Daniel Craig’s controversial pink jacket proves colour is a winner for men over 50

We’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond, and it’s been quite the wait. After an 18-month delay to the launch of No Time To Die, the latest in the Eon Bond franchise, Daniel Craig decided to make an arrival quite unlike any other since he took over the role in 2006, arriving at the Albert Hall in a raspberry velvet jacket from Anderson & Sheppard. He pairs it with a classic black tie ensemble and some glossy Crockett & Jones shoes, a British heritage house that also outfit Bond in the movie.

And unlike the film, which has been met with rave reviews, opinion on the jacket is somewhat divided, comparing him in varying degrees to an overstuffed sofa and, one of my personal favourites from a friend, an ageing bus boy in a Wes Anderson movie. Personally, I think that, while there’s a touch of 70s cruise ship crooner to coloured velvet, it’s an impactful, playful choice that toys with the codes of Bond sartorialism.

First off, the colour seems to be a subtle nod to a particular shade of rose shirt worn by Sean Connery’s Bond in 1965’s Thunderball. Craig’s era of the franchise has continually referenced iconic Bond costumes of old - most notably his white Tom Ford tuxedo in Spectre echoing to Connery’s famous dinner jacket in 1964’s Goldfinger.

What immediately stands out is the snug fit, with a nipped-in waist and double-breasted buttons (with the bottom button undone, always). But the cut is perhaps strategic; on talking to those who made wardrobe items for the film, I hear the consensus was that sweaters and jackets should be figure-hugging. 

Much has been made of Craig’s age as a 53-year-old Bond, but the man has the body of chiselled marble and in keeping a close fit, he’s perhaps deliberately highlighting his athletic frame. It’s known that Craig chooses designers and styles he likes himself to outfit his martini-sipping alter ego, so it’s likely he has a great deal to say on how they fit.

Speaking of his age, the bold colour seems to complement Craig’s piercing blue eyes and sandy-ash hair. And as men creep past 50 and beyond, bright hues are a shrewd style choice because darker shades around the face tend to make older skin look more tired and drawn. 

There’s majesty in a severe black dinner jacket, of course, but it’s pleasing to see something with a little more oomph. It’s also rather festive, after a year and a half of being stuck indoors. If your mantle piece is starting to prop up with Christmas invites, a glamorous velvet jacket in a rich tone is a sure fire way to show you’re ready for cocktail hour.

This tickled pink number also follows a raft of men on the red carpet wearing more adventurous hues; Jason Sudeikis in teal Tom Ford velvet suit and Seth Rogan in an apricot silk number. It might impinge any super spy activity - that juicy shade doesn’t exactly blend into the crowd - but as he bows out of the role, it’s a bold, irreverent way to bid farewell to the most best-dressed fictional men’s style icon of all time.