As Burj Khalifa celebrates the 50th anniversary of the launch of James Bond franchise with an array of dazzling exhibitions and experiences, including Scaramanga’s Golden Gun from The Man with the Golden Gun, Daniel Craig’s wardrobe from Casino Royale, and the Spectre Aston Martin DB10, it seems fitting to look at the world of James Bond and his timeless style, which made its debut in Dr No.
Over the past decades, the world’s most famous secret agent has consistently been one of the most stylish fictional characters on screen. Here we go back to the beginning, where it all started, and understand how Dr. No established the hallmarks of the franchise, together with looking at the brands which have been key to his elegant style in recent films.
Fashion
James Bond is a man who has created his own style, one that’s outside fashion, which is why he always looks timeless. Key to this elegance is choosing classics, paring things back, and keeping things simple. From Sean Connery’s Anthony Sinclair suits, worn by the Scotsman for every Bond film from Dr. No, to Diamonds Are Forever, to Pierce Brosnan’s appearances in Brioni, Bond has always been defined by his tailoring. But while tradition-steeped British and Italian tailoring houses have outfitted 007 for the bulk of his career, 2008’s reboot of the brand, Quantum of Solace, saw Tom Ford take the reins, and he hasn’t put a foot wrong. For Spectre, the American designer raised the bar once again with some superbly sharp suiting, most notably putting Bond in his first off-white evening jacket since Sean Connery wore one in Goldfinger.
Cars
The Aston Martin DB5, encapsulates what Bond and cars is about, and has become one of the most famous cars in the world thanks to Oscar-winning special effects expert John Stears, who created the deadly silver-birch DB5 for use by James Bond in Goldfinger. The DB5 model subsequently starred in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Skyfall, and with a left-hand drive and Bahamian number plates in Casino Royale. It is seen again in Spectre, firstly in Q’s underground workshop in various stages of rebuild, and at the film’s ending, fully rebuilt, with Bond driving away with it. Bond films did the most with cars, they made them platforms for spectacular things, for gadgets and action.
Soundtrack
James Bond movie theme songs are the cinematic equivalents of paperback book-series covers, they suggest familiarity and course with the promise of a compelling new adventure. Bond’s first big screen adventure, 1962’s, Dr. No had no precedent to follow, and therefore no need for a title theme tune that would come to define the franchise, instead opting for a gentle calypso medley. By the time the franchise’s third film was released two years later, Shirley Bassey roared Goldfinger over the credits. Each Bond gets the themes he deserves, from the smooth and impenetrable tunes of the Connery era to the radio-ready offerings from the Daniel Craig years, as muscular and wounded as his iteration of the legendary spy.
Leading Lady
Honey Rider is the first Bond girl and still the most notorious after she emerged from the sea, wearing probably the most famous swimwear in cinema. Compared to her successors, Honey is actually a little underpowered, and doesn’t appear until halfway through the film, although remains as one of the most iconic of Bond’s ladies.
By Eliza Scarborough
