A funeral in Rome is not an obvious place for a boot. Daniel Craig’s Bond wears one anyway: black calf, two buckles, a rubber sole, nothing to announce itself. It is the Crockett & Jones Camberley, and it is, in our view, the most useful pair of shoes Bond wears in Spectre. It looks as right under a dark suit as it does under jeans, which is rarer than it sounds.
In the film
Bond wears the black calf Camberley in the Rome sequence of Spectre (2015): at the funeral and through the car chase in the Aston Martin DB10. He wears it with a black Tom Ford three-piece suit. The boot you can buy from Crockett & Jones is the same model, in the same black calf with Dainite rubber soles.
The details of the Crockett & Jones Camberley
Two buckles, a toe cap. The Camberley is a double monk-strap boot with a toe cap, so there are no laces to tie or to break the line of the vamp. Monk styles are cut much like a Derby, with open quarters, which is why they tend to be easy on the foot.
Last 348. The boot is built on the same last as Crockett & Jones’s Lowndes double monk shoe. It is also the last the maker associates with Bond’s shoes in Skyfall and Spectre, so the shape is one the films have used before.
Black calf. Crockett & Jones works with calf from European tanneries. In black it takes polish well and reads as dress rather than work, which is why it sits comfortably with a suit.
Dainite rubber soles. Rubber instead of leather means better grip on wet pavement and less worry in the rain. For a boot meant to be worn through a British winter, it is the right choice.
A family resemblance. Crockett & Jones describes the Camberley as the monk-strap version of its Tetbury, the boot Bond wears in Turkey in Skyfall. Same attitude, fewer fussy parts.
Wearing it now
We would wear the Camberley the way the film does first: with a dark suit, in charcoal or navy as readily as black. A boot with a toe cap and buckles takes the place of an Oxford without looking stiff, and it is better in the rain. Trousers should be cut with a clean, slightly tapered leg that sits just on the boot, so the buckles stay visible.
Off duty it works with dark denim, grey flannel trousers and a heavy knit. Keep the rest of the outfit quiet and let the buckles do the work.
Which version? Crockett & Jones has made the Camberley in other leathers, including dark brown burnished calf and suede. We would choose the black calf. It is the one in the film, and it is the easiest to wear with a suit.
Care. Use cedar shoe trees after every wear, give calf a day to dry before wearing it again, and polish regularly with a neutral or black cream. A boot of this kind should last years.
Specifications
| Model | Camberley, double buckle monk-strap boot with toe cap |
|---|---|
| Upper | Black calf |
| Sole | Dainite rubber |
| Last | 348 |
| Maker | Crockett & Jones, Northampton |
| Price | See Crockett & Jones for the current price |
Full details and sizes are on Crockett & Jones’s own page for the Camberley.
Questions
Are the boots in Spectre Crockett & Jones Camberleys?
Yes. Bond wears black calf Camberley boots in Rome in Spectre, in both the funeral scene and the DB10 car chase.
What last is the Camberley built on?
Last 348. Crockett & Jones says the last is shared with its Lowndes double monk shoe and was the one chosen for Bond’s shoes in Skyfall and Spectre.
How is the Camberley different from the Tetbury?
The Camberley is the monk-strap version of the Tetbury, the boot Bond wears in Turkey in Skyfall. It closes with two buckles rather than laces.
Does the Camberley come in other colours?
Crockett & Jones has made it in black calf and dark brown burnished calf, and later added suede. Availability changes by season, so check the maker’s page for what is current.
More of what Bond wears is in our guide to Bond’s shoes, and across every film.
