The best thing about Daniel Craig’s Bond in his dinner suit in Spectre is what lies beneath the jacket. A white cotton shirt with a pleated front and double cuffs does the work of the whole evening without announcing itself. The Tom Ford pleated front dress shirt is, in our view, the right place to begin a proper black-tie wardrobe, and a better buy than a second dinner jacket.
In the film
Bond wears a white Tom Ford cotton dress shirt with a pleated front and double cuffs under his dinner suit in the Moroccan train scene in Spectre (2015). The shirt sold today is a current Tom Ford pleated bib-front shirt in the same spirit: same maker, same pleated bib, same French cuffs. We cannot confirm it is the identical cut to the one on screen.
The details of the Tom Ford pleated front dress shirt
The pleated bib. Narrow pleats run down the front panel, giving the chest texture and structure that a flat front lacks. Under a dinner jacket it reads as dressed for the evening rather than dressed up.
Point collar and button placket. A classic collar shape that sits tidily beneath a bow tie. The placket is a conventional button front.
French cuffs. The cuffs fold back on themselves and are fastened with cufflinks, not buttons. They sit just beyond the jacket sleeve, which is where a good pair of links belongs.
Yoked back and shirttail hem. The yoke is the shaped panel across the shoulders, and it lets the body of the shirt fall cleanly from them. The longer shirttail hem is made to be tucked in.
Cotton, made in Italy. The shirt is white cotton in a classic fit, which leaves a little room under a jacket rather than pulling across the chest.
Wearing it now
This is an evening shirt, and we would keep it to evenings. Worn with a black bow tie, a plain dinner jacket and a pair of simple cufflinks, it needs nothing else. Silk knots or plain metal ovals suit it better than anything novel. Under a business suit, the pleats look confused; the bib is a black-tie detail and works best there.
Fit. It is cut as a classic fit, not a slim one. If you prefer a closer line through the body, have a tailor take it in at the sides before the first wearing, not after.
Choosing it. A man who owns one dinner suit and one white shirt for it is better dressed than a man with several of each. Buy this one in white, and wear it only with black tie. For more of what Bond wears, see our clothing pages.
Specifications
| Style | Pleated bib-front dress shirt |
|---|---|
| Colour | White |
| Material | Cotton |
| Collar | Point collar, button placket |
| Cuffs | French cuffs (for cufflinks) |
| Fit | Classic fit |
| Construction | Yoked back shoulders, shirttail hem |
| Made in | Italy |
| Price | Set by the retailer; see the current price at Neiman Marcus |
Questions
Is this the exact shirt Bond wears in Spectre?
We cannot confirm that it is. Bond wears a Tom Ford white cotton pleated-front shirt with double cuffs in the film. The shirt linked here shares the maker, the pleated bib and the French cuffs, but we have not verified it as the identical cut.
Does a pleated front dress shirt need cufflinks?
Yes. This shirt has French cuffs, which fold back and are fastened with cufflinks. It has no ordinary cuff buttons.
Can you wear a pleated shirt without a dinner jacket?
You can, but we would not. The pleated bib is an evening detail. It looks right with a bow tie and a dinner jacket, and slightly confused under an everyday suit.
Where is the Tom Ford pleated shirt made?
In Italy, according to the retailer’s listing, which describes it as a cotton shirt.
For more of what Bond wears, see the Bonds.
