A fur hat in a ski chase should look like a practical decision, and the one Elektra King wears in The World Is Not Enough does. It was made by Philip Somerville, a London milliner who held a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II and made hats for Diana, Princess of Wales, which tells you how seriously the headwear was taken. The Philip Somerville fur hat is a bespoke piece rather than a product, so this page is about the idea and where to find the maker’s work.
In the film
Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King wears the fur hat during the skiing chase sequence, with salopettes by Sam De Teran, according to the official 007 account on X. Somerville also made the oversized black hat worn by a villain in a different Bond film. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond is not the one wearing it; this is Elektra’s piece, and part of how the film dresses her as someone who belongs in the snow. See our The World Is Not Enough page for more.
The details
Our sources say fur and nothing more about the hat itself, and we would rather say so than guess at the pelt or the lining. What they do establish is the maker. Somerville was known for hats for the Queen and the Princess of Wales, and a V&A record from 1986 shows his range: a black straw hat with an ostrich feather. That is a milliner’s eye applied to a ski hat, which is why it reads as dressed rather than merely warm.
Wearing it now
You cannot order this hat, and no current product copies it exactly. Second-hand Somerville hats do come up on eBay and Etsy, though they are mostly formal pieces from the 1980s and 1990s rather than winter hats. Treat that as a way to own a piece by the maker, not the film’s hat.
To wear the idea, choose a fur or shearling hat in one dark colour, keep the coat plain, and let the hat be the only thing with texture. It suits a cold, bright day in the mountains or a city winter, and it looks best with a simple wool or technical coat and no logo on show.
Specifications
| Maker | Philip Somerville |
|---|---|
| Item | Fur hat |
| Worn by | Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), ski chase |
| Availability | Bespoke piece; not sold new. Other Somerville hats are found second-hand |
Questions
Who made Elektra King’s fur hat?
Philip Somerville, the London milliner known for hats worn by Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales.
What does Elektra King wear in the ski scene?
A Philip Somerville fur hat and Sam De Teran salopettes, according to the official 007 account on X.
Can I buy the hat?
Not new. It was a bespoke piece, so the nearest route is a second-hand Somerville hat, or a plain fur hat in a dark colour.
For more from the Brosnan years, see the Pierce Brosnan page or browse accessories.
