Six pieces from Sean Connery's James Bond wardrobe that you should add to your own

By Jessie Atkinson

You have only to think about the menswear in Sean Connery's first four films as James Bond to recognise that a pleated pant leg, capacious cocktail shirt sleeve and pair of braces are a timeless look for any decade. Dr. No hit cinemas in the autumn of 1962, yet styles of the ‘50s featured prominently across Connery's many wardrobe changes, both casual and formal. Come his fourth film as the gentleman spy — 1965's Thunderball — and 007's menswear staples were melding beautifully with the contemporary.

What does all of this tell us? If you're going to crib some style inspiration from any Bond, there's no better place to start than with the GOAT. Since no man should be without a towelling onesie in 2023, here are the six style moves to steal from Sean Connery's 007…

Six decades might have passed since Dr. No's release, but we're still swooning over Bond's sharp jackets, unbuttoned cuffs and silky camp collars. Tailor Anthony Sinclair was the craftsman behind some of these early looks, and while you can still visit his shop on Montagu Square in central London, you can just as easily take your new purchases to your local tailor for small hem and waist tweaks on a budget.

You don't need to be strapped into a jetpack to win some sartorial approval with a pair of tapered, pleat-front trousers. While you can wear yours jacketless with a cocktail shirt in pale blue, that '50s pedigree will still peek through even should you choose a soft band T-shirt and Converse to wear with yours. Just be sure to keep those trousers pressed.

Adding visible braces to a classic two-piece will bring a dash of mid-century élan to any modern suiting situation, and they're an adept stand-in for a gun holster. We need only look to another Bond, Daniel Craig, and his recent turn as Knives Out's Benoit Blanc to see how fantastic suspenders can look as the focal point of a tailored look. Avoid bold colours and pinstripes to swerve comparisons to comic book mob bosses: the aim here is to add an unusual but light touch through narrower braces with hardware flourishes.

A narrow suit and tie combination was favoured by Paul McCartney sixty years ago, Pete Doherty a decade past and Travis Barker today. To avoid the look of a latter-day Libertine and lean into Sean Connery's From Russia With Love 'fit, avoid a pork pie hat at all costs and instead take notes from the slim-fit tailoring with a narrow tie to boot. For an added touch of class, consider investing in the model "Orient" suitcase from the original accessory designer Globe-Trotter. For Bond purists, very few purchases are quite as spectacular.

A man of leisure as much as he was international espionage, Connery earned his title as the most stylish Bond of all time thanks in large part to a Cuban collar, towelling robes donated to him by villainous aesthetes and shorts as short as he could get them. To exude the louche lounge chic of Thunderball yourself, Percival and Reiss have you covered with a few decent elegant options: navy if you’re wanting to go smart, pastel pink or blue if you’re keen on playing on traditional ideas of masculinity as Connery did. For running down the beach in style, be sure to do so in canvas plimsolls à la Toms (£50).

What is Bond without a tuxedo? As the first to wear it, Connery had a lot to prove, and indeed, no 007 has lived up to that initial cut since. For the ‘60s Bond with the ‘50s pedigree, choose a shawl lapel in a contrasting satin texture, a single-breasting that mirrors the military insinuation of the character – Mr. P has given us a more affordable dupe in the form of the virgin wool two-piece below. Add a narrow, self-tie bow tie rather than the pillowy kind that would become popular in the 1970s to truly relive Dr. No's casino-based hijinx.

By Hannah-Rose Yee

By Finlay Renwick

By Murray Clark

And so we come to the inevitable: the towelling onesie moment in Goldfinger. If you're keen on leaning into camp, tipping your (Lock & Co.) hat to cinema history or, like Sean Connery, inverting masculinity, then head to Orlebar Brown. The high-end lounge and swimwear brand has once again created an imitation of the hardware-detail romper Bond wears at the Miami hotel where he first meets Goldfinger. Heading to Florida on holiday this year? It might be the perfect time to deploy this piece of cinema history.

NOW READ

24 suave essentials to help you live like Bond, James Bond

Is John Wick coming for James Bond? A suiting investigation

Ten pieces from Harry Styles' wardrobe that you can (and should) add to your own