Wellcultured - Well Cultured is a men’s online magazine with advice and reviews on fashion, dating, finances, health, music, movies and many other topics, as well as a robust message board and the Well Cultured Guide, a freely editable community wiki.

I occasionally wish I was a super-rich magazine writer that had a business account. That way, I could excuse virtually anything I did on “writing topics”- watching movies, going to shows, drinking exorbitant amounts at fancy bars, going to random foreign countries “just because”- the works. That isn’t happening (owning the place you write for negates the fun of handling the money), but recently I took the time to go see the new Bond film everyone is talking about- Quantum of Solace- and try to see what all of the self-proclaimed fashionistas on the internet are raving about.

The Movie

Quantum of Solace, as you more than likely already know, is the sequel to Casino Royale, the first in the new line of Bond films starring Daniel Craig, the guy most people know for starring opposite of Angelina Jolie in the absolutely horrible Lara Croft: Tomb Raider flick. The movie is essentially about Bond going somewhat (if not all the way) solo as he rages over the death of Vesper Lind (Eva Green) and fights to stop the wannabe environmentalist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) from taking over the water supply of Bolivia. If this sounds like one of the most boring James Bond plots yet, you are entirely correct.

The first thing noticeable about the new Bond movies is that Daniel Craig has been outfitted in oldschool British tailoring, as opposed to his predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, who wore Italian cut suits (which were sometimes a bit ridiculous, admittedly). The big name in this new movie is Tom Ford, who did the design for Craig’s suits, glasses, and pretty much everything but his underwear- so you know it’s going to be stylish.

The “main uniform” of James Bond- the black suit- is back and better than ever. Well tailored and with a clear English cut (three pockets, two buttons, very tight tailoring)- it’s all essentially perfect. The lapels are relatively narrow (As are the shoulders, or as narrow as they can  get), but the waist is taken in very tightly, which gives the “skirt” part of the jacket a little bit of move. There are no belts whatsoever. The suit is apparently also made with old school mohair tonic fabric- an old 60s fabric that apparently was used to give a more “classic” look, reminiscing back to the Sean Connery days of James Bond.

Craig’s suit is not accented with much other than what you might expect- a pocket square and a nice crisp french cuff shirt with cufflinks. Nothing ostentatious at all- hell, even the ties are rather demure. The key theme of the new James Bond via Tom Ford seems to be keeping it low-key- and thus classy. This isn’t surprising, considering this seems to be a recurring theme nowadays- but it’s interesting to see James Bond, formerly known for heavy italian suits and big watches (and even bigger cell phones) now keeping it minimal.

Bond does change out of the standard black suit, which begins to show the real versatility of the costume designer, Louise Frogley. Bond is also seen in a nice full length double breasted topcoat with the lapels popped (or some form of long black coat, I was barely able to make out what it was), a rather large padded bomber of some sort, and even a dark blue polo with jeans.

One of the most notable changes to Bond’s wardrobe are the sunglasses, newly designed by Tom Ford. With a strange bridge bar running from both lenses and slightly turned eye drop style lenses, the silver aviators are anything but traditional. By all means, I personally liked the design, but even on Craig they seemed ever so slightly stupid looking. Too bad.

Overall, Quantum of Solace costume designer Louise Frogley did an incredible job doing what she did- and while the Tom Ford glasses were a bit strange, I felt that the movie all together did a very good job getting the “James Bond Feeling”- something the movie itself, outside of the fashion, kinda failed at doing. I’m still somewhat angry that not only did Bond not use a single useful gadget, but he also seemed to forget to visit Q, or do anything else useful other than go Peter-Parker-in-Spiderman 3 emo. But whatever.

So, what lessons can we learn from Quantum of Solace?

First, go without the belt. I know I’ve advised against it before, but it seems that it’s finally picking up in pop culture enough to go with it safely. Sure, it’s been the “correct” way to wear suits for quite some time, but I think it’s finally time for a miniature belt-less revolution.

Second off, keep it simple, stupid. Bond is dressed simply for a reason- minimalism is the new maximalism. Go understated, clean, and stylish, and you will always win.

Third off, ties that match your eyes are always good. Craig dons a gray-blue tie that matches his eyes, and you could do very well matching that. For brown eyes, a brown tie may be a bit silly, but a black tie could never hurt.

Finally, no-one can stress the importance of arm candy. Get one or two hot women and have them walk around you periodically. You will always look better.

How to Get the Look

The “Bond Suit”

• A Black Suit with a slight sheen (be it legitimate mohair tonic fabric or not)
• A crisp white french cuff (not barrel cuff) shirt
• A white handkerchief for a pocket square
• A gray-blue, gray, or light tan tie
• Black Oxfords(?)
• Simple metal cufflinks

Yep, that’s it. No belt, no tie clip, no expensive jewelry- nothing. The key here is all in the tailoring. Daniel Craig’s suit is so damned amazing because it is tailored incredibly well- tight in the stomach, slightly (but not too) loose in the coat skirt, and so well tailored in the pants that it needs neither belt nor pleats. If you want this kind of suit, it doesn’t matter too much what you buy so much as where you get it tailored- so start hunting for a good tailor.

The Tuxedo

• Peak Lapel Black Tuxedo
• Crisp white Tuxedo shirt (Or a standard white french cuff shirt, I can’t tell which he wears)
• Black bowtie
• Black Oxfords(?)
• Simple metal cufflinks

Again, very damned simple. The tailoring is the same as the “Bond Suit” above- it’s all about making it fit perfectly, so no matter where you get a tuxedo, you’re essentially forced to rely on the skill of your tailor to make this look right. Unfortunate, but true.

The Polo

• Dark blue fitted polo
• Dark wash jeans (Straight leg?)
• Tan leather (suede?)
• Aviator Sunglasses

Chances are, you probably have one or two of the above in your own wardrobe. This isn’t a very “James Bond” outfit, but it still can be rocked fairly easily.

James Bond is the man. No, I’m not just saying it to be funny- I’m serious. The original Sean Connery James Bond (and to some small degree, the Pierce Brosnan James Bond) was a freaking awesome man, and an example of what lots of secretly want to be. Think about it: James Bond does nothing but kick ass, woo hot women, and play with gadgets that, for the time, are beyond what anyone can get anywhere in the world. But what makes James Bond so suave and attractive to women, and what makes him so masculine in his job? Believe it or not, James Bond is just following all the right rules.

Tao Rule 1: Don’t show off, let your actions speak for themselves and be confident with them.

Have you ever seen James Bond (in any of the good movies, rather) show off? nope. There’s a reason for this: showing off is stupid. James Bond never had to run around screaming “I’M A GOOD LOOKING SUAVE GUY!”- because he naturally had that going for him without explicitly stating it. James Bond never needed to flash his cash or drive fancy cars to get laid (he did so because they had rockets), he just exuded a confident, sleek attitude. James Bond never broke down or second guessed himself, even if he screwed up big time- he kept moving and moved efficiently. Sure, Bond knew when to quit and when to stop and re-think things, but he also didn’t require a helping hand or emotional counselor to do them. Bond is the kind of guy who can walk into a room and let everyone know he’s in charge- and he doesn’t have to do it by doing a backflip or wearing flamboyant clothing.

Tao Rule 2: Dress well, all the time.

Have you ever seen James Bond in anything less than the period’s best clothing?

Shit no. I mean, he did have that god awful swimsuit in Goldfinger, but even that was timely. James Bond wore clothing that fit the mood, and he did so in a way that fit his body and made him look like he knew what he was doing at any given time. Bond never felt the need to overdress or under dress- he was well aware of what fit the situation, even when disguised. Sure, this speaks more about the movies’ costume director more than anything, but it still shows you what you should aim for.

Oh, and for the record, go watch the Bond movies and check out Bond’s body (minus the new Casino Royale). Notice how he’s not a ripped bodybuilder, yet women (Both in the movie and WATCHING the movie) still want him? Personality really does matter- shit, Sean Connery was really hairy and stocky, and he still did well. Then again, it’s freaking Sean Connery. He could have worn a huge pimp fedora and still gotten thousands of women.

Tao Rule 3: Picking up women doesn’t involve the words “hey baby”

Except for the one movie where Sean Connery slaps the woman’s ass (or the various other misogynistic crap in the movies), have you ever seen Bond run around with select pickup lines or anything else? Of course not- and that’s not how he got attention. At no point in the movies do you hear retarded pickup lines like “do you come here often?”- you hear him fit something to the situation and genuinely talk. Now, admittedly, a lot of the lines in the movies are patent retarded and corny, but it still shows you that even the corniest movies stray from pickup lines, as well you should. Referring to women as “Pussy Galore” is also not recommended.

Tao Rule 4: Never use a huge gun when a small one will do.

This is more of a general concept, but watch the movies- do you ever see Bond with a Desert Eagle or some other variation of a hand cannon? Hell no. For the earlier movies (if I recall correctly), Bond ran around with a small caliber Baretta, and only in the new movies did he switch to the (even smaller) Walther PPK. Except for the “shit’s really hit the fan” scenes, at no point did Bond ever whip out a huge weapon or overdo a job- he had exactly what he needed, and kept it restrained. You know, except when it comes to cars, in which he has a notoriously shitty track record.

The moral of this? Don’t overdo stuff. Sure, it’s good to work hard at Work, but there are some times when a good old fashioned signature will do much better than a PGP encrypted e-mail with a digital version of your signature in a .svg format file will do. Employers want to see you work hard, but going overboard can make you look incredibly stupid (or make you look like you have too much time on your hands). This is even more true in relationships: going overboard will scare girls, rather than get the effect you want. There’s a beauty to simplicity.

Tao Rule 5: Know what you’re doing and don’t stop if it gets hard.

This is where Bond’s confidence (mentioned above) comes from. Bond is competent. Sure, it requires that he study and actually learn about what he’s doing and ask questions- but he learns what he needs to and makes damn sure he does what he needs to well. When it was time for Bond to go to Japan and hit on Japanese women and become some form of Martial Arts master, he prepares by knowing Japanese and what’s going on. If he doesn’t know what’s going on, he asks someone or figures it out on his own: and it pays off. Life is one big learning experience, and with every Job, Bond learns more and more- and this is something that helps him complete the job (and not get killed in the process).

Even if you’ve graduated highschool and/or college and working, keep learning. No-one says that once you get out of required schooling you get a free pass for the rest of your life. And who knows, someone might be pointing a dangerous laser toward your crotch at some point and you might have to figure out how to keep your balls.

Tao Rule 6: At the end of the day, leave the work at home.

There has never been a Bond movie made where James Bond sits on his ass and leaves things unfinished- but when he’s done, he’s done. When Bond goes home (well, proverbially), he leaves his work at work, and enjoys his life. Now, in James Bond terms, this includes having sex with women on a raft in the middle of the ocean- but in any case, he’s relaxed and he doesn’t stress out. The man is constantly hunted, and even he can relax and enjoy life- and you should as well. Have fun with your job, and enjoy it- but make sure to draw a defined line between work and play, and pay attention to it as much as possible. Let yourself relax and enjoy life- so later down the road, when you’re at home watching a movie, you don’t have to worry about the time you killed that underwater diver.