Why I Love James Bond

Ian Fleming was an average looking man with an ordinary physique. What he lacked physically he made up for with exceptional intelligence, wit, taste and talent for storytelling. From a privileged upbringing, he became a British naval intelligence officer (though not with assignments as intense as a 00 agent’s) and then a journalist. When he created the character of James Bond for his first novel (Casino Royale, 1953), Fleming essentially created an idealized version of himself: the man every women wanted to be with and every man wanted to be.

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Jim Cutler’s Navy Blue Trench Coat

Several weeks ago, my friend Kelly sent me a link to an online auction of costumes and props from Mad Men. There were literally hundreds of items ranging from tchotchkes from various sets on the show to actual clothes that the actors wore. I didn’t really need reprints of period magazines or wall hangings from Sally Draper’s bedroom, but a great piece of clothing or an accessory would be fabulous. (Though an SCDP coffee mug would have been sensational.)

I wouldn’t be interested in just anything from the show just for the sake of having something from the show. It had to be something good, something that fit, something I could actually wear and something I could afford.

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My First Suitsupply Experience

For years, I had been hearing great things about Suitsupply, the Dutch purveyor of well-made suits, clothing and accessories founded in 2000. Handsome suits with full-canvas construction, functional sleeve buttons and a very approachable price point are a very appealing idea. I had visited the website often and stopped into each of their New York stores a few times but had yet to pull the trigger on a suit until recently. I’ve been content with the suits I already own so I didn’t see the need for a new one. The ones I have fit me well, admittedly I have needed to get a few alterations in Scottsdale but that just made me more content with the fit of them. I just decided that I might as well add another suit to my collection if it’s reasonably priced.

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A Killer Deal on 007’s Conduit Cut from Anthony Sinclair

When bespoke tailor Anthony Sinclair set up shop on Conduit Street in Mayfair, London, he created a signature cut of a suit characterized by a natural shoulder, a roped sleeve head, a suppressed waist and a slightly flared skirt. The design became known as the Conduit Cut.

Terence Young, the director of Dr. No (1962), was a client of Sinclair and introduced the tailor to the man who would become the template for James Bond. Sinclair continued to make all of Sean Connery’s suits throughout his original six-film tenure as 007.

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The True Cost of Fashion Gluttony

Have you guys seen the documentary The True Cost? It’s on Netflix. I watched it last night.

The film vividly highlights the global effects of a fashion industry on meth – an industry that pushes fast fashion with a furious fervor for more: more clothes, more stores, more stuff, more profits. Though it is often repetitive and redundant in making its point, the film’s point is an inconvenient and albeit important one.

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