Most villains announce themselves. Franz Oberhauser does the opposite: in his Moroccan lair he wears a midnight blue silk jacket with no lapels, just a softly rounded collar that closes high at the neck. The Timothy Everest Nehru jacket is evening dress with the formality taken out, and we think it a more interesting idea than most of what Daniel Craig’s Bond wears in Spectre.
In the film
Christoph Waltz’s Oberhauser wears it in Spectre (2015) as part of his Moroccan lair costume. Timothy Everest, who also dressed Ralph Fiennes’s M in the film, tailored it. It is not a retail product: the costume was sold at Christie’s online sale of Spectre props and costumes, held from 16 to 23 February 2016.
The details of the Timothy Everest Nehru jacket
Midnight blue silk. Christie’s describes the jacket as midnight blue silk, though one secondary source says silk velvet, so we treat the fabric as believed to be silk. Midnight blue is a long-established evening colour, and in artificial light it reads darker and softer than black.
A rounded Nehru collar. There are no lapels. The collar stands close to the neck and curves at the front, which gives the jacket a clean, vertical line and makes a tie unnecessary.
Single-breasted. Christie’s lists it as single-breasted. That keeps the jacket recognisably tailored, closer in spirit to a dinner jacket than to fancy dress.
Wearing it now
You cannot buy this jacket, and we would not chase the auction piece. What you can do is borrow the idea. A Nehru-collar evening jacket in midnight blue silk is a considered alternative to black tie for a dinner at home, a private room or a warm-weather evening, where a lapelled dinner jacket would feel heavy.
We would keep everything else quiet: a plain white shirt with a soft collar, black trousers and polished black shoes. The jacket should do the talking. If you want the look, ask a bespoke tailor for it in a single colour and leave out any contrast trim. For a ready-made jacket in the same family, our button runs an eBay search for a midnight blue silk Nehru-collar jacket.
In the same spirit
Three live pieces that follow the same evening idea:
- Brioni Tuxedo (Casino Royale): evening tailoring at its most restrained
- Tom Ford Atticus Evening Trousers (No Time To Die): the trousers to wear beneath a jacket like this
- Tom Ford Pleated Front Dress Shirt, White Cotton (Spectre): a plain white shirt with a soft collar
A word on character: this is a villain’s jacket, so the version that suits you should be cut softer and worn with less theatre. For the wider picture of what Bond wears in the Craig films, see our clothing guides. More from the film is on the Spectre page.
Specifications
| Maker | Timothy Everest, London |
|---|---|
| Style | Single-breasted jacket with rounded Nehru collar |
| Colour and fabric | Midnight blue silk (per Christie’s lot description) |
| Worn by | Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), Spectre |
| Availability | Costume sold at Christie’s in February 2016; not currently on sale |
| RRP | Not applicable |
For commissions and current collections, see Timothy Everest’s own site.
Questions
Who wore the Nehru jacket in Spectre?
Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz, wears it as part of his Moroccan lair costume. Bond does not wear it.
Who made the Nehru jacket in Spectre?
London tailor Timothy Everest made it. The house also dressed Ralph Fiennes’s M in the film.
Can you buy the Spectre Nehru jacket?
Not new. The costume was sold at Christie’s in February 2016. A bespoke tailor can make a similar jacket to order.
What colour is the jacket?
Midnight blue, a very dark blue that reads close to black in low light. Christie’s describes the fabric as silk.
For more on how the films dress their men, see the films index.
