With the much-anticipated new James Bond film, No Time To Die, about to reach our silver screens, sales of shoes worn by the MI6 agent are likely to soar. James Bond is an interesting character to emulate, as one minute he will be base jumping to catch a villain before heading into the office in a sharp suit and then changing into black tie to schmooze with his latest love interest. This means there are plenty of shoe changes for the wardrobe department to manage. Let’s break it down.
Action scenes:
Daniel Craig’s version of the most famous 00 agent is a fan of the chukka boot. You can spot these in the No Time To Die trailer, as he hits the accelerator to spin his long-suffering Aston Martin to shoot at the pursuers circling him. The wardrobe department opted for a brown moccasin-toe version of the chukka for No Time To Die. You can get a slightly more contemporary look with a square, chiselled toe in our Heath style. For something a little more rough and ready, we can offer you the Canterbury in three colours if brown is not your thing. This style also has a rubber sole. James Bond loves a rubber sole. The man needs the grip!
At HQ and eveningwear:
Bond favours a super-sleek Derby when his feet are more firmly on the ground. Again, he prefers a rubber sole in case he is called into action. A Derby, also known as a Blucher or Gibson, is defined by the way the lacing and eyelets close the shoe. The closing panels are sewn on top of the vamp giving the shoe a more solid appearance and more room for the higher instep than a classic Oxford.
The Derby is often confused with the Oxford, as some versions can look similar atfirst glance. However, where the Oxford is considered formal, the Derby is a more versatile choice of footwear that can be dressed up and down. Perfect for the shaken-not-stirred lifestyle of our action hero.
Herring stocks some truly rugged Derby shoes but we feel James Bond would be happier in our Carroll style – but only when running and jumping is not required as these have leather soles. The Epping has a half-leather half-rubber sole while the Franco is all rubber. Naturally, they all come in black!
For the evening, Barker has polished or high-shine Derbys – see the Newbury and the Rutherford – while Loake offer Neo. In keeping with the essential Britishness of Bond, all three are made in the UK.
While I am excited for the new film, there was some decent footwear in the films and Bonds of yesteryear. The double monk boot, for instance, featured in Skyfall. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond was a fan of the brogue while Roger Moore wore penny loafers in his three 1980s films. Ian Fleming did specify what his leading man wore in his books. In Moonraker, he described Bond’s footwear as “well-polished black moccasin shoes” AKA the loafer. They were a key look for all the early Bonds be they tasselled, horse-bit or Venetian. Timothy Dalton even treated us to slip-on dress shoes in The Living Daylights.
The first Bond, and for many the main man, Sean Connery sported many different styles from espadrilles to a two-tone dress shoe that resembled a bowling shoe in You Only Live Twice. Frankly, he could have worn a feathered mule and pulled it off!
For more recent times though, Daniel Craig’s Bond is all about the chukka boot teamed with chinos and a short-sleeved linen or cotton shirt, and the Derby worn with a well-cut suit. Compare Connery to Craig and the clothes have not changed so much – both Bonds wore their clothes with ease – but the shoes have moved on.
