Casino Royale on a budget - Part 1

I can only imagine the look of horror on the manager that approves Bond's expense account. Travel, food and gambling aside his clothes and accessories alone would have warranted him getting terminated from any known corporation. 

Most of us do not have an unlimited stipend for a Bond lifestyle so we often have to compromise and that is what this article is about.
Let me be perfectly clear up front that that this is not an article about how to find the correct shirt, suit or sunglasses from Casino Royale because God knows we have all done our research and paid way too much money for the exact brands used in the movie (ok, if that sounded like a confession it is) and there are dozens of threads on the subject. This is a description of how anyone, with a very modest budget, can look the part of Bond as he did in Casino Royale. For organization sake I have divided the article into some of the scenes that I feel hi-lite the more memorable clothes and accessories of the movie. This is not the definitive article on the subject and I always love to hear from people their experiences on the compromise many of us face in living like Bond.

Black and White Scene

It was only through a behind the scene source and some good clear pics that we were able to determine that Bond is in fact wearing a NAVY Pea Coat. Under the pea coat is a zippered chunky black zip up sweater and then under that seems to be one or two layers of long sleeve Ts. Let's work backwards. For the long sleeve T's one can quite easily go to Target and get their Athletic Cut Champion T-shirts which come in 17 different colors and go for $16.99 (www.target.com). I would go with a black and a dark grey charcoal. Before you leave target grab a pair of Mossimo black slim fit dress pants for $17.99. Banana Republic has wonderful chunky zip sweaters that replicate the sweeping collar look of the one in the movie. Expect to pay about $65 for this in black. A lesser quality but more affordable version also exists at the GAP.
Next go to http://www.usnavypeacoat.com/Navy_Pea_Coat_s/1.htm to purchase your fitted Navy pea coat which will contrast nicely with your black zip up. This is a relatively high quality pea coat so alternatives do exist on EBay for around $50. Make sure you do not go smaller than your size as these typically fit snug and you have MANY layers to fit under this coat. So for about $175 you can not only earn your 00 rank, but you can look good doing it.

Bathroom Fight

There are two schools of thought with what Bond wears in this scene. Some say it was a cashmere wool blended suit and some say Mohair. If you go tohttp://www.baronboutique.com/men_2.htm you will find a company that makes custom made suits for about $300. The luxury cashmere suit in navy blue looks very close to the one in this scene and even better you can have it made to your exact size. From order to delivery takes about three weeks and the cashmere fabric will be among your favorite. Pair this with a linen shirt from the same web site in a light blue, which will set you back about $50, again custom made to your measurements! If there is a DSW by you race to it right now. Go ahead, I will wait. In the clearance section right now are brown suede Hush Puppy Chukka boots that replicate his boots more than adequately. On clearance they are $26. The DSW I went to had MANY sizes left. You will have to provide the toilet water yourself.

Madagascar Chase

Have fun finding the tropical shirt. eBay is chock full of them and it could take years to search through all of them. Don't get the thick ones and if you can get it in a silk all the better... expect to pay about $20-$35. You want it to be a cream or beige based shirt with floral in reds or deep oranges. The grey shirt underneath you can find a fitted one at Banana Republic for $6.99. However, the one out there that is MOST like the Sunspel grey shirt is the Champion 96% Poly and 4% Spandex shirt that can be found in target by the underwear and pajama area. Get the light grey one and you will likely never wear anything else. The grey linen pants can be purchased at H&M for $14.99 and even have the slightly flared bottoms like the ones in the movie.

Bahamas Arrival

The grey suit Bond wears, and then later wears the pants, has to be linen! Inexpensive linen suits can be purchased from Baron Boutique (see above link) or if you want to go very inexpensive this company in Hong Kong will send you a grey suit that looks the part for about $69. The fitted shirt at this link, I have found, looks close enough to the one in the movie to fool most. Look up seller Milimoo on eBay and look at their short sleeved fitted white shirt. It has all the epaulettes, bicep detail and the collar matches very well. If you can't afford the Persol sunglasses to go with this look there are look alikes on eBay and most malls. Try to get them in Gunmetal with Brown lenses if possible and the bridge over the nose should be a windowed bridge.

Miami Airport

Use that wonderful grey t-shirt from Target or Banana Republic again and pair it with a black leather jacket. Be picky with the leather jacket. Make sure yours has the major details on it:
- Wool drape collar
- Pockets on breast area
- Jacket should fall just below waist line
- Should be fitted and not too loose.

To date I have not found an acceptable jacket that comes close to the $4000 Armani one in the movie. Big pat on the back for the person that does find a suitable substitute. The closest I found is pictured below: a Nylon jacket with wool collar that has good fitted form but just isn't quite there. It was purchased at H&M for $35.

Bahamas Return

Sunspel does the pocket blue polo for such a reasonable price I hesitate to even recommend a lesser shirt. That being said the polo is still over $100. A nice compromise is the LL Beanslim fit pocket navy polo. Make sure you get a size smaller than you would normally take to get that fitted look. The chino pants in this scene can be slim fitted although they do have a bit of a flare at the bottom. A nice pair of these can be purchased at H&M for $17.99 or from Hollister for a bit more. Even the GAP had acceptable pants and this was a good source for the leather sandals he wears. Want to go EXTRA economy, get your sandals and pants at Old Navy for $25 combined. This entire outfit could cost as little as $38! With those savings you can splurge and get yourself the correct Persol sunglasses.

Casino Royale

Tuxedo packages exist for under $100. Are you going to get Brioni for that? Clearly not but for the quick Bond fix on a very fixed budget $120 can get you:
Satin lapels, Single-breasted, Double besom pockets, Satin covered buttons, 100% standard worsted wool ... matching trousers (w/ adjustable waist) are double-pleated with standard satin stripe down each outer leg. Trousers are shipped unhemmed.

SHIRT: Choose from (4) styles
TIE/CUMMERBUND SET: Choose from (50) colors
JEWELRY SET: Choose from (2) sets
1st FREE BONUS: WHITE SATIN POCKET SQUARE: Included with package
2nd FREE BONUS: DELUXE GARMENT BAG: Included with package
3rd FREE BONUS: EXTRA JEWELRY SET: Choose from (2) styles
The best of many sites that have these packages is www.uniformalwearhouse.com. Make sure you spend an extra $17 for white suspenders to get a little closer to that Casino Royale look. 

Venice Chase

Old Navy has a very nice sueded polo for $8.99. If you normally wear a large you should order a small to achieve the right fit but the fit is rather good. The shame here is I wish the shirt was a lighter blue because it should contrast with the navy pants he wears. A better choice might be the blue mist or mid blue Double L long sleeved polos that can be purchased from LL Bean. The colors are better but remember to get a size smaller to get a more fitted look since LL Bean cuts too generously. This shirt will set you back $22.50. Head back to Target to get slim fit navy pants for $16.99 and pair those with those brown Hush Puppy boots you purchased, grey t-shirt and viola! You have an outfit for only $30.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming in next week. Topics will be:
M's Apartment
Bahamas Gambling
Boat Scene
Train Travel
Last Scene
Vesper Wear
Bad Guy Wear
Accessories 

© 2007 David Zaritsky - www.freewebs.com/zaritsky/