4 Ways to Wear the No Time To Die Grey Jeans

At Iconic Alternatives, we try to focus on affordable clothing that will help us get the Bond style we want without emptying our wallets. So it doesn’t make a whole lot of financial sense to invest in a piece and then only use it with one “screen accurate” look. Versatility is the name of the game. That’s where our “4 Ways to Wear It” series comes in. We take one piece of iconic Bond clothing and combine it with other affordable 007 inspired alternatives to extend our wardrobe and get the most bang for our buck. In this post we look at the No Time To Die grey jeans.

The No Time To Die Grey Jeans

We recently published our post on alternatives for Bond’s complete Jamaica look from the film. So just to bring us up to speed: the jeans he’s wearing come from Tom Ford and are made from a distressed selvedge denim in a light grey color (K01). Personally (as I’ve said before), I like the look for a retired secret agent enjoying a relaxed life in the tropics. I think it’s a very accessible outfit that stays true to the previous “off-duty looks” of Craig’s Bond. And it’s one almost any of us can pull off for the summer ahead.

But now that you’ve got a pair of pale grey jeans in your closet, what else can you do with them besides copying Bond’s style?

To start, it’s important to note that light grey is a neutral color, but it tends to fall on the cooler side of the spectrum. So other cool colors, like shades and tones of blue, tend to work best with it. If you do want to use a warmer color, say a brown or green, your best bet is to go with a more muted or washed out shade to keep the look cohesive.

Yes, it would be easy to just stick with navy, white and pale blue for our fits with grey jeans. And there are plenty of Bond inspired articles of clothing in those colors to choose from. But hey! Summer’s coming! We all want to add at least a little extra color to liven things up. And so that’s what we’ve tried to do with the looks below. For the jeans in each outfit we’ve used the Gap Factory Slim Fit Jeans in Gray Mist. They come close to the look of the Tom Fords and they’re almost always on sale for under $30.

The No Time To Die Jamaica Look

Options:

• Jacket: Lands’ End Chore Coat in Classic Navy (on sale for $90.96); alternative for the Barbour X Engineered Garments Graham Jacket (more alternatives in this post).
• Shirt: Club Monaco Long Sleeve Shirt in Black ($119.50); alternative for the Tommy Bahama Catalina Twill Shirt (more alternatives in this post).
• Shoes: Samuel Windsor Prestige Leather Boat Shoes in Brown (on sale for $65.00/CCC); alternatives for the Sperry Gold Cup Rivingston Boat Shoes (more alternatives in this post).
• Watch: Seiko Automatic Ref. SRPD73K1 ($239.46); alternative for the Omega Sea Master 300M from No Time To Die (more options in this post)
• Sunglasses: Vuarnet Legend 06 in Brown ($240.00); Bond’s sunglasses in Jamaica from No Time To Die.
• Hat: Barbour Waxed Cotton Baseball Cap in Navy ($50.00); alternative for Bond’s No Time To Die baseball cap.
• Luggage: Bennett Winch S.C. Holdall in Olive ($1050.00); Bond’s luggage in No Time To Die.

Notes:

If you’ve already read our dedicated post on Bond’s Jamaica style, there’s not much more to add here. We’ve already covered most of the alternatives we used above in other articles. And, to my eyes at least, each does a good job of capturing the style of the original. I’ll just add a “Thank You!” to The Bond Experience for id’ing the Bennett Winch Holdall that Bond uses in the film. Great catch!

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle

Options:

• Jacket: Onia Linen Safari Jacket in Deep Sage ($150.00); alternative for Bond’s The Man With The Golden Gun safari jacket.
• Shirt: Banana Republic Untucked Slim Fit Linen Cotton Shirt in Cerulean Blue ($74.50); alternative the SPECTRE Orlebar Brown linen shirt.
• Boots: Selected Homme Suede Desert Boots ($103.00); alternatives for the Skyfall “Enjoying Death” Zara desert boots (more options in this post).
• Belt: Badgery Belts Queenslander Belt ($62.00); alternative for Daniel Craig’s R.M. Williams braided leather belt (more options in this post).
• Sunglasses: Tom Ford Henry FT0248 (on sale for $269.00); Bond’s sunglasses from SPECTRE.
• Watch: Stuhrling Regatta 792 Automatic Diver ($250.00); alternative for Bond’s Rolex from License to Kill.
• Strap: Esprit NATO Goldfinger NATO RAF strap (€12.90); alternative for Bond’s Goldfinger watch strap.
• Luggage: Filson Medium Field Bag in Tan ($350.00); alternative for Daniel Craig’s Belstaff 554 Messenger Bag (more options in this post).

Notes: 

This is a pretty good example of how to mix a warmer color like green with the cool pale grey. The lighter, more “washed out” olive is muted enough to keep the top half from overwhelming the bottom. But there’s still enough contrast to keep the whole outfit from looking monochrome. It’s pretty easy to drift into cosplay territory with a safari jacket (one guy told me he feels like a photographer for National Geographic when he wears one). However, I have that Onia jacket and really like it. It’s relatively light weight and relaxed. And the tonal buttons help keep the style more subdued. Wear it open and keep the shirt tucked in to show off the belt and people won’t think you’re trying out to be an extra in Out of Africa.

Speaking of belts, this is probably a good time to address the whole “matching leathers” guideline. Wearing suede shoes or boots does not mean you need to wear a suede belt. Personally, I like using a belt that has some texture to it instead, like that plaited O-ring one. It’s more about matching the levels of visual interest between the footwear and the belt than matching the materials.

Double Denim

Options:

• Jacket: Rogue Territory Supply Jacket in Tan Ridgeline ($295.00); Bond’s “Garage” jacket in No Time To Die.
• Shirt: Wrangler Retro Two Pocket Denim Western Shirt ($45.90 to $63.41); alternative for Steve McQueen’s denim shirt in Baby, The Rain Must Fall.
• Boots: Golden Fox 6″ Boondocker Service Boots in Brown ($119.90); alternatives for Steve McQueen’s personal motorcycle boots.
• Socks: Smartwool Larimer Crew Socks in Charcoal Heather/Tibetan Red Heather ($25.95)
• Belt: Vineyard Vines Braided Leather Belt in Chocolate Lab ($98.50); alternative for Bond’s Brunello Cucinelli braided leather belt from SPECTRE.
• Watch: Mido Ocean Star Captain ($599.00); alternative for Bond’s Omega Planet Ocean 600M from Quantum of Solace.
• Sunglasses: Maui Jim Swinging Bridges in Brushed Grey ($299.00); alternatives for Bond’s Tom Ford 108 sunglasses from Quantum of Solace.
• Luggage: Frost River Medium Flight Bag ($220.00); Daniel Craig’s personal luggage

Notes:

We’ve all seen Craig pull off the double denim look, usually with a trucker jacket. But it can still be tricky. Layering indigo on top of indigo pretty much screams “Cowboy!” So this is a great opportunity to bring the pale grey jeans into the mix. The broken-in fabric and Western styling of the shirt and pants work together, which makes the outfit look cohesive. But the contrast in colors keeps you from looking like you’re heading out to round up the cattle.

This is also a chance to use some of your other “work wear” style Bond pieces. The boots above are inspired by McQueen. But the J.Crew Kentons would work just as well. The SPECTRE inspired belt is rugged enough to hold its own against all that denim. And the Rogue Territory Supply Jacket is a no brainer here.

A Day at the Track

Options:

• Jacket: Martini Racing Windbreaker ($123.13); alternative for Daniel Craig’s Hackett X Aston Martin jacket.
• Shirt: Banana Republic Factory Eco Premium Wash V-Neck T-Shirt in Bright Blue (on sale for $9.98); alternative for Bond’s For Your Eyes Only blue t-shirt.
• Shoes: Converse Jack Purcell Low Top Sneaker ($65.00); Bond’s sneakers from Casino Royale.
• Socks: Smart Wool Medium Work Crew Socks in Black ($20.95)
• Hat: Barbour Waxed Cotton Baseball Cap in Navy ($50.00); alternative for Bond’s No Time To Die baseball cap.
• Watch: Zodiac ZO9602 Grandrally in Silver/Black ($495.00); alternative for Bond’s Breitling Top Time from Thunderball.
• Sunglasses: Carrera CA167/S in Dark Ruthernium/Grey Blue (on sale for $117.00); alternatives for Bond’s No Time To Die Vuarnet Edge sunglasses.
• Luggage: Manhattan Portage Quick Release Medium Messenger Bag in Navy ($89.00); alternative for Daniel Craig’s personal Manhattan Portage bag.

Notes:

We always like to include a “sporty” look in these posts. And this one is obviously inspired by Daniel Craig’s day out at the 2019 British Grand Prix. By focusing on coordinating the pieces of the top half and sticking to the same complimentary color family, we can treat the grey of the jeans as a true neutral. Especially if we stick with something basic for the footwear, like classic white Jack Purcells. There’s still enough contrast between the cobalt blue of the tee and the darker navy of the jacket to maintain visual interest. But both shades are on the cooler side of the color spectrum so they work well together. The racing stripe on the jacket adds that extra pop to keep things from looking too monotone.

For those cooler evenings

Options:

• Sweater: Oobe Brand Drake Cardigan in Java (on sale for $159.00); alternative for Steve McQueen’s brown cardigan.
• Shirt: Mango 100% Linen Regular Fit Shirt in Sand ($69.99); alternative for Bond’s No Time To Die Connolly X Finamore cotton and linen shirt.
• Boots: Herring Shoes Mustang Chukka Boots in Polo Suede ($231.00/XXX); alternatives for Bond’s Sanders & Sanders Playboy Chukkas form SPECTRE or Steve McQueen’s favorite chukka boots (more options in this post).
• Socks: Chup Realta in Smoke ($35.00).
• Belt: Vineyard Vines Braided Leather Belt in Chocolate Lab ($98.50); alternative for Bond’s Brunello Cucinelli braided leather belt from SPECTRE.
• Watch: Certina DS Chronograph Automatic Ref. C038.462.16.037.00 (£1690.00); alternative for Bond’s vintage 1965 Omega Calibre 321 from SPECTRE.
• Sunglasses: Curry & Paxton Alex Sunglasses in Caramel ($189.00/XX); alternatives for Bond’s Barton Perreira Norton Sunglasses from No Time To Die.
• Luggage: S Babila Leather Duffel Bag ($291.99); alternative for Bond’s Brunello Cucinelli leather duffel bag from SPECTRE.

Notes:

We wanted to include one outfit that really shows how you can mix a warmer color like brown with a cooler color like pale grey. At the start of the post, we mentioned that the best strategy is stick with more muted shades and tones of the warmer color. Which is what we’ve done here. The sand beige of the shirt and the dark camel brown of the cardigan are almost neutrals themselves. So the contrast between “warm” and “cool” in this look isn’t dramatic. It also helps to anchor the top half to the bottom with the warm snuff suede of the chukkas. Honestly, this is probably more of a Fall look. But that just helps to show how versatile a pair of grey jeans can be. And the socks? Well, we still need to have a little fun with our fits.

Have some suggestions for how to wear the No Time To Die grey jeans? Tell us about them in the comments! And don’t forget to check out our Guide to Contemporary Casual Style and our article on How to Dress Like Bond if you want more suggestions for updating your personal style. You can also visit our Facebook page, Instagram account, and Pinterest Boards for more James Bond style advice and inspiration!