It’s a mystery that would perplex the finest minds of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. What has happened to all the suits worn by Sean Connery in his first five films as James Bond, released between 1962 and 1967?
According to Savile Row entrepreneur David Mason, the wardrobe at Pinewood Studios has only a chesterfield coat from Dr No (1962) in its archive. Everything else seems to have vanished.
Mason’s interest stems from the fact that he owns the rights to the name of Anthony Sinclair, the Mayfair tailor who was introduced to Connery by Terence Young, the ex-Irish Guards officer who directed Dr No, From Russia With Love (1963) and Thunderball. (1965). From his premises in Conduit Street, at the northern end of Savile Row, Sinclair created the now-iconic Bond looks.
Working with Richard Paine, who was an apprentice to Sinclair in the 1960s, Mason is making a replica of the suit in which James Bond makes his first screen debut, at Le Cercle casino, London, in Dr No – a single breasted dinner suit with a silk satin shawl collar and turnback silk satin cuff. The revived suit will appear in Designing 007 , a celebration of 50 years of Bond’s style that will be staged at The Barbican in London from 6 July to 5 September.
“These days, there are dozens of each suit made for the Bond movies, but back then there wasn’t so much money involved,” says Mason. “Not long ago I was offered a Bond suit by someone whose father used to work at Pinewood Studios – apparently they sold off wardrobe pieces periodically – but at £15,000 the asking price was more than I was prepared to pay. When I realised that getting hold of this outfit was the only way to establish exact measurements I got back in touch with the gentleman, but he’d already sold it. Luckily the new owner worked in the City of London (his office actually overlooks the Barbican) and he offered to loan the suit to me so that we could take measures and reverse-engineer a new pattern.”
With a 46-inch chest and 33-inch waist, the suit is made from a 10 ounce, midnight-blue, Super 100’s & Summer-Kid mohair barathea by London cloth merchant Smith Woollens & Co.
Flushed by the success of this first initiative, Mason is now working on recreating an even more celebrated James Bond suit – the glencheck three-piece which he wears in Goldfinger.
“The Goldfinger suit is everyone’s favourite and we believe it is going to get pride of place at the exhibition. We are looking forward to bringing it back to life”.
-Text by Eric Musgrave
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12 comments:
I'm rather surprised that Connery wasn't allowed to keep them! The Bond screen suits now are as bland and Joe Bloggish as the recent films which rely on impossible stunts and special effects to deflect attention from the fact that there is no real plot and James Bond doesn't feature at all.
Nicholas, you might confirm this for me, but I believe all the recent Bond suits have been from Brioni. A terrible shame. I understand that all the Bond movies have been about product placement, but the original intent, indeed Ian Flemming's intent in the books, was to showcase BRITISH goods where possible in an era when British prestige was at an all time low.
Now international conglomerates bid for the right to supply Bond's kit. Younger audiences are unaware of how wrong it is to depict Bond wearing off the rack ITALIAN suits and driving GERMAN cars. What's next for Bond, Starbucks?
Carl,
Yes, Fleming even used product-placement in the books (one of the first writers to do so) and J. Floris sent him a package of goodies. Most of it was British product placement too, as you say -Teresa's Lancia was an exception. The new films are completely off the rails and Fleming would, I am sure, be appalled; I mean, Bond in RTW suits, without a cigarette?! There's a great line in the recent Casino Royale when Vesper produces a DJ for Bond as a surprise and says that ''it's tailor-made.''
Yes, right then.
Actually Carl, the suits from the last Bond film and the next one are from Tom Ford. At least he has been off the Italian cars since the 90s.
And Connery did keep many of the suits, which is one reason why they are hard to find. The article on the Conduit Cut blog where the quotes above come from also wrote:
"Connery was fond of Sinclair's tailoring, reportedly keeping hold of many of the suits for his personal use."
That Tom Ford is a step up from Brioni might be a moot point! I am sure that Connery would have kept some of the clothes; who else was going to wear them? I find the prospective recreation of the suits slightly macabre: after all, they will not (presumably), be fitted on the now elderly Connery and they will lack all provenance as examples of bespoke, fitted clothing. Why not just let the Connery films stand for themselves, instead of trying to find some marketing hype in the (strangely) lost patterns? This kind of thing reminds me why I fled!
Some of the suits may not have survived filming, though it was an era of less jumping about. And Roger Moore, according to himself, 'stole' many of the Bond suits that weren't ruined during filming.
I just hope people realise that the Goldfinger suit looked good on Connery at the time, in the film, cut that particular way.
I'd hate to see people paying through the nose for a "Goldfinger suit" which will be a suit cut for their frame, and then wondering why Pussy Galore isn't chasing them down the street.
Excellent point Roger:
It is seldom productive for you to wear an item of clothing because it's similar to what someone else wore, even if it's bespoke.
Connery's tailor was expert at accentuating Connery's unique attributes and hiding Connery's specific flaws to present the man in the best possible light.
If you want clothes that are as flattering to you as Connery's were to him, your tailor may need to make you something very different from what Connery wore.
This can be an ego-deflating lesson.
Probably all just over romanticising what is just entertainment. I think Craig looks good in his Ford suits, tough and masculine. Connery looked great too but his ties were too fashionably narrow.
I know a tailor who was a coatmaker at Sinclair in the 60s and on the items for Connery/Bond (and Dr.No), he is still working as a bespoke tailor (though he's German and moved back).
Doing this had a lasting impression on him and for some particular clients he is still creating items that could be requisites in a film like Inverness styled overcoats from pure vicuna and other eccentricities.
I hadn't realized that they are going to be selling 'Goldfinger' Bond suits! Reminds me of being 5 years old and having the toy Aston Martin and case!
They are indeed making copies for customers, of course fitted to them and not Connery. People come into the shop and ask for a suit just like one that Connery wore. I'm the biggest fan of Bond's clothing (and write a blog on it) but I have no interest in having copies made. The suits in the Bond films helped me to develop my own style. But if Goldfinger inspired people to have a 3-piece, 2-button fine Glen Urquhart check suit with double vents, a ticket pocket and pleated trousers made, that's fine. But they should be wearing it because they like the suit, not to copy Sean Connery.
Matt - Who would disagree with that? Those suits were of a time and place.
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