Bond’s first scene in Tomorrow Never Dies is a lesson in dressing for the conditions. On a snowy border he wears a brown leather car coat over two jumpers, with olive trousers and black boots, and not one piece of it looks costume. The Angels & Bermans leather jacket was made for the film and was never a shop item, so this page is about the look: what it was, why it works, and how to get close to it now.
In the film
Pierce Brosnan’s Bond wears the jacket in the opening sequence, as he infiltrates a terrorist arms bazaar on the Russian border and escapes in an L-39 Albatros. It was made by Angels & Bermans, the London costumiers to the film industry (now Angels Costumes), and the jacket was a costume, not a retail product.
The details
Car-coat length. Bond Suits describes it as a brown leather coat of car-coat length, with a zip front and a belted waist. A coat of this length lets you sit and move without the hem getting in the way.
The pockets. The two lower patch pockets have an inverted box pleat and a flap, there is a welted slash pocket on each side of the chest, and the sleeves have button straps. Each detail is practical and none shouts.
The lining. Auction listings describe a brown leather three-quarter-length jacket with a black acetate lining, labelled inside with the maker’s name. Propstore also offered a stunt jacket with a waist strap and metal buckle, which differs slightly in the buttons and stitching from the close-up version.
What goes underneath. A dark blue, heavy wool mock-neck jumper with a zip, over a thinner black ribbed wool polo neck. Olive trousers with cargo pockets, black cashmere-lined leather gloves and black boots complete it.
Wearing it now
This is a cold-weather uniform, and it works because every layer has a reason. Leather in a mid-brown, cut to car-coat length, is among the most useful coats a man can own: it takes rain, wind and years of wear, and it improves as it scuffs. Wear it with knitwear in navy, charcoal or black, plain trousers in olive or dark denim, and boots. Skip anything shiny; the point is that nothing here is new.
Finding the look. There is no exact jacket to buy. A few of the originals have been sold at auction, with one complete lot at £6,000 and a coat alone at £1,320, in 2009. The practical route is a brown leather car coat in a similar cut, new or second-hand, and we link to an eBay search for that. Look for a zip front, a belt, patch pockets with flaps and lining you can feel is sturdy.
In the same spirit
A shorter, current brown leather alternative from our catalogue is the Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1930s Menlo leather jacket. It is not the jacket from this film.
Specifications
| Made by | Angels & Bermans, London (costumiers) |
|---|---|
| Colour and material | Brown leather, black acetate lining |
| Length | Car-coat length |
| Closure | Zip front with belted waist |
| Pockets | Two lower patch pockets with inverted pleat and flap; two welted chest pockets |
| Worn with | Navy mock-neck jumper, black polo neck, olive cargo trousers |
| Availability | Costume only; not sold new. Nearest equivalents second-hand or from other makers |
Questions
Who made Bond’s leather jacket in Tomorrow Never Dies?
Angels & Bermans, the London costume house, now known as Angels Costumes.
Can you buy the real jacket?
Not new. It was a costume, and originals have appeared only at auction.
What is the best alternative?
A mid-brown leather car coat with a zip front, belt and flapped patch pockets. The cut matters more than the label.
See the full film on the Tomorrow Never Dies page or browse Clothing.
