If 007 could fight in one, surely guys can suit up for a Zoom call
If lockdown has finally consigned the suit to the wardrobe of history as men move towards a kind of perma-casualwear, it’ll be a tragedy.
If James Bond can keep his suit jacket on for a fight, I see no reason why men should not retain a sense of style through a pandemic.
The hoodie and trackpant combo is fine for exercise or for working on a building site, but let’s not have chaps looking like this all the time. I know it’s comfortable and that women are getting away with “luxe loungewear” that could sometimes be mistaken for an outfit suitable for operating a cement mixer in…but, come on lads, let’s not let standards slip.
May I suggest that re-watching Bond films with an eye on the sartorial details is a fine activity for now? Start with Sean Connery who set the style for future Bonds.
Terence Young, the director of
Dr No, From Russia With Love and Thunderball is said to have told Connery to sleep in his suits so that he would feel comfortable in them.
That’s a stretch too far for most men but a well-cut suit will flatter your physique like nothing else. The perfect-fit jacket should not be too relaxed, nor should it be so tight you couldn’t conceal a shoulder holster with a gun. Trousers should give you enough room to sit down or perform other Bond-like movements without splitting them. I’m sure getting up from the sofa to go to the fridge would be possible, for example.
Bond never follows trends, preferring classic traditional style. The single-breasted, two-button jacket is generally what he goes for, worn with flat or pleat front trousers, in muted colours. For evening it’s always a tuxedo, in black or midnight and occasionally ivory, with bow tie.
Basically, you can’t go wrong with these looks. So why not give it a try? Next time you pop to the shop for the Sunday papers, don your finest suit.
As the tailors in The Fast Show would say, “Oooh, suit you, sir.”