There aren’t many cooler moves than Sean Connery’s James Bond tossing his hat onto the stand in M’s office. While the modern-day Bond doesn’t usually wear a hat, the classic look is still iconic today.
Here are 5 intriguing facts about hats worn by James Bond:
- You can own the classic trilby hat.
- Bond swaps his brown trilby for gray to make an escape.
- Roger Moore’s Bond doesn’t ever wear his hat.
- Bond wears a Victorian top hat as a disguise.
- The hat in the silhouette came, went, and came back again.
This article will discuss each of these intriguing facts in more detail. To learn everything about some of James Bond’s most iconic hats, read on.
1. You Can Own the Classic Trilby Hat
Starting with the original movies in the 1960s, Sean Connery donned a classic English felt hat known as a trilby. The trilby was a staple of the Bond wardrobe during the early films, making an appearance in every movie up to the early 1970s. Discover more about Trilbys in this article.
The Dr. No gun barrel silhouette scene isn’t even Connery but a stuntman. However, it’s easily identifiable as James Bond because of the trilby.
You can still find this classic-style cap at Lock & Co in London, the oldest hat shop in the world. Read more about Lock & Co in this article.
2. Bond Swaps His Brown Trilby for Gray To Make an Escape
In From Russia with Love, Bond is seen wearing a gray trilby instead of his classic brown hat. During the movie’s climax, he wears British Agent Nash’s hat after killing him to slide out of danger while disguised as the agent.
As opposed to Bond’s classic trilby, Nash’s is dark gray and taller, and the shape is different, indicating to the viewer that it’s intended to change Bond’s appearance.
3. Roger Moore’s Bond Doesn’t Ever Wear His Hat
In the 1980s films, including For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill, the traditional trilby hats were a part of Roger Moore’s wardrobe, but he never actually wore the hat. In the movies, he’s seen entering Moneypenny’s office with the trilby in hand. He then tosses or hangs the cap on the coat rack as an Easter egg-style nod to Sean Connery’s entrances in the classic 1960s films.
4. Bond Wears a Victorian Top Hat as a Disguise
In the opening sequence of Spectre, Bond wears a Jaxon & James Victorian top hat as part of his disguise. Bond is trying to blend in during a Day of the Dead festival in Mexico, so he dons a formal-looking top hat to accompany his skeleton costume and mask. Read more about Victorian top hats in this article.
A replica of this hat sold at auction for $2,736!
5. The Hat in the Silhouette Came, Went, and Came Back Again
In the opening gun barrel sequence, Bond’s silhouette is shown wearing his classic trilby. However, when Roger Moore took over as Bond in 1973, the opening to Live and Let Die didn’t include the iconic silhouette topped with the trilby. This was a way for Moore to distinguish his Bond from Sean Connery.
However, in the 1980s, Moore no longer felt the weight of Connery’s shadow, and the hat came back as a way to bring the franchise back to its roots.
