Clothing

In 2012, Daniel Craig wore our Bond Coat as James Bond in the film Skyfall. The slim-fitting coat with horn buttons and leather collar detailing – so named for New York’s Bond Street, home to our SoHo store – was already a staple in many of our customers’ wardrobes. But with James Bond’s anointment, in a matter of speaking, came an all-new attention to the style. We’ve since remade the coat in different colors and fabrics, and it remains one our bestselling pieces to date.

The latest Bond film, Spectre, hits theaters this Friday, November 6. This time, it’s not 007 who sports a Billy Reid coat but Q, his young Quartermaster responsible for designing and developing Bond’s signature gadgets, weapons, and highly sophisticated computer security.…

You will notice we are doing product reviews again in the video section. I am a big believer that a purchase can be made or destroyed by more than just a bad product. The service and customer experience is paramount when it comes to luxury items and quite frankly if I am paying a premium, I fully expect an elevated level of service.

I am not saying everyone has to usher in a Tom Ford experience of single malts, champagne and round-the-clock service, but is it too much to ask for the basics? To me the basics are:

1. Respond to your emails and potential customers.…

Colors. We are educated as a child to celebrate colors with their variety and expansive ways. In the advertising and marketing world, colors can create an array of emotions when combined with the right message and they can be either a strong inducer of thought or a dull moment created.

BUT never has there been more controversy, anxiety, and consternation than color questions of Bond clothing.

This rubbing of the noggin’ began way back in the Casino Royale days (remember those, young wiper snappers?) when groups of us purchased the Bahamas arrival Persols, in BLACK not brown. Well hell, we were going off of stills and blurry assumptions.…

On any given day I receive around 5 emails asking for advice on how something should fit, or what size jacket someone should order, or if Dent gloves runs small etc. This may not surprise you, but the fact that I answer every one of these might. I feel a sense of obligation in the most positive way to answer these emails so other Bond fans can enjoy their purchases and not have anxiety over nasty surprises when they arrive.

After all, nothing takes the wind from ones sails like opening a package, trying on a much anticipated item and then stuffing it back to be returned five minutes later.…

Just the other day I received the John Smedley V neck sweater/jumper that is seen in the SkyFall Shanghai scene. When it was first discovered, I was excited to begin finishing off the Shanghai outfit especially with the Billy Reid coat in my possession. As I ordered the sweater I began reading the sizing information. As a matter of habit I read VERY carefully the sizing information on all these pieces to decipher the very best one to purchase. After all in some brands I am a small, some I am a medium, and yes, some I am a large.

Sigh, it’s enough to drive someone batty.…

That was a question a friend and I posed to each other the other day in respect to collecting lifestyle pieces from SkyFall. After all, with Jany, the costume designer, and other sources coming out to tell us what was what, there has been a mach 3 run on Bond clothes and accessories.

We have joked that our wallets can’t take it and the excitement rises with each discovery but is it too much too soon?

Think back to Casino Royale and Quantum. We would discover his glasses and everyone would hunt them down, purchase them, use them…bask in them for a bit.…

I am a big believer that if you have the means, the outfits and brands, Bond wears are the ones to get. They often are of a higher value in both investment and construction. That being said, we don’t all have Mi6’s unlimited expense account and through the years the Frugal Bond articles and videos have been appreciated by everyone, whether they have the means or not.

SkyFall offers us a wonderful opportunity since some of the actual brands could be thought of as Frugal Bond brands. Cos, Zara, PTI jackets, and even Dents gloves won’t break the bank, but BR, Levis Vintage Line, and Barbour may be too much for some.…

Wall Street Shark. Sounds like a crooked broker, but they are the grey pants Bond wears in the Shanghai scene with the Billy Reid Jacket. Thanks to the intrepid work of a Meesta Bawnd on the ajb boards, we now know that ACNE was the company that made these for SkyFall. As you can imagine my credit card saw sparks as I whipped it out of my wallet and purchased these.

Amazing fabric and a slim fit combine to a pair of classic slacks that I would wear even if Bond had not. The stitching and details are thoroughly high scaled and it seems with the right care these will last a long time.…