If someone asks you, “who embodies men’s style?”, James Bond should top the list. Because, when it comes to conservative, well-tailored clothing, “nobody does it better.”
Since I enjoy the Bond movies so very much, I’d thought I’d start a series of pseudo-reviews of Bond movies. I’ll dwell primarily on the style of each one. When it comes to Bond, there’s no better movie to start with than the original, Dr. No.
The first scene of the movie, gambling, soon becomes a trademark of Bond movies. He arrives in a tux, wins a hand of poker, beats a villain or a Bond girl, then leaves, possibly with the later.
Ursala Andress typically steals the attention in the beach scenes, but I’d like to highlight Connery’s polo – look how it fits. A polo should fit snug. The sleeves only go halfway down his arm. Moreover, check out his rolled pants. Practical for the beach, yes. Nowadays, perfectly appropriate for the street. Tom Ford-esque, forty years before Ford designed Bond’s suits.
Dr. No, the first Bond villain, sports a Nehru jacket. After all, he is half Chinese. (half German)
Felix Leiter, perennial Bond ally and CIA operative’s suit in Dr. No lacks Bond’s tailored fit. I highlight him because of his shades – it would take a lot of guts for a modern man to pull off cat eye glasses.
Dr. No introduces Bond trademarks – the villain, gambling, the Bond girl, Moneypenny. Though the film is short on gadgets, Bond makes do, attaching a single hair to his closet door to track intruders. Unlike later Bond movies, it’s not derailed by ridiculous villains, unbelievable plots or unnecessary allies. It’s as close to a perfect Bond movie as you can get, IMO. It tops my list.
Casino and Ursala Andress photo credit: IMDB
Dr. No photo credit: NY Daily News
Felix Leiter photo credit: davidtyson.com
