Ode to Sir Roger Moore

There’s a scene in Moonraker, Roger Moore’s fourth Bond film, where Bond and the nefarious owner of a space shuttle manufacturing firm are in a field, shooting at ducks.

Moore’s Bond, dressed impeccably in a tailored grey custom suit with leather elbow patches raises his rifle, casually aims in the direction of a duck in flight, and fires.

“You missed, Mr. Bond,” says Drax – the unscrupulous businessman – with insufferable glee.

A beat later, the body of a sniper falls out of a tree in the distance, crashing through branches before hitting the ground with a thump. Roger Moore raises an insouciant eyebrow and with his trademark deadpan delivery says,

“Did I?”

It’s a quintessential Bond one-liner, uttered with the breezy, understated humour Roger Moore brought to the role. With seven Bond films to his credit between 1973 and 1985, he remains the longest-serving James Bond to date. Undoubtedly, he was also one of the most stylish. In fact, we’ve crafted many of our custom tuxedos with his dapper charisma in mind.

Like the rest of the world, the Michael Andrews Bespoke team was saddened to hear of Moore’s passing earlier this year, after the actor and UNICEF ambassador lost a battle with cancer. He was 89.

Though he acted in a number of American and British television shows throughout his life and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for his charity work, Sir Roger Moore is still largely known for his Bond films. Moore’s Bond showcased a dry humour and unflappable persona, paired with a classic, refined aesthetic. Even in his later years he was considered a style icon, growing older both “gracefully” and “begrudgingly,” as he described it.

Sir Roger Moore’s Bond has certainly influenced many of the pieces we have designed over the years.  Aside from the eponymous Bond tuxedo, consider Moore in his white dinner jackets from 1974’s The Man With the Golden Gun, for example. Double-breasted in a luxurious silk blend and outfitted with his trademark, oversized lapels, it’s the perfect piece for a man whose humour is as dry as his martinis.

And even though the modern urbanite is unlikely to find himself gallivanting through the jungle, (well, figuratively, maybe), our custom menswear collection also includes the safari shirt, which Moore popularized in Octopussy and Moonraker. With patch pockets and epaulets, it’s a style that’s both casual and refined.

From the dramatic trench coat he wore in The Persuaders, one of his earlier television shows, to the tan version made famous in For Your Eyes Only, Moore knew how to work a trench. We’ve given this dapper essential a modern update that still echoes the classic charm and slightly rakish touch.

Not everyone can count international espionage among their side gigs, but custom menswear with a Bond-esque vibe? That’s a style everyone can get behind.

When Sir Roger Moore signed on to helm the James Bond franchise, he took over from Sean Connery, who had commanded the Bond role with a certain menacing swagger. While Connery’s Bond sometimes seemed disgruntled at the whole idea of living a life of international intrigue, Moore brought with him a more subtle charisma, at once sly and debonair. This juxtaposed amusingly with the outlandish plots of the films themselves.

This also coincided with a period in time when masculinity on the silver screen was in flux, moving from a brash and glowering kind of leading man to one who was clever, cool and refined. Moore showcased these characteristics perfectly, both in personality and fashion.

Be it in a double-breasted suit with bold lapels or a jaunty Safari shirt with the sleeves rolled up, we’ll always picture Sir Roger Moore in a dimly-lit hotel bar, a cigarette clasped between his fingers, martini at his side. With his trademark Bond smirk, he’ll be plotting his next exploit, and he’ll be doing it, as usual, in impeccable style.