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Post by eaz35173 on Dec 29, 2013 12:18:47 GMT -5
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Post by eaz35173 on Mar 21, 2014 10:00:11 GMT -5
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Post by Ace on Mar 25, 2014 15:28:52 GMT -5
Yes, his reasoning made for a fun read. That's what I liked about the article - that it was written by a fan of Pierce's work, not a professional critic. I'm sure we could all come up with our own top 10 lists and they would be somewhat different. I can say right off Live Wire (even with the bathtub scene!) and Lawnmower Man wouldn't be on mine. Hmmm let's see - off the top of my head The Matador The Thomas Crown Affair Tailor Of Panama The Ghost Love Is All You Need The World Is Not Enough Goldeneye Seraphim Falls The Fourth Protocol Married Life Mister JohnsonAnd that's 11 and doesn't count any TV so I cheated.
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Post by eaz35173 on Mar 25, 2014 21:33:38 GMT -5
My list would include these (in no particular order) ... Thomas Crown Affair The Matador Goldeneye Love is All You Need Laws of Attraction Dante's Peak Mamma Mia (a guilty pleasure) After the Sunset Shattered Evelyn Seraphim Falls
There are 11 there for me, too.
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Post by eaz35173 on Jul 6, 2014 9:32:51 GMT -5
www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/weve-forgotten-how-to-be-charming-writes-angela-mollard/story-fni0dpm6-1226979292289?nk=8bad033976064e4b4de2da252cd80e97We’ve forgotten how to be charming, writes Angela Mollard
ANGELA MOLLARD NEWS.COM.AU JULY 06, 2014 12:55PM ... I know charm gets a bad rap, that it comes with connotations of caddishness, as if a George Clooney smile or Cary Grant-style attentiveness will later turn into a knife between the ribs. But I’ve long preferred the P.D. James definition of charm: “No one has it who isn’t capable of genuinely liking others, at least at the actual moment of meeting and speaking. Charm is always genuine; it may be superficial but it isn’t false.” Recently I’ve been on the receiving end of a little unexpected charm — the point being that these days it’s so sparse that it IS unexpected. Last month I was leaving a gym as Pierce Brosnan was entering. After one of those awkward moments with a swing door, he realised he’d forgotten to get a locker key and came back to reception where the assistant was taking a leisurely approach to processing my credit card. “Oh please serve him first,” I said. “No it’s OK, I’ll wait,” said Mr Bond, sorry, Brosnan. “No, no, go first,” I wittered. “My credit card was recently defrauded and this is a new one and I’m not sure if it’s authenticated and if not I’ll have to pay with Eftpos and that’ll hold you up even longer and surely you’ve got a villain to apprehend.” OK, I didn’t say the last bit. “Thank you very much,” he said. Not thanks. Or cheers. Or nothing, which is the preferred response of most celebrities when they come face to face with civilians. Nope, a proper thank you and a warm smile in the eyes. Of course, I immediately felt guilty about all those times I’ve said he’s not a patch on Sean Connery or Daniel Craig...
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Post by eaz35173 on Jul 10, 2014 20:45:50 GMT -5
www.catholicvote.org/catholic-at-heart-pierce-brosnans-imperfect-yet-saving-faith/CATHOLIC AT HEART: PIERCE BROSNAN’S IMPERFECT YET SAVING FAITH
BY KATE O'HARE It would be a beautiful world if cradle Catholics remained faithful all their lives, and if converts (because, in this scenario, there wouldn’t be any reverts, like me) came to the Faith all unspotted and pure, with no nagging personal issues mucking up the place. A beautiful world, yes, but not this world. Let’s take the case of “Remington Steele” and James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, 61, who plays a depressed, suicidal TV personality who finds an unexpected surrogate family, in the new movie “A Long Way Down.” In his early 20s, the Irish-born Brosnan married Cassandra Harris, who died in 1991 of ovarian cancer. In 2013, he lost Cassandra’s daughter Charlotte (Brosnan adopted her and brother Christopher after the death of their father, Harris’ second husband, in 1986) to the same disease. With Harris, he has a son, actor Sean Brosnan, who was eight when his mother died. As widely reported, Brosnan answered the New York Daily News’ question about how he survived these tragic losses by saying, “I would say faith, being Irish, being Catholic. It’s ingrained in my DNA.” In 2001, Brosnan married “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Keely Shaye Smith at Ballintubber Abbey Catholic Church in Ireland, the first marriage for her. But at the time, they had two children, one apparently born before their engagement and one born after. It’s not the first time that Brosnan has discussed the role of faith in his life. He spent his early years in in Navan, County Meath, being raised by his mother, with the help of others, after his father’s departure when he was two. Then, at the age of 10 (or 12, depending on the source you read), he joined his mother in London. In 2011, as reported by IrishCentral,com, he told RTE.ie, “God has been good to me. My faith has been good to me in the moments of deepest suffering, doubt and fear. It is a constant, the language of prayer … I might not have got my sums right from the Christian Brothers, or might not have got the greatest learning of literature from them, but I certainly got a strapping amount of faith.” In a FoxNews.com story in 2013, in response to a question about how he handled being a widower with three children to raise, he said, “Grace under pressure, faith, Catholic faith, work and work and more work.” Asked to elaborate, he said, “The Church has, I suppose, kept me in good stead through life. I was brought up a Catholic in Ireland; I was brought up in the Church. Faith has kept me going.” On the other hand, in speaking about his mother to the the U.K. Telegraph in April, Brosnan said, “It was extremely courageous of her to get out of the mangled lifestyle of Catholicism and shaming and find a life for herself and myself. I wouldn’t have had my career if she’d stayed in Ireland and been persecuted for being a single mother in the ’50s, by the Church and the gossip of the town.” But a few paragraphs later, he surprises the reporter by crediting his faith again in helping him deal with personal and professional challenges, saying, “I have a strong faith, being Catholic Irish, that has been maintained throughout my life. I enjoy the ritual of church, prayer. I’m not consistent in it, but it’s within me. “The dark times and the troubles, they’ll come regardless. You just hope you have the strength and the courage to address them and endure. You want to live as many lives as possible in one; you want to do as much as you can.” Now, there’s plenty an orthodox Catholic might wonder about in Brosnan’s story. Was his first marriage valid, since he married a two-time divorcee? How did he get married in the Church if he was cohabiting with Smith and already had children with her out of wedlock? These are all legitimate questions from the perspective of Church doctrine and canon law, but it was ultimately between Brosnan and his priest or priests, and frankly, it’s none of our business. Ultimately, we have a man apparently still in the Faith and happy to talk positively about its influence in public, and, even more important, possibly raising his children in it. As we approach the October Extraordinary Meeting of the Synod of Bishops on “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization,” it’s worth noting — even for an orthodox revert like myself — that it’s better to have people in the Church than outside it, however imperfectly they practice the Faith. It’s better to open doors to sinners than to slam them in their faces. And once a way has been found to bring someone back into the Church, bringing up past irregularities as if they were disqualifiers for future involvement in Catholic life is not only useless but damaging and deeply uncharitable. So let’s pray for Brosnan and his family, that everything was or will be sorted out in the proper way, according to the spirit and letter of Church law, and that the children involved will be raised in the Truth and love of the Faith. And while we’re at it, let’s be grateful to have voices in the entertainment industry speaking out in the mass media in favor of Catholicism. There’s no telling what fertile ground the seed of that witness may fall upon. And if that voice once belonged to Bond, James, Bond, even better.
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Post by eaz35173 on Aug 24, 2014 23:37:51 GMT -5
www.joblo.com/movie-news/the-good-the-bad-the-badass-pierce-brosnan-119The Good, The Bad & The Badass: Pierce Brosnan
Aug. 25, 2014by: Chris Bumbray Last week, we took a look at the career of the late Robin Williams. This week's star is another legend, who just so happened to co-star as Williams' romantic adversary in one of his biggest hits, MRS. DOUBTFIRE... Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan is a consistently underrated actor. Maybe it's due to the fact that his James Bond outings never quite worked (and have aged quite badly) or the fact that he's so damn good looking, but he's never gotten the respect he deserves as a classic leading man. Maybe it's that Brosnan always felt cut from the same cloth as someone like Cary Grant, with him excelling in light comedy on his TV show REMINGTON STEELE, and as a romantic lead. Sadly, when he was in his prime, those types of roles were in short supply. Between his stint on REMINGTON STEEL and his first Bond movie, Brosnan had to toil in a slew of dreadful movie-of-the-week style thrillers, with only the occasional bright spot like THE LAWNMOWER MAN or MRS. DOUBTFIRE keeping him going. It's well-known that Brosnan was the first choice to take over for Roger Moore as Bond, before losing the lead in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS to Timothy Dalton when NBC decided to bring back REMINGTON STEELE for a couple of episodes, as they wanted to trade on what they assumed would be his new found fame. This idea backfired in a big way, but luckily, Brosnan finally got to play 007 in 1995's GOLDENEYE, with each of his subsequent Bond's breaking new ground at the box-office, and turning him into a global megastar in the process. But, there was a catch. In the 95-2002 period, the Bond films were struggling to keep up with modern action trends, and while Brosnan often spoke about wanting to take some risks with the character, he was often shoehorned into formulaic films, which ranged from entertaining (TOMORROW NEVER DIES) to absolutely atrocious (DIE ANOTHER DAY). Of his run as Bond, only GOLDENEYE stands the test of time, and it's a shame Brosnan never got the tough Bond vehicle he deserved. It's worth noting that his non-Bond 1999 vehicule, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, felt more classically Bondian than his real Bonds ever did. However, Brosnan is not one to rest on his laurels. Since the end of his Bond-run, Brosnan's reestablished himself as a character actor, turning in arguably his best performance ever in THE MATADOR, and some fine turns in movies like THE GREATEST, SALVATION BOULEVARD and more. This week, Brosnan returns to spydom again for THE NOVEMBER MAN. While I wasn't keen on the film itself (my review), Brosnan is as charismatic as ever, and it's always good to see him back on the big screen. His Best Performance
For me, Brosnan's work in THE MATADOR was a revelation. I always knew he could act, but I had no idea he had a performance like this in him. As Julian, the over-the-hill hitman, Brosnan takes his suave 007-image and flushes it down the toilet, playing it in the most un-Bond-like fashion imaginable, and it works brilliantly. From the scene where he walks through a hotel lobby in a speedo and cowboy boots swilling whisky while 'The Jam” plays on the soundtrack, to his drunken meltdown opposite Greg Kinnear in a Mexico City-bar, Brosnan seems to relish the part. It's my all-time favorite performance of his, and I honestly think he was Oscar-worthy that year. I guess lines like “I look like a Bangkok hooker on a Sunday morning, after the navy's left town,” or “margaritas always taste better in Mexico. Margaritas and cock,' didn't sit well with the academy. Screw 'em. His Most Overrated Film
A lot of Bond fans point to THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH as Brosnan's best Bond-outing. For awhile I agreed with them. In '99 it seemed like a relatively gritty 007 yarn, but the years have not been kind. For one thing, Robert Carlyle's Renard is one of the worst Bond-villains ever. For another, Brosnan's performance as Bond feels a little listless. And then there's Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, and the line “I thought Christmas only came once a year.” If it weren't for Sophie Marceau and the opening boat chase, I'd consider it unwatchable nowadays. It's still better than DIE ANOTHER DAY though. His Most Underrated Film
There are two really underrated Pierce Brosnan vehicles. One is LIVE WIRE. Made in-between his REMINGTON STEELE and Bond-years, LIVE WIRE is one of the dozens of cable-thrillers Brosnan made to pay the bills, but of all of them, LIVE WIRE ain't half bad. It's stylishly directed by Christian Duguay, and Brosnan makes for a dynamic hero as a bomb squad cop who discovers a group of terrorists are carrying out political assassinations with a liquid explosive they hide in water, turning their targets into walking bombs. Is it a dumb premise? Yes, but it has some really cools scenes, such as the climax when Brosnan goes all MacGuyver on the bad guys (led by Ben Cross) and starts improvising deadly weapons with regular household appliances. It's a cool little movie. The other is John Boorman's THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, based on the novel by John LeCarré. This was an early attempt by Brosnan to subvert his Bond-image by playing a sort of “dark Bond” where he has all of the same attributes, but none of the courage or morality. He plays a spy who blackmails a Panamanian tailor (played by Geoffrey Rush) into becoming his asset, and helping him scam his employers for more cash, while screwing anyone who gets in his way. His spy character is a misogynist, a racist, and an all-around bastard, and it was a pretty brave role for Brosnan to take at the height of his fame. Too bad hardly anyone saw it. His Most Memorable Scene
While I was tempted to throw in the lobby scene from THE MATADOR, I have to go with Brosnan's iconic introduction to the world of James Bond in GOLDENEYE. The opening, with the iconic bungee-jump, and smooth-bathroom introduction (“beg your pardon, forgot to knock”) is classic Bond. It's too bad the rest of his Bond vehicles couldn't live up to it. His Top-Five Films 5. TOMORROW NEVER DIES 4. THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 3. THE TAILOR OF PANAMA 2. GOLDENEYE 1. THE MATADOR Up Next
Brosnan's planning on turning THE NOVEMBER MAN into a franchise. Whether or not it actually happens remains to be seen, but even if it doesn't he's got a lot of movies in the pipeline. I expect Brosnan to churn out plenty of interesting films, but I must admit, I'd love to see him tackle Bond one last time, even if it seems unlikely.
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Post by Ace on Aug 29, 2014 16:54:51 GMT -5
Thanks to Eaz for the suggestion. Here's where miscellaneous articles go by the Online Media that aren't also printed in a Magazine.
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Post by eaz35173 on Aug 29, 2014 20:21:03 GMT -5
From Esquire On-Line Blogs ... www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/pierce-brosnan-rolesTHE 10 BEST BROSNAN-Y PIERCE BROSNAN ROLES
Other than 007, of course By Nick Schager on August 29, 2014 Pierce Brosnan may have hung up his license to kill after 2002's Die Another Day, but he returns to the espionage game this weekend in The November Man, proving in the process that he's still man enough to kick some ass and woo the ladies while looking like the most dashing man on the planet. Brosnan's persona now seems defined by his role as James Bond, and there's no doubt that he was always tailor-made for the character, which took natural advantage of his debonair good looks, manly charisma, sex appeal, and comfort performing stunt-heavy feats of derring-do. But there's more to Brosnan than just Bond. With a varied and impressive filmography, the 61-year-old Irish-born actor remains one of Hollywood's most undervalued leading men, adept not only at action mayhem but tender drama, romantic intrigue, and goofball comedy. In honor of his latest starring role, here's a look back at the best efforts of Brosnan's career you may not remember. ============ Click the link to see the list, reasons, and clips.
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Post by eaz35173 on Sept 3, 2014 6:15:22 GMT -5
www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/acting-in-a-bollywood-film-is-on-my-bucket-list-pierce-brosnan/article1-1259450.aspxActing in a Bollywood film is on my bucket list, says Pierce Brosnan Anubha Singh, Hindustan Times Mumbai, September 03, 2014 Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan, best known for playing James Bond on screen from 1995 to 2002, says that doing a Bollywood film is on his bucket list. “I have heard a lot about Indian cinema. In fact, I have worked with Indian actors Shashi Kapoor and Neena Gupta in The Deceivers (1988). Indian cinema is entertaining and what I love most about it is the songs and dances in the films,” he says, adding, “Acting for the Indian audience is surely on my bucket list, it may take some time though.” The 61-year-old, who has made a comeback in the action genre after 12 years with the recently-released, The November Man, admits that playing James Bond didn’t come easily to him. “I struggled a lot to get under the skin of the suave British sleuth, who I played in four films. I’d my own insecurities while portraying the role of James Bond. But I had a fairly good audience as well,” he says. When asked how he stays so fit at this age, he shares: “Generally, at the age of 61, one’s bones start giving up. For me, it’s a new day every day. I enjoy what I do and will continue to do this for my future projects. My stuntman, Mark, helped me a lot with action sequences in this film. We had a bit of a tough time shooting in Belgrade, Serbia, where explosions had to be done, some car sequences and driving in rush hour traffic ... people were just amazed by what was happening around.” Veering the conversation back to India, we ask him if he has any plans to visit the country anytime soon. “I am busy with loads of projects this year. But I surely intend to visit India soon. I have heard of Mumbai, Delhi, and the Himalayas. I would love to explore the incredible country,” he says. A self-confessed foodie, Brosnan adds, “Indian food excites me as I am a big foodie and would surely love to taste some authentic dishes when I’m there.” And while on the topic of India, he does not forget to compliment Indian women. “I think Indian women are very beautiful. They have a sense of elegance and innocence,” he says.
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Post by eaz35173 on Oct 22, 2014 16:17:10 GMT -5
www.examiner.com/article/pierce-brosnan-touched-by-artistry-of-talented-quadriplegic-painter-mariam-parPierce Brosnan touched by artistry of talented quadriplegic painter Mariam Paré October 22, 2014 8:24 AM MST It’s fascinating how two artists can create and share a bond when they’ve never even met, but the world of entertainment connects artists across the miles and brings together messages of hope shared between sender and receiver. For actor Pierce Brosnan, his portrayal of the Ian Fleming character, James Bond, on film was the message. For the receiver, Mariam Paré, an artist from Naperville, Illinois, Brosnan’s portrayal of legendary Agent 007 in “The Golden Eye” (1995), “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), “The World is Not Enough” (1999), and “Die Another Day” (2002) sent a message received loud and clear. With Brosnan’s work as inspiration, so moved was Paré by his acting talents that she decided to paint his portrait as Bond, James Bond. Her work was both unique and miraculous in that Mariam painted the entire canvas with only a paint brush held in her mouth, rather than her hands. Paré was an innocent victim of gun violence, which rendered her a quadriplegic with limited use of her upper extremities. When he saw Paré’s work, Brosnan said, “This portrait of me, as James Bond, is incredible. This is just exemplary artwork.” The exquisite detail in Brosnan’s face, with difficult facial shading, highlights in his trademark styled "007" hair, and his classic pose with his gun, is so perfectly achieved that it’s hard to believe that she taught herself to draw, first with a pen in her mouth, later with a paint brush. As the accompanying video explains, Paré was unaware at first of a tremendous organization known as the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, (MFPA), an organization founded in 1956 as an international for-profit association, run by and for the benefit of “disabled artists to help them meet their financial needs.” Paré said, “I was delighted to learn there was an organization of these professional artists.” The MFPA products available for sale to the public include reproductions of their original paintings as greeting cards, calendars, gift wrap and books. When Pierce saw a photo of Paré’s work, he invited her to his home in Malibu to discuss art, and the various inspirations for some of their works as he and this tremendously talented artist shared an afternoon. Mariam brought him two paintings, the “Bond” and then another lovely portrait of Pierce in a casual pose. Although it’s well known that Brosnan has had a tremendous career as an actor for over 30 years now, it’s less known how important art has been to him, virtually all his life. Pierce began his first career, after high school, as a commercial illustrator. On his web site, he explains, “I always wanted to be an artist, a painter.” It’s not just that Pierce appreciated the thoughtful gifts and talents. Rather he felt such great connection to Paré, as he also had experienced not one but two substantive losses in his lifetime, the first being the loss of his first wife, actress Cassandra Harris, to ovarian cancer. As she was battling the disease, Pierce turned to art to work through the difficult days, and although he’s self-taught as a painter, he cites the works of Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky as his inspiration. Sadly, Cassandra died in 1991 at the age of 43. Brosnan had adopted Cassandra’s two children, Charlotte and Christopher, upon the death of their father, plus Cassandra and Pierce had a third child, son Sean, and the five had been a loving family all fighting ovarian cancer together. In 2001, Pierce married Keely Shaye Smith, and the couple now has two more children, son, Dylan and daughter, Paris. He continued his painting, ultimately creating the Brosnan Trust, which maintains the income from sales of his Gicleé prints and distributes funds “to environmental, children’s and women’s health charities.” When Pierce visited with Mariam Paré, they talked about art, and how it had helped both of them through some of the darkest days of their lives. Pierce shared openly and frankly, as he spoke of how painting helped him find light among the darkness. Most recently, Brosnan lost Charlotte, Cassandra’s daughter, who also died of ovarian cancer in June 2013, the same disease that had claimed her mother and her grandmother as well. Reflect for a moment, and think of how fast your life would change if you suddenly lost the use of your hands due to tragedy or later-life, unexpected medical conditions. What would your attitude be? What would your spirit guide you to do? Could you see yourself seeking to find a way to express your talents any way you could? There are many days we take the gifts of life and time shared with others for granted. We assume we will always have the use of our arms, hands, legs and feet. And yet, in the blink of an eye, life could change for each of us. Yet these two talented artists, Brosnan and Paré, have chosen to continue to share their talents with all of us. Brosnan continues to create film and painting art, and Paré was inspired by his talent and gave back in appreciation for his work. No more cherished gift by one artist, to another artist, could be imagined. When you support the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists through purchases of their products from their official web site (www.mfpausa.com), you’re also offering encouragement, support, and respect to these talented artists who have broken through every physical barrier imaginable to create a work of beauty. Viewing the beautiful art and making it a part of your collection is the best appreciation you can show for the labors of love they produce. Pierce Brosnan’s visible support and affirmation of the work of fellow artist Mariam Paré is a very special sharing of his popularity to increase awareness for MFPA as an important cause most greatly deserving of support. For more on Paré’s artwork, please visit her official web site. As you find yourself considering end-of-year and holiday gifts in the weeks ahead, please consider this most outstanding organization that provides rewarding careers for the talents of individuals who refuse to give in to sorrow, incapacity, or misfortune as they continue to create beauty, which can be shared throughout the world.
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Post by eaz35173 on Nov 4, 2014 13:44:03 GMT -5
From a blog called The Suits of James Bond ... thesuitsofjamesbond.com/?p=5268 (for some reason, the pictures would not post with this article - click on the link to see the suits they are referring to) Classic Style and the Suit’s Ideal Proportions
Posted on 3 November 2014 What is the standard to which we compare all suits? What makes lapels narrow or wide, a jacket long or short, or a button stance low or high? Style theorists—and I use this term loosely—talk about timeless suits that we should only be wearing, but what makes a suit timeless? Does this timeless suit even exist? Every decade of the past one hundred years has had its mark on the suit, though people will often cite the 1940s as the golden age of the suit. But most suits from the 1940s would now look outdated. James Bond was not yet around in the 1940s, so it’s not really a decade relevant to this blog. Throughout every decade there have been tailors and clothing shops that did their best make and sell clothes that are ignorant of trends. From the 1980s to the end of the last decade, the American institution Brooks Brothers hardly took fashion trends into consideration. English shops like Pakeman, Catto & Carter and Purdey haven’t bowed to current fashion trends. But even many Savile Row bespoke tailors have considered and still consider fashion trends. They made narrower lapels in the 1960s and wider lapels in the 1970s, but never went to the extremes of fashion houses. Now, many of them are making trousers with a lower rise than they ever did before, and the drape cut is practically gone. The former Conduit Street tailors like Sean Connery’s Anthony Sinclair and Roger Moore’s Cyril Castle certainly kept up with fashion trends—especially the latter—but they kept classic proportions in the back of their minds and did not let fashion make their suits unflattering to the wearers. A suit with balanced, classic proportions is generally the most flattering suit, since it considers the wearer’s body first and foremost. Pierce Brosnan’s suits in The World Is Not Enough excellently illustrate the principles of a timeless suit with balanced proportions, and I will be using the suits from that film to illustrate what makes the suits look so timeless. This timeless look is what I compare all other suits to. The suits in Die Another Day and Casino Royale have similarly timeless proportions, and the suits in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Octopussy and A View to a Kill come close. Pierce Brosnan’s suits in The World Is Not Enough are all classically cut and styled in the Roman cut, which is derived from the English military cut. The charcoal suit in Bilbao and the pick-and-pick suit in Azerbaijan are the most basic of all the suits in the film, and thus they are the best to demonstrate what makes a classic suit. The suit jackets are made in the most classic of all jacket styles, the button three. They are cut for the lapel to gently roll over the top button, but they can still button at the top. The jackets have double vents at a medium length of around 10 inches. Double vents, single vents and no vents are all classic styles, though single vent is the sportiest style and no vent is the dressiest style. A vent length of 8 to 10 inches is the most classic since it is long enough to be useful but not too long as to cause unnecessary flapping about. The exception to vent length is for a longer 12-inch single vent on a hacking jacket since it splits open better on horseback. Besides the double vents, Pierce Brosnan’s charcoal and pick-and-pick suit jacket also have straight pockets with flaps and four buttons on the cuffs, which are the standards for suit jackets. What is the classic length of a jacket that we compare all other lengths to? The jacket length is ideally one half the distance from the base of the neck to the floor. For people with a longer torso than their legs, the jacket length should be long enough to cover the bum. For most people, the bottom of the jacket lines up with the thumb knuckle. This length keeps the body looking balanced and neither top-heavy nor bottom-heavy. A longer jacket can make a man look shorter, whilst a shorter jacket can give the man leggier, more feminine proportions. The part of the jacket that changes most with fashion is the width of the lapels. Ideally, the lapel width should be roughly half the distance from the collar to the edge of the shoulder, which ordinarily ends up being between 3 and 3 1/2 inches. This lapel width splits up the chest evenly. Though wide lapels have the effect of making the shoulders look wider, they can make the chest look smaller. Narrow lapels do the opposite. Extremes of either lapel width throw off the balance of the body. Pocket flap depth ordinarily follows lapel width and is around three quarters of the width of the lapel. The best lapel gorge height—where the notch is—is just as important to balance as the width of the lapels. A gorge that is too low shortens the lapel lines and brings the eye away from the face, but it has the benefit of giving the chest more presence. On the other hand, a gorge that is too high makes the chest look weak, so the right placement is key. The button stance has a big effect on the look of a jacket and a man’s perceived height and strength. The button stance is at the button that fastens, which is the middle button on a jacket with three buttons and the top button on a jacket with two buttons. A button stance that is too high makes a man look taller by extending the perceived leg length at the expense of a smaller-looking chest. A low button stance does the opposite. Pierce Brosnan’s button stance in The World Is Not Enough has the perfect balance and is about an inch lower than midway from the top of the jacket to its hem. The button stance should also correspond to the natural waist, which is typically about an inch above the navel. The body bends at the waist and placing the button stance there helps the jacket move better with the body. A jacket’s shoulder width and amount of padding should be balanced to the person and not be too wide or narrow, or too built-up. But this is one thing that can vary within the realm of classic style. Pierce Brosnan’s shoulders on his Brioni suits in The World Is Not Enough are straight, built up with a lot of padding and slightly extended past his natural shoulders. But the shoulders are not overdone and actually balance his build. Something less dramatic could work just as well and look equally classic. The fullness of the chest and amount of waist suppression have the most allowance to vary within classic style, as long as they aren’t so tight that they put stress on the jacket or so loose that the jacket looks sloppy. Brosnan’s suit jackets in The World Is Not Enough have a clean chest with a gently suppressed waist. Just as the amount of fullness or tightness in the body of the jacket can vary within the realm of classic proportions, the amount of fullness and tightness in the trouser legs can vary too. Naturally, the fullness of the trouser legs should be in proportion of the fullness of the jacket. A jacket with a full chest needs to be balanced by trousers with a full thigh. If the jacket tapers a lot at the waist, the trousers shouldn’t be baggy. Just like a jacket should not be so tight that is pulls, the same goes for trousers. Other than that, anything goes for the width of trouser legs. Pierce Brosnan’s suit trousers in The World Is Not Enough fit neatly through the thigh and taper gently to the turned-up hem, which mimics the clean but not dramatic cut of the jacket. The front of the classic suit trousers can have pleats or darts (like most of Pierce Brosnan’s suit trousers in The World Is Not Enough), or be plain. There is, however, a proportionate standard for the trouser rise. Like the jacket’s button stance, the trouser rise needs to work with the shape and movement of the body. There is a reason why classic suit trousers rise to the natural waist, like Pierce Brosnan’s suit trousers do. The waist is the narrowest part of the body and should be emphasised. Placing the trouser waist there does just that. The trousers have nowhere to fall down when they are at the narrowest part of the body. And by wearing trousers at the waist instead of at the hips, the legs look longer. The trouser rise should also correspond to the jacket’s button stance so that the shirt and tie don’t show below that jacket’s fastened button. It makes the suit look more fluid and the whole body look taller and slimmer. There is still plenty of room for creativity in a suit with balanced proportions. Just because a suit follows this classic formula doesn’t mean it has to be boring. The silhouette, the most defining aspect of a suit’s design, can vary considerably and still be balanced. Though Pierce Brosnan’s suits in The World Is Not Enough have straight, padded shoulders, the shoulders are just as proportionate and as classic as the natural shoulders on Roger Moore’s Douglas Hayward suits. Smaller stylistic details can also make a big difference. Sleeveheads can be roped or flat. The shape of the gorge can curve in different ways or not curve at all. The amount of belly in the lapels can vary. The quarters and pocket flaps can be more rounded or more squared for much different looks. Though fashion notoriously messes with the suit’s classic proportions, tailors may also alter these proportions to better suit people with extreme body types. For instance, a very tall man may benefit from a lower gorge (lapel notch) so he looks more grounded, and a short man can benefit from a higher gorge that lengthens the lapel lines. A man with a large head can benefit from extended shoulders so his head looks more balanced with the rest of his body. A short man can benefit from a shorter jacket length that will make his legs look longer. But any of these taken to the extreme like fashion has often done over the years is ultimately not flattering. Classic proportions aren’t just about the suit. We all know that the width of one’s tie should match the width of a jacket’s lapels. However, the shirt collar also needs to be in proportion with the lapel and tie width. The shirt collar point length can match the width of the lapels, though in practice the collar points are typically a little shorter than lapel width. It is more important that the collar match the shape and size of one’s head rather than the jacket’s lapels. Pierce Brosnan’s collar has roughly 2 3/4 inch points, but his lapels are around 3 1/2 inches wide. The size of the cuffs should correspond to the size of the collar. Brosnan’s cuffs are around the same 2 3/4 inches deep as his collar points. It’s not just the point length of a shirt collar that can match the jacket’s lapels. The angle of a shirt collar’s spread should roughly correspond to the jacket’s gorge height and angle. A narrower point collar points to a lower notch whilst a wider spread collar points to a higher notch. Pierce Brosnan’s moderately wide spread collars in The World Is Not Enough roughly follow the angle of the lapel gorge and end at around the same height of the lapel notches. But more important than matching the gorge angle, the collar spread should inversely match the width of the face. Pierce Brosnan’s face, however, is neither wide nor narrow, so he can look good in almost any collar. The height of a collar is determined by the length of one’s neck and has no relation to the proportions of other parts of the outfit. When some of the suit jacket’s proportions are tailored to best suit the person wearing the suit, and the suit, shirt and tie are well-designed to be in proportion with each other like Pierce Brosnan’s are in The World Is Not Enough, the entire of the outfit will be classically proportioned and most flattering. The clothes in The World Is Not Enough escape the clutches of fashion trends and look just as great today as they did fifteen years ago. For more about the classic proportions of a suit, read Alan Flusser’s book Dressing the Man. ================ I think I may have posted from this blog before, but I couldn't find it. Ace, if you know where it is, please feel free to move this post.
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Post by eaz35173 on Nov 7, 2014 15:37:57 GMT -5
He's got some nice things to say about Pierce in this little episode ...
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Post by eaz35173 on Nov 18, 2014 14:16:40 GMT -5
www.empireonline.com/features/glorious-old-school-official-actor-websites/p3www.piercebrosnan.comThe only Bond on this list not to be knighted, Pierce Brosnan more than makes up for the absence of “Sir” on his business cards with a website, Facebook page, Twitter profile and instagram account that puts the other two 007s here to shame. A trained commercial artist, Brosnan’s been painting in his spare time since the late 1980s, so the “Artist” tab is well worth a look, but it’s his recent spate of on- and off-set instagram photos that are the absolute highlight of his online presence. A photograph of the “Bron-Hom” – as some of his fans call him – recently made it to the Empire Facebook page, such is the power of Pierce Brosnan, mid-dance, making Spider-Man hands at the camera. Elsewhere on the site, there is plenty on his activism for good causes – the environment, children’s welfare, animals, women’s health and whales – and a seriously slick photo gallery which will remind you just how ludicrously handsome he is. Make time to click through them all to see a snap of Brosnan and Connery at a party together.
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Post by eaz35173 on Dec 10, 2014 15:01:49 GMT -5
More from The Suits of James Bond blog ... thesuitsofjamesbond.com/brosnans-navy-cashmere-double-breasted-overcoat/Brosnan’s Navy Cashmere Double-Breasted Guards Coat
Posted on 10 December 2014 Pierce Brosnan’s navy cashmere double-breasted overcoat that he wears over his grey pinstripe suit in Die Another Day is the last tailored piece of James Bond’s wardrobe this blog has left to cover before the clothing in Spectre is revealed. Pierce Brosnan wears at least one overcoat in every one of his Bond films, and this is his third double-breasted overcoat after the vicuna-coloured overcoat in Tomorrow Never Dies and the funereal black overcoat in The World Is Not Enough. The navy Brioni overcoat is full-length to just below the knee and has six buttons with two to close. The lapels are peaked with a buttonhole on both sides. The overcoat has a half belt in back attached only at the ends, a long single vent, four buttons on the cuffs and straight, flapped pockets. Bond wears the collar up, which keeps the wind off his neck and reveals the navy velvet undercollar. Though full-length overcoats are not very popular right now—shorter coats are trendy and are almost all that’s available currently—they look the most elegant of all overcoats and keep the body the warmest. Double-breasted overcoats are warmer than single-breasted overcoats due to the extra layer in front. Bond, however, doesn’t benefit from the warmth of his overcoat since he wears it open. It must not be that cold. Or, perhaps like his grey suit underneath, the overcoat has become too tight to button. London, where Bond wears this coat, ocassions has very cold winters, and the warmth of a double-breasted coat is very beneficial whether the winter is severe or mild. With the overcoat, Bond wears dark brown leather gloves with three points sewn on the back of the hand. The gloves are sewn with the seams on the outside, which are more comfortable than seams on the inside but are also more prone to wear. The gloves have a V-shaped palm vent to ease the glove onto the hand.
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Post by eaz35173 on Jan 25, 2015 12:31:46 GMT -5
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Post by eaz35173 on Feb 2, 2015 8:45:38 GMT -5
Another entry from The Suits of James Bond ... thesuitsofjamesbond.com/remington-steele-opting-black-tie/Remington Steele: Opting Out of Black Tie
Posted on 31 January 2015 Black tie events these days are mostly “black tie optional”. The best-dressed men would only wear a dinner jacket to such events, but a dark solid suit is a stylish choice for those who opt out of the dinner jacket. Pierce Brosnan as Remington Steele, in the first series episode of Remington Steele titled “Etched in Steele”, wears a charcoal three-piece suit to a black tie party. Considering the way Mr. Steele looks over the people at the event when he arrives, he probably didn’t expect the party to be black tie. Steele is rarely underdressed, and he is actually known to overdress. Nevertheless, Steele would be appropriately dressed in his dark charcoal suit for an event where black tie is optional. Anyone who comes dressed like Steele to a black tie optional event would be a very well-dressed—though still not the best-dressed—gentleman. The charcoal of Steele’s suit is so dark that it looks black in dim lighting and only shows its true colour when up against true black. A dark navy suit would serve the same purpose at a black tie optional event, and may even be preferable due to its richer colour. Though Steele wears a three-piece suit, a two-piece suit would have been just as appropriate for a black tie optional event. Steele’s button two suit jacket has narrow pagoda shoulders with roped sleeveheads and a clean chest with a suppressed waist. It has slanted flap pockets, three-button cuffs and double vents. The notched lapels have a steep gorge, a characteristic of 1980s suit jackets, but both the gorge and button stance are at classic heights. Overall, the suit jacket has a classic cut with timeless and balanced proportions. The waistcoat has five buttons, and Steele leaves the bottom button open to follow tradition. The trousers have a flat front and straight legs with plain hems. Steele unfortunately wears the trousers with a belt, which leaves a lump under the waistcoat. Due to the suit’s dark colour and quality of the DVD, the lump is hardly noticeable. Steele wears the only colour shirt that would be appropriate at a black tie optional event: solid white. It’s really the best colour shirt for any dressy evening occasion, though cream works slightly better for those with a warmer complexion. The shirt has a point collar worn with a gold collar pin, a front placket and double cuffs. Steele’s tie is red with small tan polka dots. Red is a great accent colour for the evening, and it’s the only bold colour that can be traditionally worn along with the black and white of black tie. Red is a classic colour for cummerbunds, and James Bond twice wears a red carnation with his dinner jackets. The only colour that would have been better for Steele’s tie is silver. Black can look rather funereal with a dark three-piece suit, but it’s not an inappropriate choice either for black tie optional. The small tan polka dots in Steele’s red tie coordinate with Steele’s gold collar pin and cuff links. The red silk pocket square coordinates with the tie but lacks the tie’s polka dots to avoid the dreaded matching tie and pocket square. It is folded in sort of a winged puff, but it looks more circular, rather like the red carnations that Bond wears. Steele’s usual choice of black slip-on shoes is very Bond-like, though it’s not the most appropriate choice for a three-piece suit, especially not in the evening. Though Steele wears his slip-ons well, black cap-toe or plain-toe oxfords would be the ideal choice.
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Post by eaz35173 on Feb 5, 2015 0:12:07 GMT -5
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Post by eaz35173 on Feb 18, 2015 20:07:51 GMT -5
I wasn't sure where to put this because it isn't about Pierce, but it is about some behind the scenes stuff dealing with the movie industry and the Red Carpet that I found very interesting ... www.denofgeek.com/movies/34161/the-problems-with-being-a-red-carpet-reporterThe problems with being a red carpet reporter
by Ben Mortimer 18 Feb 2015 - 06:45 Is it all glitz and glamour on the red carpet? According to one veteran reporter, the reality is a bit more mundane... Last week, Buzzfeed published a report from the BAFTA red carpet, where they posed to male attendees “the same sort of banal fashion questions that female stars often get asked”. As an exercise in hitting the mark it was flawless, with the video receiving nearly half a million Facebook likes, and being picked up by a slew of other outlets. But in terms of addressing the very serious problem of sexism in media and the film industry, it was, to be honest, less successful. I’ve been reporting on red carpets for the last six years, primarily for the website HeyUGuys, but also as a freelancer for a variety of major publications and content syndicators. In that time, I’ve seen first-hand the bizarre and ridiculous nature of these events, as well as the incredibly inane questions asked of both male and female attendees. At the same time, I’ve endeavoured to ask all attendees, regardless of gender, sensible questions that actually relate to the film they’ve made. This hasn’t always been easy. Promotional interviews are by their very nature strange and awkward interactions, with the subject contractually obliged to discuss a project that, more often than not, they finished working on months, if not years, beforehand. Red carpets only magnify the discomfort by turning the whole process into a contrived conveyor belt, with the background noise of screaming fans, and more often than not, the shittest weather Britain has to offer. Indeed, for all the artificial ‘glamour’ we sell to the public, the reality of a red carpet is at once more mundane, and more ridiculous, than the public are led to believe. The perception of red carpets – at least the perception I had before I started covering them – is of a scrum of journalists screaming to the ‘talent’, desperately trying to call them over for an interview. While this is true for autograph hunters, the reality for press is entirely different: the red carpet is an intensely stage-managed affair, where the press outlets are arranged in a long line, in order of perceived importance. Attendees walk from one end to the other, staging fresh and ‘spontaneous’ interviews every few yards. At the top end of the press line, the first to talk to the talent are national and international broadcast outlets like the BBC and ITV. Further down the line are syndicators like Reuters, the Associated Press and Getty Images, followed by crews from major newspapers. Interspersed amongst these are ‘print clusters’, groups of journalists with dictaphones hoping to grab a quick quote to go in the next day’s paper, or the next week’s magazine. At the tail end of the line are crews from movie websites, and beyond them, the no man’s land known as 'the blogger pen'. As an accredited reporter for a chosen outlet, you are expected to turn up about an hour before the talent arrives. Thirty minutes later, the line is ‘locked down’ – no one in or out – then, eventually, the arrivals begin. In theory this happens about 90 minutes before the screening, although in reality a combination of London traffic and human nature means that everything usually starts late. When the talent finally arrive, they tend to do so in order of importance, with less well-known cast and crew turning up first, and the stars of the show often not arriving until the very last minute. And, of course, even when they do arrive, their focus isn’t entirely on the press line. Initially attendees will be taken to the photographers, and then to the stage to perform a live interview for the benefit of the crowd. Once this is done, they’ll sign autographs, before spending their remaining time (anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes) with the press. The upshot of all this is that while big-player outlets at the top end of the carpet might get four or five minute interviews, the majority of journalists are lucky if they get a question each. Indeed, by the end of the line, reporters are often grouped together, trying to find a question or two that can play as well on a specialist film website as it does in a women’s weekly, or on a breakfast radio show. Compounding the problem even further, it’s often not clear who is going to be in attendance until the event begins. This is particularly true of awards shows, but is even the case with film premieres. As a result, it’s difficult to prepare any meaningful questions before the event. Even more frustrating is that, at some premieres, press haven’t been admitted to screenings before the event and are thus unlikely even to have seen the film. When faced with such odds, it is hardly surprising that the majority of journalists resort to asking banal, generic questions. These questions usually follow a similar line: “tell us about the film”, “what was it like working with x?”, “was it fun to shoot such-and-such a scene?” or the perennial classic “did you do your own stunts?”. Believe it or not, I’ve been on press lines where nearly every single interviewer asks a variation of these same questions. The belief amongst a great many editors and producers is that this is all the public at large are really interested in, and so reporters stick to the same set of questions no matter what event they’re covering, or who they’re interviewing. When it comes to the specific issue of red carpet fashion, on British red carpets, at least, most of the questions come from print journalists for the tabloid press or for women’s weekly/monthly magazines. As such, it doesn’t matter particularly whether the answer comes from the talent or from a publicist, and many publicists now walk ahead down the press line letting reporters know who made their client’s outfit. And while personally, I find the question of clothing particularly dull, it does serve a purpose. At most film premieres and awards shows, prominent actors and other ‘celebs’ wear outfits loaned to them by designers expressly to generate publicity. It’s expected that the star will talk about the outfit in exchange for the loan, and it’s not uncommon for them to bring it up, even if they’re not asked. As a side note, while it’s not quite as frequent an occurrence, it’s not actually all that uncommon for men to be asked about their outfits. The reason Buzzfeed’s reporter got such strange looks was because she asked “what are you wearing?”, while the standard format for the question is the somewhat nonsensical, “who are you wearing?”. In fact, while I’m on the subject of the aforementioned Buzzfeed video, it’s worth pointing out that in the UK, at least, it’s often the same twenty to thirty reporters who cover these events week in, week out. As such, they tend to avoid the most probing and impertinent questions, because otherwise they’d end up banned from attending premieres. Even when they do ask a more personal question, most reporters will couch it in a way that it relates to the movie, or the industry at large, for instance asking how Angelina Jolie managed to find time for her family while working long hours on Unbroken. The majority of the more blunt and personal questions aren’t asked of film talent, but are restricted to the reality TV stars and other z-listers, who are only too happy to bare their personal lives to gossip rags. In an ideal world, film premieres would be above this sort of thing, but with limited access to film talent, many outlets rely on these interviews to justify their attendance at the event. Of course, while this is a general rule, it’s not hard and fast. On bigger red carpets, for world premieres and award ceremonies, the number of media outlets multiplies threefold. Reporters fly in from around the world, and companies who usually wouldn’t bother covering a minor film premiere, send crews down. These outlets tend to focus on what might be termed, ‘a general audience’, and steer toward the banal, personal and fashion-centric questions in the belief that it’s what their audiences want. It’s also these large-scale events where many UK-based outlets – often the ones most likely to ask pertinent questions about films – miss out on accreditation. There are limited spaces, and publicists need to be certain of coverage. Ultimately, whether right or wrong, they generally value international broadcast outlets over British print and online ones, even household names, so these outlets get the boot in favour of TV crews. And this is the crux of the issue. I would love to live in a world where the questions asked on red carpets are thoughtful, intelligent, and focused on making movies. I’m sure the majority of actors, directors, screenwriters, producers and even publicists would agree, but for that to happen broadcasters and publishers need to see the value in asking intelligent questions over the current way of doing business. And publicists need to see the value in accrediting outlets who ask interesting questions over those that ask the same banal bullshit. Thanks to Amy Poehler and the #AskHerMore campaign, as well as the likes of Upworthy and Buzzfeed, the spotlight has been turned on the ridiculous and sexist nature of red carpet coverage. But the only way we’ll change this forever is by proving there’s an audience out there that want reporters to ask sensible questions. Indeed, we need to prove that audience is as big, if not bigger, than the fashion fans, and outfit-shamers. So the next time you see a red carpet interview, and the reporter asks an interesting question, share it. Tweet, Facebook, Tumblr and e-mail the living shit out of it. Believe me when I say that every single hit helps. And if you really want to make a difference, the next time you see a link for a gallery of pretty dresses, or even worse, some snark-piece about horrible outfits, don’t click it. Ignore it. And maybe, eventually, if we’re very lucky, it might just wither away and die.
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Post by eaz35173 on Feb 26, 2015 9:02:12 GMT -5
thesuitsofjamesbond.com/pierce-brosnan-for-kia-in-a-navy-peaked-lapel-suit/Pierce Brosnan for Kia in a Navy Peaked Lapel Suit
Posted on 26 February 2015 Pierce Brosnan appeared in a Superbowl television advertisement for Kia Motors’ Sorrento Crossover SUV this year wearing a navy suit very similar to what we recently saw Daniel Craig wear for filming Spectre. Though Pierce Brosnan’s suit is a two-piece suit as opposed to a three-piece suit, it is made in a very similar button-two single-breasted, peaked-lapel cut that would suggest Tom Ford. The navy cloth has a sheen that would suggest mohair, possibly woven with yarns in white or other colours to give it extra sheen. The jacket has fairly wide lapels with a considerable amount of belly, and they extend roughly two-thirds of the way between the jacket’s opening and the sleeves. The shoulders are straight and have roped sleeveheads. The sleeves have five buttons on the cuffs. The suit trousers have a flat front and plain hems, and they are worn without a belt. This Kia advertisement plays up Brosnan’s James Bond past, and he is undoubtedly still supposed to dress like James Bond in this advertisement. This suit very closely resembles the navy three-piece Tom Ford suit that Pierce Brosnan wore to the premiere of The November Man. The most noticeable difference between these two suits are the cuff buttons. Though both suits have five buttons on the cuffs, they are overlapping in the suit in the Kia advertisement whilst they are touching on the suit the Brosnan wore to the premiere of The November Man. Also, the buttonhole closest to the edge on this suit is the same length as the others whilst it is longer on the suit at the premiere, just like on all of Daniel Craig’s Tom Ford suits. This could still be a Tom Ford suit, but the sleeves would not likely have been finished in house. If this is not a Tom Ford suit, it was certainly inspired by Tom Ford’s designs. The white shirt has a point collar that stands up neatly inside the jacket’s collar. The collar stands fairly tall, which is flattering because it covers most of Pierce Brosnan’s sagging 61-year-old neck. Brosnan wears the collar open without a tie. Usually a dark suit looks incomplete without a tie, but Brosnan pulls off this look elegantly. The relaxed setting and Brosnan’s relaxed demeanour makes it work. The shirt also has a front placket and double cuffs. Brosnan’s shoes are burgundy cap-toe oxfords and his socks are grey, a neutral tone that neither complements his outfit nor clashes with it. Navy socks that match the suit, however, would have been a better neutral choice.
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