Brosnan Era - TWINE: Overview

The World is Not Enough showcases Pierce Brosnan's Bond at his most energetic and consistent in his dress wardrobe. Gone are the early experimentations that Lindy Hemming had incorporated in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies - the suits are a lean two-piece with three buttons and double vents, and without any ornamentation such as ticket pockets or handkerchiefs. The only exception is the pinstripe three piece suit Bond wears during the boat chase in the pretitle sequence. Hemming also brings the cut of the suit closer to classical styling with straight pockets (as opposed to the slanting pocket flaps seen in GE and TND).

Having been shed of the burden to bring Bond boldly back onto the map of contemporary fashion in Goldeneye after a sartorially weak interpretation by the Dalton, and perhaps having been given more time than TND's rushed shooting schedule, Hemming seems to have found her own voice in her approach for dressing Bond. It is spare, efficient, yet both classical and current - the suits still look fabulous today and show Hemming breaking free of her nods to '90's styling occasionally evident in the first two films. The geometric necktie patterns seen in GE and TND are mostly dropped in favor of understated weaves such as herringbone (worn in both Bilbao and Azerbaijan). The belts, which tended to throw off the tailored look in previous films are now a much better match for the silhouette of the suit. One may quibble about two button versus three button suits, or pants with or without beltloops, but overall it is hard to find fault with Hemming's approach in this film which marries classical styling with the need for modern elegance. In the scenes in Azerbaijan and Baku, Hemming accurately captures the efficiency of Connery's early suits without being distractingly overt or old fashioned.