James Bond has a wardrobe to die for. There are Tom Ford power suits, sunshine-ready linen two-pieces from Brioni and super-tight rollneck knits that wouldnt go amiss in one of Alessandro Micheles Gucci campaigns. But its not just good men who know how to dress: over the years, the costume department have reminded us that bad men can dress dapperly too.
There have been 104 Bond villains since Dr No was released in 1962. Some have even had better wardrobes than 007 himself. While Bonds costume designers the team is currently led by Harry Potter mastermind Jany Temime and El Caminos Louise Frogley have found the best versions of a traditional wardrobe to kit out Craig et al, the 104 Bond villains are where the production team get to really let loose. Weve seen everything from gender-bending Jacques Bouvar to Skyfalls Raoul Silva, and in November well be treated to the parka-shrouded, masked mystique of Rami Malek.
We trawled the archives to find the Bond villains whose wardrobes wed steal in a heartbeat.
BFA / Alamy Stock Photo
In 1962 Joseph Wiseman graced screens as evil scientist Dr Julius No, the first on-screen Bond villain. The master of a Mandarin-collared Nehru jacket, Dr No served workwear realness long before it was hitting the runway. This sort of cut has a long history outside of just being la mode: these collars have been worn in the Slavic and Russian church and are mainstays in the uniforms of the USSR, US and British armies.
Wisemans No has also been the inspiration for a host of other films villains and not just Dr Evil in the Austin Powers series. As well as being replicated in the costume of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (first seen in From Russia With Love), anyone who has seen a Star Wars film will know that the Mandarin collar was the go-to for the sinister Empire officers.
The late Christopher Lee played Francisco Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun: an assassin who, you guessed it, is identifiable for his use of a golden gun. That said, it was his wardrobe, rather than his weapon, that has us interested. His wardrobe of ivory single-breasted suits, billowing Cuban collars and all-white loafers bests even the linen-clad Bond of Pierce Brosnans era in how to do summer in Catalonia.
Before Harry Styles and Ezra Miller, the gender-bending movers and shakers of this generation, there was Jacques Bouvar. Portrayed by stuntman Bob Simmons, Colonel Jacques Bouvar was an influential member of Spectre who goes bad. The French antagonist starred in 1965 James Bond film Thunderball and had a wardrobe that weve not had the like of in a 007 movie since (although George Lazenbys flamboyantly dressed Bond comes close). More men in fur hats and heels, if you please, Barbara Broccoli.
The druglord Dr Kananga, who appears in Live And Let Die and was portrayed by Yaphet Kotto, seriously gives Bond a run for his money when it comes to his suit collection. From his bright red and purple tailoring to his red shirt and white suit combo, everything about his wardrobe is bold, eye-catching and sharply tailored. He is the flashy dandy of the Bond franchise, with bronze-buttoned double-breasted suits, kick flares and wide lapels to rival those of Roger Moores 1970s Bond.
If Del Boy was to walk in a Thom Browne catwalk show, hed probably wear a look similar to Goldfingers. Dressed somewhere between a Peaky Blinders extra and a market trader down Peckhams weekend flea market, Gert Frbes iconic villain fused a preppy vibe with second-hand vintage. He runs the full sartorial gamut from silk suits to woollen golfing attire, but you can always be sure hell step out in a glorious gold, amber or honey.
Javier Bardems character Silva was put in clothes with as delicate a silhouette as the voice he used to play the villain, and both have just enough artful insanity to keep us intrigued. His Thom Sweeney cream silk jacket is slightly drawn in at the waist and features elegant, softly padded shoulders, while his olive-hued waistcoat and matching slacks have been tailored to fit perfectly. The most elegant Bond villain thus far? Wed be willing to bet yes.
From Craig to Connery: the best-dressed James Bond actors in 007 history
Daniel Craig: This is my last Bond movie. Ive kept my mouth shut before and regretted it
Five style lessons you can learn from Daniel Craig
The rest is here:
The six best-dressed Bond villains, from Dr No to Goldfinger - British GQ
- Christopher Lee Was Furious About This 'Lord of the Rings' Moment - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Airdate: The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - TV Tonight - April 2nd, 2024
- Christopher Lee's casual shorts and slippers outfit in Taiwan made heads turn - TODAY - March 16th, 2024
- Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 ... - February 19th, 2024
- "Chris wasn't hearing a bar of it": Christopher Lee Forcefully Auditioned For Another Lord of the Rings Character Before ... - FandomWire - February 11th, 2024
- 'Cancel everything': How Christopher Lee disciplines his son with this one phrase - Yahoo Singapore News - February 3rd, 2024
- Actress Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The Straits Times - February 3rd, 2024
- Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The New Paper - February 3rd, 2024
- Christopher Lee: The actor and hunter of Nazi war criminals - Far Out Magazine - January 9th, 2024
- Sir Christopher Lee's Favorite Performance is in a Film You've Never Heard Of - MovieWeb - December 12th, 2023
- Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 - The Guardian - April 27th, 2023
- Christopher Lee - Tolkien Gateway - March 31st, 2023
- Christopher Lee filmography - Wikipedia - February 10th, 2023
- Where to Start with Christopher Lee - The Film Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- 'Were you desperate to get proposed to?' Christopher Lee crashes Rebecca Lim's new show and roasts her while dishing out relationship advice - AsiaOne - October 19th, 2022
- The Wicker Man TV Series In Development With Andy Serkis The Imaginarium And Studiocanal-Backed Urban Myth - Deadline - October 19th, 2022
- Tim Burton names his five favourite horror movies of all time - Far Out Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- Ten celebrities who served in the military, from Adam Driver to Prince Harry - The National - October 19th, 2022
- These 13 Actors Have Earned the Right to be Called Scream Kings - Dread Central - October 19th, 2022
- David W. Smith | Obituaries | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online - October 19th, 2022
- Jennifer Hudson Recounts "Fanning Out" Over Duet With Sheryl Lee Ralph: "I Wanted to Make Her Proud" - POPSUGAR - October 19th, 2022
- Tangipahoa Parish Jail - October 11th, 2022
- A monster calls: why the horror universe is an idea whose time has come - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Oblong Box, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - October 11th, 2022
- Was that the balrog that killed Gandalf in the Rings of Power? - Polygon - October 11th, 2022
- Every James Bond movie ranked by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes - Insider - October 11th, 2022
- Overwatch 2: All Voice Actors And Cast - eXputer - October 11th, 2022
- She got Covid-19 four times this year alone - The Star Online - October 11th, 2022
- Nursing School Collaborates with Nursing School in The Philippines - Boston College - October 2nd, 2022
- The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: A beautiful conclusion to the iconic trilogy - The Shield - October 2nd, 2022
- Tyson Fury through the years: Photo gallery - MMA Junkie - October 2nd, 2022
- Duncan man jailed, accused of madness on meth - The Lawton Constitution - September 24th, 2022
- Conor McGregor "can't believe" he's being paid to film Hollywood movie - The Mirror - September 24th, 2022
- The Government of Malaysia Launches the National Energy Policy 2022 - 2040: What it Means for the Renewables Landscape - Lexology - September 24th, 2022
- New Brockton native Brandon Lee part of team cherishing NASCAR win at Bristol - Dothan Eagle - September 24th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater reviewers' thoughts on 2 scary plays and a comedy - Cape Cod Times - September 24th, 2022
- 'His presence is going to be there': Lee Roy Selmon will attend in spirit as trio of OU brothers honored with statue - The Oklahoma Daily - September 24th, 2022
- Nicolas Cage inspired by Christopher Lee for vampire movie Renfield - The Digital Fix - September 16th, 2022
- Reece Shearsmith Tells Richard Herring About Christopher Lee - Beyond The Joke - September 16th, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies So Awful They Were Pulled From The Cinema - WhatCulture - September 16th, 2022
- Man-Thing Makes his MCU Debut in Werewolf by Night - Here's what we know about Man-Thing - Attack of the Fanboy - September 16th, 2022
- Summer of Blood (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - September 16th, 2022
- Get it over with: Suspect in Kokomo child exploitation case tells police to arrest him on the spot - FOX 59 Indianapolis - September 16th, 2022
- Alabama says it won't be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 execution - USA TODAY - September 16th, 2022
- Christopher Lee, The Real-Life "Most Interesting Man In The World" - August 31st, 2022
- Inside The Fact And Fiction Of Christopher Lee's World War II Service - August 31st, 2022
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and the series in chronological order - Lifestyle Asia India - August 31st, 2022
- Court and arrest reports for Martinsville and Henry County - Martinsville Bulletin - August 31st, 2022
- Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked from Worst to Best - Consequence - August 31st, 2022
- Court lists defendants to appear in Criminal Division on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 31st, 2022
- Lee County School Board makes minor revision to Parents' Bill of Rights - Wink News - August 31st, 2022
- A Cardiologist Breaks Down the AHA's New Report on the Most Common Heart Disease Symptoms Best Life - Best Life - August 31st, 2022
- Exclusive Interview: Director Philippe Mora On His Films With Christopher Lee - FANGORIA - August 14th, 2022
- 10 films turning 10 in 2022 - NewsNation Now - August 14th, 2022
- Persephone and the Poultry of the Night | Thumper Forge - Patheos - August 14th, 2022
- Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper - August 14th, 2022
- Rings of Power: Everything you need to know about Amazon's 1bn Lord of the Rings prequel - The Mirror - August 14th, 2022
- Slash Tells Us Why There Will Never Be a Guns N Roses Movie - MovieMaker Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- On the record for Aug. 4 - Seymour Tribune - August 6th, 2022
- Judge Talley will hear criminal docket on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 6th, 2022
- Dr. Christopher Reber Receives ACCT 2022 Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award - The Hudson Reporter - August 6th, 2022
- Theatre Review: This 101 Dalmatians is barking up the wrong tree - The New European - August 6th, 2022
- Christopher Lee Euro Films, Dennis Hopper's 'Out of the Blue' Among Titles Due on Disc From Severin and MVD July 26 Media Play News - Media Play News - July 28th, 2022
- 25 Scariest Movies of All Time (2022 Edition) - Cultured Vultures - July 28th, 2022
- Fans Wonder Why a Fantasy Epic Too Big to Fail Did Just That - We Got This Covered - July 28th, 2022
- The Best Witch Movies of all Time, Ranked - The Mary Sue - July 28th, 2022
- NASCAR Driver Christopher Bell and CRAFTSMAN Raise Awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; No. 20 Special Edition Paint Scheme to be... - July 28th, 2022
- Singer Stefanie Sun turns 44 with cakes and loved ones - The Straits Times - July 28th, 2022
- Tony Dow dead: Wally Cleaver 'Leave It to Beaver' actor was 77 - USA TODAY - July 28th, 2022
- Roane Co. authorities looking for man convicted of neglecting and murdering an elderly relative - WBIR.com - July 20th, 2022
- 22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee - July 20th, 2022
- Police and Fire Report - Winchester Sun - Winchester Sun - July 20th, 2022
- What We Do in the Shadows cast shares their favorite vampire movies, books, and more - Polygon - July 20th, 2022
- Courteney Cox Set To Make Horror Movie History With 'Scream 6' - We Got This Covered - July 20th, 2022
- Every James Bond Movie, Ranked: The Best of Bond - CNET - July 20th, 2022
- Grandparents of Dean Kerrie say he was just defending his mother and should not be jailed - Sunday World - July 20th, 2022
- Ray Wise Has Always Been More Than "That Guy" - Defector - July 20th, 2022
- Angela Ledgerwood on the Psychic Relief of Reading - Literary Hub - July 20th, 2022
- Athens man charged with manslaughter in fatal hit and run - News Courier - July 12th, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero