In his fifth film as Bond, Roger Moore, the longest serving Bond, travels to Greece to retrieve spy equipment. Amidst the gorgeous scenery, he gets help from Carole Bouquet, who seeks revenge on the villain who’s trying to steal the equipment as well. It’s one of my favorite Bond films for those two reasons, the scenes and the costar. It can also be great inspiration for style this summer.
After a short sequence showing Bond visit the grave of Theresa Bond, his wife from OHMSS who’s murdered by SPECTRE, the real plot begins on the St. Georges of Valetta, a British spy ship. It contains ATAC, a typewriter-looking device used to communicate with missile subs. Check out the officer’s white shirt. Expect to see more like it in casual wear this fall as military-influenced clothing picks up steam.
This is a military style that hopefully won’t catch on. Keep your collars to yourself. The man is supposed to detonate ATAC when the St. George sinks. The race to retrieve ATAC commences the plot.
The Havelock clan. The father, sporting a laid-back sailor look with a rough oxford and jeans, (love the belt) is trying to find ATAC. That is, until he and his wife are gunned down. His daughter Melina vows revenge. (Melina means Honey in Greek, a reference to the 1st Bond girl)
The man who payed to have the Havelocks killed. I’m not sure what’s going on with his suit jacket; it appears to be double breasted with a notch lapel, though it features a very odd arrangement of buttons: “Four on four,” which means four buttons on the jacket, four buttons that are supposed to be buttoned. The more common styles, “four on six” or “two on four” leave two buttons on the top, wider apart than the other buttons, that shouldn’t be buttoned.
Hey, it’s James Bond! Surely there’s no risk in letting him live, right? Bond, and his capturer to the right, are how you wear business casual in the summer. I don’t know if khaki suit is linen or cotton; but, either way, it beats the heat.
I would like to take this opportunity to point out that Moore’s collar sticks out too much in the back. It should show, at most, half an inch. There, I corrected Bond’s style. Never thought I’d be able to do that!
Before he meets up with Kristatos, who, though he doesn’t know it, is behind the murder of Melina’s parents and after ATAC, Bond strolls through Corfu, Greece. This, unlike the previous picture, is how you pull off a double-breasted jacket. And no navy blazer is complete without nautical buttons…Fitting, considering Bond’s background.
The trademark casino scene. This one features two of the most oddest neckwear ever to grace a 007 film: A 19th century style cravat, on the left, and an enormous bow tie, on the right. Typically that bow tie style would be called “the butterfly,” though its size prompts me to label it “the pigeon.”
Turns out, the guy Kristatos blamed Melina’s parents’ death on is a good guy. Meet Milos Colombo (played by Oscar winner Chaim Potol), Greek smuggler and Kristatos’ rival. White pants? Check. White belt? Check. Double-breasted jacket with brass buttons? Check. This is a nautical outfit. And what better pose than bringing alcohol?
Ivy Style wrote last week about yellow oxfords – underrated, underworn, and quite difficult to pull off without a tan. Luckily, that’s not a problem for a man on a boat.
Ok…there was really no way I could NOT include a screen of Q dressed as a priest.
In the rare moment that Bond isn’t sporting his Rolex Submariner (1962-1989) or Omega Seamaster (1995-present), he’s got a gadget on his wrist. The Seiko H357, as profiled on the website Bond Lifestyle, can be purchased here. Bond hands the watch to a parrot, who masquerades as Bond to PM Thatcher as Bond skinny dips with Melina.
A fitting end to a Bond movie dominated by summer and nautical influences. If you’re looking for attire to wear to the beach, or to Greece, consider For Your Eyes Only. This is one of my favorite Bond films, partly because of the Melina, whose emotional attachment to the plot and mature demeanor work perfectly with the aging Moore.
All photos taken from DVD, courtesy United Artists.
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