James Bond’s Best Looks – Our Favorite 007 Outfits, Reviewed

Since 1962, with the debut of Dr. No in cinemas, James Bond has gained the reputation of being one of the most stylish spies to ever grace the silver screen, and today, we’ll share our favorite looks from the iconic and dapper Agent 007.

Simply saying his name evokes the image of a suave tuxedo and a smoking gun. Indeed, donning this signature outfit is a rite of passage for any actor who gets to portray the British secret agent. Just like us, Bond gets to enjoy his fair share of Black Tie outfits.

Of course, throughout the many decades of the James Bond franchise, the character and the actors who portray him have been subject to the changes in fashion.

If you want to have a closer look at the James Bond style that made the character so iconic across the franchise, we’ve made several guides about 007’s clothing, covering his original literary appearances in Ian Fleming’s novels, his suits and Black Tie looks on the silver screen, and more!

1. How To Wear A Tuxedo Like James Bond
2. The Literary James Bond: How to Dress Like the Original 007
3. James Bond Style Rules – Menswear Secrets from 007

Our Favorite James Bond Looks

Today, we’ve selected our favorite looks from across the Bond series. We’re not going to be ranking these looks so there’s no particular order to this list, and if you have a favorite Bond actor, as we all do, it’s worth checking out the entire list to see what style tips you can pick up from across the series.

As Bond is a well-traveled man, we’ve selected a number of outfits ranging from casual to formal, because we believe that each look has its own classic style merits, which you can incorporate into your own wardrobe.

Sand Corduroy Suit (No Time To Die)

Our first look is from No Time To Die, the 25th film in the franchise, and Daniel Craig’s last Bond film, or so we think. A lot of Daniel Craig’s suits over his five Bond films have been provided by Tom Ford. Unfortunately, most of these suffer from that too-tight look that may have been made popular by Mr. Bond himself in the early 2010s, and I’m sure you’ll agree this isn’t a very elegant look. 

Thankfully, in No Time To Die, we see Bond wearing a sand-colored suit while in Italy, and we believe this fits them much better. The suit itself is an unstructured two-piece needlecord suit from Massimo Alba, an Italian designer, which makes sense in the setting.

The shirt is a cornflower blue button-down style with barrel cuffs and Bond will accessorize this outfit with a pair of dove gray box cloth braces from Albert Thurston, a maroon silk tie with a repeating blue tile pattern by Alexander Oak, and a pair of brown moccasin toe suede chukka boots from Drake’s of London.

Overall, this outfit is a modern take on how you can wear a suit and keep it from looking stiff and too formal, and a bit more relaxed. By keeping the suit unstructured, it will naturally drape in a more casual way, aided by the choice of the needlecord cloth, which is much finer than the traditional corduroy, therefore, providing a better versatility to the suit.

The addition of a similarly casual shirt and footwear keep everything on the same formality scale, whilst adding a contrasting tie helps elevate the outfit nicely, as the tie is woven in a textured silk, as opposed to a traditional flat weave tie.

Furthermore, the repeating blue tile in the tie helps to complement the blues found in both the shirt and in the braces. All of these elements work together to create a very coherent outfit.

You can steal a style tip from Bond by adding a relaxed tie to your casual outfits, such as a silk barrette or shantung silk, which are available at Fort Belvedere.

Rugged Countrywear (Skyfall)

Next up, we’re turning to Skyfall, where we see Bond at his ancestral home in Scotland, Skyfall Lodge. Scotland is famously cold and wet, and with this in mind, Bond dresses appropriately for the weather on the moors.

Perhaps the most memorable piece of clothing in this ensemble is Bond’s Barbour jacket. It was actually a collaboration between Barbour and Japanese designer Tokihito Yoshida which had a lot of extra features like a removable hood, as well as a storm flap behind the buttons to help keep the elements out.

Following the release of Skyfall and the inclusion of the jacket and the film’s climax, any remaining jackets were snapped up by both Bond and clothing aficionados alike. Barbour quickly responded to the demand and has since released updated versions of this jacket, and you can still add a piece of James Bond clothing to your wardrobe.

The jacket itself is styled similarly to an odd jacket or hunting jacket. It’s single-breasted with button closures. It also features a collar and lapels, which can be worn down to emulate an odd jacket or flipped up as Bond does to reveal a throat latch. 

It also has two flapped bellows pockets at the hips, and it’s crafted from the traditional olive green Barbour waxed cotton with leather trimmings and Barbour tartan lining.

Underneath, Bond wears a striking blue cashmere sweater from English brand N.Peal. Much like the jacket, the popularity of this outfit means that the sweater is also still in production today, under the color “blue wave.” The collar of an off-white henley can be seen beneath the sweater, and a dark brown patterned Tom Ford scarf is tucked into the neckline to keep everything in place.

Keeping with the countryside clothing, Bond wears a pair of very dark brown corduroy trousers, which are cut in a five-pocket style just like jeans, and then a pair of sturdy brown scotch grain leather boots from Crockett and Jones. These boots feature Dainite rubber soles, as well as storm welting and brogue detailing.

This outfit works so well for the cold and damp country setting. Everything has been chosen for the sake of practicality, all without compromising on style by selecting colors that draw inspiration from the landscape, such as browns, olive greens, and blues. Bond is able to achieve some natural camouflage, just like with the principles of historical country clothing.

Even though this outfit is so well suited for this rural setting, there’s no denying that certain elements of this outfit can be applied to a casual day about town outfit. After all, this look is much more elegant than tactical gear.

Dark Brown Bolivia Suit (Quantum of Solace)

Returning to a more formal look for Daniel Craig, let’s turn to Quantum of Solace. This is, perhaps, not Craig’s most beloved Bond film, but I think we can all agree that the opening car chase scene is pretty epic. Set in Bolivia, we see Bond wearing a two-piece dark brown mohair-blend suit in a hopsack weave.

The trousers have turn-ups, side adjusters, and a slim cut, but it isn’t as slim as the suits he would go on to wear in Skyfall or in Spectre.

The jacket has a few details which add some interest for the menswear enthusiast, such as a ticket pocket, five-button working cuffs with the button closest to the wrist left undone (in signature Tom Ford style), a curved breast pocket, and is closed in a three-roll-two fashion.

This is where the suit is cut to accommodate a three-button closure but the lapels happen to be rolled in a particular way, which means you only close the middle button. All these details make for an exciting garment–and it’s worth noting that it’s very easy to be caught up such suit details, but that obsessing over them is a mistake, as we discussed in our Suit Mistakes guide. 

To accompany the suit, Bond uses a plain white cotton poplin shirt, featuring a classic spread collar and double cuffs, and a silk tie in a micro pattern of dark brown and tan squares. This gives the illusion of depth and shifting tones.

The look is finished off with a pair of black quarter brogue Oxford shoes–the now discontinued Philip model from Church’s, and a classic white pocket square.

What we enjoy most about this outfit is the understated simplicity. It goes to show how a classic white shirt and pocket square can serve as a base to let the other elements of your outfit shine through, and the tone-on-tone elements of a darker brown suit and a lighter brown tie round out this outfit wonderfully.

Normally, black shoes with a brown suit are a big no-no, but in this case, the formality of the suit’s fabric, fit, and color all work together to make the black shoes a perfect choice, while the addition of broguing decreases the formality of the shoes just a touch. So, they fit with the rest of the outfit.

Cuban Casual (Die Another Day)

For our next fourth look, let’s turn to Cuba, where we find Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in a casual ensemble in Die Another Day. Much like Quantum of Solace, this film was one of the more divisive in the franchise, with some enjoying it and others not so much. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the film or not, Bond wears a number of great outfits throughout the film.

Here, we’re going for the beachwear Bond sports when visiting a bar in Havana. The hero piece here is the deep blue linen shirt with a light blue floral design. Although Bond typically isn’t seen in florals, the outfit is quite appropriate given its coastal location. After all, any good spy and gentlemen will know how to dress appropriately for their surroundings.

The shirt was specifically crafted for the film by the Italian tailoring house Brioni, who was the main supplier of clothes for many of Brosnan’s Bond films.

It features some intriguing details including a one-piece collar in the camp or Cuban style, half-length sleeves which stop at the elbow, a rounded breast pocket and side vents, also a straight hem at the bottom, meaning the shirt is designed to be worn untucked, as Bond does.

The shirt’s florals are embroidered rather than printed which provides a vivid, well-defined pattern. So, although at first glance, it looks like a stylish Hawaiian shirt, the details set this aside as a unique piece of Bond clothing. Underneath the shirt is a plain white cotton undershirt, which allows the shirt to be worn with only one or two buttons fastened, all while retaining some modesty.

Keeping with the classic family of blues, Bond adds a pair of navy linen trousers to the ensemble, again, likely by Brioni, rounding the look off with a pair of brown suede chukka boots and a pair of Persol sunglasses crafted especially for the film; Model PE2672-S. Persols are a classic choice of sunglasses and befitting for Bond.

Altogether, this ensemble has a lot of great styling points, which is why it’s made our list. The different shades of navy and blue within the ensemble keep things interesting without being too distracting, creating a refined aesthetic, which works well for Bond’s warm-weather wardrobe, as it will yours.

Hamburg Business Suit (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Let’s go back to business with our next look, still with Pierce Brosnan in the film Tomorrow Never Dies. This look sees Bond performing some espionage inside of a printing press in Hamburg, Germany.

Under the usual alias of a traveling businessman, his charcoal worsted flannel suit takes center stage. Like the blue floral shirt from our previous look, the suit was provided by Brioni. 

The suit is single-breasted with a strong three-button closure, although we usually see the suit open to allow Bond more movement. It has well-padded shoulders and a fuller cut than what we might see today. However, the suit fits Brosnan very well and doesn’t look too large or too slim.

The suit’s trousers have a medium rise, double pleats, tapered leg, and turn-ups, which help them drape wonderfully. At his waist, we can see a black leather belt with a gold-tone rounded buckle–a look that can be emulated via our Fort Belvedere belt system. Proving he’s a sartorially skilled super-spy, Bond pairs his black leather belt with black Oxford shoes.

A shirt and tie round out this outfit wonderfully. Both were made by English bespoke shirtmakers Turnbull & Asser, who have a long history with James Bond, providing shirts for Sean Connery’s Bond all the way back in 1962.

Brosnan’s shirt has a spread collar and double cuffs, and it’s crafted in royal blue Oxford cotton. Choosing the shade of blue brings warmth to the outfit and compliments Brosnan’s complexion better than a white shirt would.

The geometric tie is finished in shades of navy and copper, and centering around light blue squares. From a distance, the tie looks to be a bit of a deep rust color, which pairs nicely against the blue shirt. The light blue square is only further cementing the harmony of colors.

Although at first glance, this look appears to only be simple business attire, you can see that Bond is still able to enjoy menswear detailing without being too flashy.

Nautical Bond (GoldenEye)

Our regular reader would know that we’re big fans of the navy blazer, and it seems that Mr. Bond is no different. We see Bond wearing a nautically inspired look in the Monte Carlo Bay in GoldenEye. The navy blazer, with its military origins, is quite fitting for the James Bond character, as in the canonical fiction he is a naval commander. 

This particular blazer is quite traditional. It’s finished in a true dark navy hopsack wool, has a double-breasted fastening and a 6×2 style, and features brass buttons throughout. Perhaps, because of the hot Monaco weather, or to help him better move around, Bond wears the jacket open.

With the blazer, we see a pair of beige tropical wool trousers. Much like the previous look’s trousers, they are pleated and feature turn-ups, and again we see a leather belt with a gold-tone rounded buckle, this time in brown leather.

This look is brought together with the inclusion of a French blue shirt. This tone of blue is darker than the traditional light blue we see in dress shirts, but keep in mind it isn’t as dark as the navy blazer, and, therefore, it’s providing a good level of contrast, whereas a white shirt may be too contrasting.

The shirt has single-button cuffs which is the best choice in formality when paired in this outfit.

Bond finishes the look with a pair of chestnut brown full brogue Oxford shoes, which is the Chetwynd model from Church’s. These are spot-on for this outfit as the Oxford construction keeps things smart with the formality being balanced out by the broguing and the more casual color.

This outfit truly is a classic menswear ensemble. I’m sure the inspiration for this ensemble came from the 1930s. Essentially, this is a great outfit that is easy to wear, especially so in warmer climates and it will always look timeless.

Navy Paletot (Live and Let Die)

As we previously stated, not every Bond look is a good one. Case in point: even though Roger Moore had the longest consecutive run as James Bond, with seven films under his belt from 1973 to 1985, the majority of his outfits were just too fashion-forward. However, there are still a few gems to be found. So, our next pick is a navy suit and paletot overcoat from Live and Let Die.

The paletot is a classic overcoat. The coat itself is finished in navy cashmere and has a matching and velvet collar. The suit worn underneath is also navy single-breasted construction with worsted flannel.

Overall, the appearance presented is smart, clean, and professional. This look gets the true signature Bond touch with the shirt details. Once again, we see a light blue cotton with a spread collar, but it’s the cuffs where things get interesting.

A Bond style staple since Dr. No, we see the inclusion of a cocktail cuff, which is a style of cuffs somewhere between a double cuff and a single barrel cuff. Bond is famous for preferring this kind of cuff on his shirts, possibly to keep the practicality of a cuff that buttons with the formality of a double folded cuff.

With the shirt, we see a regimental striped tie in navy, red, and white. The tie itself is made by British clothiers Benson & Clegg, and it’s actually still available to purchase today. And it looks like it may have been the inspiration for the club ties that the agents wear in the Kingsman franchise.

Rounding out Bond’s outfit are a pair of black leather tassel loafers, which are a good choice, considering he’s just arrived from a long flight, and a matching pair of leather gloves.

We’re fans of colorful gloves at the Gentleman’s Gazette, but seeing as Bond does have to fit in with the business crowd, the black gloves do make sense here. We just think a pair of medium gray lamb Nappa gloves would be a great choice for this outfit.

Three-Piece Glen Check Suit (Goldfinger)

For our eighth pick, we see Sean Connery’s James Bond in Kentucky in the 1964 film Goldfinger. Although at this point in the film Bond has been held captive by Auric Goldfinger, there’s no denying that Bond still looks his best. 

For many, this suit is the quintessential James Bond outfit, and as we’re learning today, the devil is in the details. The suit is a three-piece tropical wool suit crafted by London tailor Anthony Sinclair, who was Connery’s tailor for the majority of the time he played James Bond.

Until high definition re-releases of this film, it was widely believed that this was pick-and-pick wool or sharkskin. In reality, though, the suit is actually a very fine Glen check pattern, which is subtle enough to look like a solid color from a distance.

The suit features pleated trousers with a medium rise, a six-button waistcoat and notch lapel, a single-breasted jacket with a two-button closure, flapped hip pockets, and a ticket pocket. In the suit’s breast pocket, we can see a classic white linen pocket square in a straight or TV fold. This complements the white and double cuffed shirt.

Underneath the spread collar, Bond wears a dark navy knitted silk tie tied in a four-in-hand knot. This is a great way to balance formalities if, like Bond, you don’t know what the dress code is going to be. Although, hopefully, you’re not planning on being captured by an evil megalomaniac.

Bond rounds the outfit off with a pair of black leather two eyelet derby shoes and dark grey socks.

We love this Bond outfit here, full of little details from menswear enthusiasts, without being too fussy, and sits wonderfully within the realm of being neither too formal nor too casual. This also makes it a highly covetable Bond look.

Country Ensemble (Goldfinger)

Sticking with Goldfinger, we find Bond in the countryside for this ensemble. What, at first, might look like a brown suit is actually an odd jacket and trouser combination.

Bond sports a brown barleycorn tweed hacking jacket, characterized by a two-button closure, a single vent at the back, and slanted pockets. The hacking jacket is an item of clothing with firm countryside roots, making it perfect for a day at the country club or for a drive on the Swiss Alps.

With the jacket, Bond wears a pair of fun-colored cavalry twill trousers. These are cut with side adjusters and “frogmouth” pockets, which further enhance this outfit’s sporty details.

The shirt is in off-white, with a very light broken gray stripe, which is very hard to spot on film, but it helps to enforce the casual nature of this outfit. It has double cuffs, which Bond wears with his chain link cufflinks worn reversed, for some reason. Maybe he hasn’t watched our Definitive Guide to Cufflinks just yet!

This look is finished off in a similar fashion to the previous outfit from Goldfinger with a knitted tie and two eyelet derby shoes, although, this time, the tie is brown, and the shoes are brown suede with rubber soles.

This outfit is a fantastic display as to how a traditional countryside outfit can be refined to be worn in both country and town settings, and beautifully demonstrates how wearing an odd jacket and trouser combination can be done with such panache.

If you like this particular look, you can check out the British clothing brand Mason & Sons for faithful reproductions of both the trousers and the jacket, and you can also find a range of knitted ties, which are a Bond style staple in our shop.

Ivory Dinner Jacket (Goldfinger)

Lastly, but certainly, not least, we turn to a moment where a James Bond outfit is iconically revealed; I’m sure we’d all hope to look that good after some nighttime espionage. So, for our last pick, it had to be a Black Tie outfit. We couldn’t think of a better choice than this ivory jacket from Goldfinger.

Set in the tropics, the scene we see this jacket in marks it as an iconic choice for warm-weather evening wear, and the jacket is most likely crafted from tropical wool.

Perhaps, the most famous ivory jacket to be seen on the silver screen is the one Humphrey Bogart wore in 1942’s Casablanca. While Bond’s is no less elegant, there are some unique details that make his stand out.

First of all, Bond opts for peaked lapels on his dinner jackets, and unlike a black dinner jacket or tuxedo, these lapels aren’t finished in silk or satin. Instead, they are self-faced or the same fabric as the rest of the jacket.

The silk lapels on a dinner jacket help differentiate it from that of a regular suit jacket, but an ivory dinner jacket is already very different from a suit jacket. So, the silk facings in this sense aren’t required.

The peaked lapels also provide a strong formal silhouette, and the perfect opportunity for a red carnation to be worn through the buttonhole. Closing in a single-breasted style, the jacket has a single Mother of Pearl button at the waist with four matching buttons at each cuff, and it has no vents on the back to maintain the same sleek silhouette that a dinner jacket should.

With the jacket, Bond wears plain black trousers, again, most likely of a tropical wool. While the trousers don’t have the traditional silk galon stripe at the sides, this fits Bond’s understated aesthetic quite well. 

The white dress shirt worn here is quite interesting as well. It has a very unique satin stripe, which runs throughout the shirt itself. This pattern is emphasized in the pleated front and adds an element of intrigue to the outfit.

Finishing things off, Bond wears a black satin batwing-shaped bow tie, skipping the cummerbund and pocket square for a clean and unfussy look.

This outfit is truly a Bond classic, being used in the 2005 video game From Russia With Love, and serving as the inspiration for the evening wear in 2015’s Spectre. Although, in our opinion, Connery wore it better.

Naturally, this look is one that makes perfect sense for James Bond, as he always seems to find himself in hot countries, and you, too, can certainly take some inspiration from this for some of your warm-weather occasions.

Outfit Rundown

Today, I’m wearing a black cotton wax jacket with a purple V-neck wool sweater, a white dress shirt, tan chinos, brown chukka boots, and Fort Belvedere socks in brown and orange stripes. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop for socks like these.

Which of these is your favorite James Bond look? Did we miss other iconic outfits here? Let us know in the comments section!