s: the Modello 34 in 9x17mm Corto (.380 ACP), swiftly followed by the Modello 32 chambered for 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP). These were single-action only, unlike the double-action PPK, though the capacity was similar with eight-round .32-caliber magazines and one less in the .380 model. These robust little pistols are instantly recognizable as Berettas with their open slide design and would continue to be produced for decades after the war, with the Model 1935 manufactured until 1967 while the Model 1934 would continue in production until the ’90s.

---

How to Get the Look

Like any ’60s superspy worth his mohair, Derek Flint regularly travels with a handsomely tailored dark tuxedo—putting his own creative spin on the style with a warmly off-white evening shirt, dressy black suede loafers, and a small but colorful rotation of silk pocket squares.

• Black wool/mohair-blend tuxedo:
  • Single-button jacket with silk-faced peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, decorative 2-button cuffs, and double vents
  • Flat-front trousers with buckle-tab side adjusters, side pockets, silk side-seam galon, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Cream poplin shirt with point collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Matching black onyx studs and oval-shaped cuff links
• Black silk butterfly/thistle-shaped bow tie
• Navy or scarlet silk pocket square
• Black suede plain-toe loafers with decorative instep straps, black leather edge trim, and black leather soles
• Black ribbed dress socks
• Gold pinky ring with black onyx flush-set cabochon stone
• Gold multi-function watch with dual recessed ringed dial, glowing purple center, and expanding band

---

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the Flint series.