James Bond

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.…

Does the world really need another Bond fan site? This question flashed before me as I began to seriously consider starting my own web site.

Haven’t we all the information and dedication a Bond fan could want out there in cyberspace already?

But as soon as I asked the question, the answer appeared in the form of an email I had just received. It was from a follower of my video podcasts named Steve and he was asking me whether I was going to have another frugal Bond article or video up soon.

Steve went on to ask if there would be regular postings about new finds of Bond clothing and experiences on a regular basis and if not could I point him in the direction of other sites where he could gather information and begin his own experiences.…

This is an exciting time for any Bond fan but if that same fan is a Bond collector then the excitement tends to be tripled with the wonderful onslaught of products and opportunities to capture a piece of Bond.

Let me know if this sounds like your house. The doorbell rings and a package is delivered. The entire house knows it’s for you, there is no question. Oh, once in a blue moon a rare package may show up for your wife or daughter, but on the whole the monster share of boxes, envelopes, padded bags has your name on it.…

At the end of October I had the honor and pleasure of attending the premiere of SkyFall at The Royal Albert Hall in London. For me it was an emotional dream come true, one of the best just falling short of actually being in a James Bond movie. Even boarding the plane to begin the journey I recounted my journey of Bond fandom which began when my father would let me stay up late to watch re-runs on ABC. My father was a dedicated and successful, and thus busy, executive who was not exactly the “play catch in the back of the house” type guy.…