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James Bond Items on Offer in Pop Culture Auction

Filed under: Apparel, Auctions, Men's Style


Daniel Craig's aviator sunglasses designed by Tom Ford for last year's Quantum of Solace (above) are among a collection of James Bond items in Christie's London's Vintage Film Posters and Entertainment Memorabilia auction on Nov. 24. The shades, estimated at £1,000 - £1,500, are among the more modern 007 mementos in the sale, along with a poker table chair and barstool graced by Mr. Craig's derriere in 2006's Casino Royale, estimated at £1,000 - £1,500. On the vintage front there are some key items from 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun, such as a two-piece black silk evening suit made for Roger Moore for the film, offered at £3,000 - £5,000. Also from that film are the arch villain Scaramanga's custom triggers for the golden gun itself, made in the form of cufflinks which he used to assemble the lethal weapon, estimated at £2,000 - £3,000. On offer as well are a pair of black leather of Salvatore Ferragamo dress shoes worn by Moore in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, signed on the inside in gold ink along with a jocular note from the actor, for £800 - £1,200.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko Stars in 2010 Campari Calendar

Filed under: Spirits


Ukranian model / actress Olga Kurylenko, who played a Bond Girl opposite Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace, has just been unveiled as the star of the 2010 Campari Calendar. Following in the footsteps of former calendar stars Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba, Kurylenko appears in a series of vignettes in different locations around Milan indulging in the classic Italian aperitif. Italian photographer Simone Nervi shot the photos, including the image above for December of a Gucci-clad Kurylenko surrounded by Ducati Monster-riding admirers at Milan's Piazza Duca D'Aosta. The twelve images will be featured in the limited edition calendar, with only 9,999 copies being printed to be distributed worldwide.

James Bond Watch Exhibit to Showcase Ian Fleming's Rolex Explorer

Filed under: Timepieces

ian fleming rolexJames Bond creator Ian Fleming's personal 1954 black dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer I (right), the inspiration for Rolexes worn by the world's most famous secret agent, will go on display in the U.S. for the first time this summer at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Lancaster, PA.

The exhibit will also feature several watches worn by 007 in both Fleming's novels and the Bond movies, mainly Rolexes including several Submariners, from the one sported by Sean Connery in 1962's Dr. No to the most tricked-out model, the magnetized and built-in rotating saw blade-equipped number from Live And Let Die (1973).

The first and only Rolex Fleming owned, the Explorer I was locked away in a bank vault for 20 years following his death. The watch made its first appearance in Fleming's novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service, published in 1963. Fleming wrote that "[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex."

[via Duncan Quinn]

James Bond's Lotus Up for Sale

Filed under: Wheels, Auctions


A Lotus Esprit Turbo (above) driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in 1981's For Your Eyes Only is being auctioned off in England this weekend. The copper metallic car with a ski rack fitted to the rear louvers is expected to fetch up to $200,000 at Coys' Blenheim Palace sale in Oxfordshire on Saturday the 18th. While not as iconic as the amphibious white Lotus Esprit driven by Bond in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me - which as we reported previously went on the auction block last year - it's still an incredible piece of 007 memorabilia for any collector. The car on offer was previously sold in 2006 for $210,000, making it officially the world's most expensive Lotus Esprit Turbo.

James Bond's Brioni Suits & More at Auction

Filed under: Apparel, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Men's Style


Several items of clothing worn by Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond films including his Brioni suits are on offer at Bonhams' Entertainment Memorabilia sale in London on June 16. Highlights include a razor sharp three-piece navy wool Brioni suit with a ticket pocket, estimated at £2,500 - £3,000, and a cream herringbone linen Brioni suit, estimated at £3,000 - 4,000, both from 1995's Goldeneye. The suits have Brosnan's name embroidered on the lining and are accompanied by film stills showing him wearing the items. Other Brosnan / Bond items include a pair of leather jackets, a selection of Turnbull & Asser shirts and ties, and even Kevlar body armor. There are a few articles of clothing worn by Roger Moore as 007 featured in the sale as well.

P. Diddy Pays $750,000 for Bond Audition


Earlier this month, nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig floated the idea that his successor in the famous role need not be white. "I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the '50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated," Craig said at a Quantum of Solace press conference. "After Barack Obama's victory I think we might have reached the moment for a colored 007."

Rap mogul, designer and aspiring actor Sean "Diddy" Combs (above) apparently not only agrees, but has determined the Bond role should go to him. Combs just spent $750,000 of his own money shooting a sort of audition / calling card which he sent to Bond producers in an effort to convince them. The video, full of Bond-like action sequences, was shot in the South of France. "This is my audition tape for the next James Bond," Combs tells the London Daily Mirror. "There is a black President and it's time for there to be a black Bond."

Bond's 1976 Lotus Esprit Auctioned at 111,500

Filed under: Wheels, Auctions

lotus
Last month we mentioned the upcoming auction for the 1976 Lotus Esprit from one of the best 007 movies over the years. Recently, a private collector in the U.S. purchased the iconic car from the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Sir Roger Moore and Barbara Bach. Bond's car was expected to fetch up to £120,000. The bid for the 1976 Lotus Esprit was made over the phone during the Bonhams sale by a self-proclaimed Lotus and Bond aficionado in Atlanta, Georgia. If you never saw 1977 film it was the third of seven Bond films Moore starred in and his action-packed scene from land to sea in his amphibious Lotus Esprit is pretty impressive. Too bad Mr. Atlanta won't be able to use his new purchase underwater like Bond did.

[via Luxury Launches]

Gallery: Lotus Esprit

Lotus EspritLotus EspritLotus EspritLotus EspritSir Roger Moore as James Bond

Daniel Craig Prefers Rolex

Filed under: Timepieces, Men's Style


Omega may now be the official watch of the James Bond films, but offscreen, nouveau 007 Daniel Craig is a diehard Rolex fan. In the original books, Bond creator Ian Fleming wrote that "[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex." In the early Bond films, Sean Connery sported a Rolex Submariner, and Craig has said in interviews that he favors the identical model. Over at the Rolex Blog, Jake Ehrlich has done some impressive sleuthing into the James Bond / Craig / Rolex connection, examining quotes, photos and other clues.

In a 7-part series of posts, he determined that Craig usually wears a Rolex Submariner on a NATO spec, striped nylon strap (sold as the "James Bond" model). It is in fact not exactly the same as the one Connery sported in Goldfinger, as his was on slightly different regimental stripe strap. Most recently, Craig has been spotted wearing an understated stainless steel Oyster Perpetual (above), so he obviously has more than one Rolex in his arsenal.

Brioni to Sell a 25% Stake

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

Classic luxury Italian fashion brand Brioni, best known for outfitting Pierce Brosnan during his tenure as James Bond (right), is looking to sell a 25% stake in the business. "This is a family company. We need to think about the future and ways to develop the brand," Brioni CEO Antonella De Simone tells WWD.

The company, founded in Rome in 1945 and named after a resort on the Adriatic Sea, makes ready-to-wear and bespoke men's suits costing from $6,000 - $36,000, and has a women's line as well. Some of its luster may have been lost when James Bond switched to Tom Ford, but the brand is undeniably valuable.

James Bond's Lotus Esprit Up for Auction

Filed under: Wheels, Auctions


On December 1, Bonhams in London will auction off the famous white 1976 Lotus Esprit driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (one of two made). Next to the classic Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, the Lotus, which was amphibious in the movie, stands out as the iconic Bond vehicle. Estimated at about $160,000 to $190,000, it does not unfortunately come equipped with the gadgetry deployed by Moore in the film during his eventful ride with the beautiful Barbara Bach, including a cement sprayer, sea-to-air missiles, front-mounted torpedoes, ink-cloud dispenser and mine launcher. However it does afford the purchaser a chance to join the Ian Fleming Foundation, which my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the other day.

[via Men.Style]

The Ian Fleming Foundation: Bond For Good Causes

Filed under: Wheels, Charity


Another James Bond movie is headed to the theaters and James Bond fans all around the world are lining up to see Daniel Craig in action as 007. Part of the lure is the long history of the movies and the books written by Ian Fleming which create a whole world of superspy adventures with beautiful women, fast cars, yachts and gadgets. I've seen Bond-related vehicles come up for auction before but I didn't know, until I saw a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, that there is actually an Ian Fleming Foundation, a group of owners of some of these vehicles. The foundation is a charity of seven board members who use their Bond vehicles to help non-profits raise money. The charity will loan out vehicles for a fee or a percentage of the money brought in and that money goes toward the foundation's operating budget. Their end goal is to have a museum of Bond vehicles that raises money that can be donated to a scholarship for a writer or filmmaker.

Some of the vehicles including the Lotus submarine car used in the 1977 film 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' the Aston Martin Volante used in the 1987 James Bond film 'The Living Daylights,' and the Ford Mondeo used in the 2006 film 'Casino Royale' are on display at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum in New Forest between Bournemouth and Southampton in England. The James Bond Experience also includes props and apparel from the movies. The exhibition was created with the Ian Fleming Foundation.

Who's the Best Bond Girl of Them All?


The long-awaited release of Quantum of Solace later this month will add two more members - Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton - to that illustrious club of only-in-your-dreams femininity: the Bond Girls. Since 007 first walked onto the silver screen in 1962, he's rescued, bedded and battled with scores of young lovelies, without whom the secret agent would never have made it to his 22nd movie. After careful consideration of all their charms, Men.Style has presented the top picks of this pulchritudinous pantheon, including Maude Adams and Britt Ekland (above, left to right, in 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun). You can vote for your favorite; at the moment the original Bond Girl, Ursula Andress, is in the lead, but that could change.

Hotlist: Bond Girls [Men.Style]

Aston Martin DB7 with Gold, Platinum and Diamonds

Filed under: Wheels


The Aston Martin DB7 doesn't need a lengthy introduction to conjure recognition and status -- let alone a complete dip in 24-carat gold and platinum leaf or seven diamond studs. This additional flash of glamour recently given by the Alchemist, known for dipping automobile roofs in gold leaf, will be showcased at the MPH Show in London the day after 007's Quantum of Solace opens in UK theaters. After the show I'm curious which King Midas would purchase this ostentatious vehicle, and if it is purchased, would you really want to drive it? A door ding would really cost you on this baby.

Champagne Bollinger James Bond Edition

Filed under: Spirits, Wine

As my colleague Deidre Woollard reported earlier, the product tie-ins to the upcoming James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, are beginning to hit the market.

The latest is from famed French champagne house Bollinger, founded in 1829. Bollinger has been featured in Bond films as 007's favorite celebratory tipple since Moonraker back in 1979.

Conceived by French designer Eric Berthès, the lockable steel bullet-shaped case engraved "Bollinger 007" holds a magnum of Bollinger's Grande Année 1999 champagne.

Packaged in a wooden box, the whole weighs over 50 pounds and costs about $5,800; only 207 numbered Bullets will be produced.

[via Born Rich]

Stock Your Home Bar with Ralph Lauren

Filed under: Decor, Spirits


No home bar is complete without stylish glassware, trays, and other accessories (like this leather-bound martini shaker, $295) to enhance your presentation and round out the mood of luxurious relaxation. Ralph Lauren has quite the collection of home accessory items for the kitchen or home bar that utilizes classics like crystal and stainless steel and modernizes them with the rugged and sophisticated masculine energy of leather accents. Serving trays, glassware, decanters, a lead crystal ice bucket with leather handle ... there's something for everybody. $195-$395

I agree with what acquire had to say -- very 007.


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