It’s always weird to feel how style can be cyclical, weaving its way back into our lives in the most unexpected ways.
Over the years, my style has journeyed through various phases. I’ve flirted with bold patterns, experimented with vibrant colors, and embraced different fits. Most recently I’ve had a gravitation towards simple designs and earthy neutrals. Picture a rugged-minimalism hybrid meets desert-inspired hues.
I was on a get-out-of-town weekend recently, enjoying the solitude that I’ve only found in the desert. Dressed in my don’t think, just pack travel gear—a black shawl collar cardigan, a loose white t-shirt, and tan stretch chinos—I felt a sense of comfort and authenticity that perfectly matched the landscape. The cardigan, versatile enough to replace a hoodie or act as a light jacket, has been a travel staple for a while now.
As I was grabbing some shots as the sun dipped below the horizon, a thought struck me while previewing the photos on the back of the camera. “Isn’t this the outfit that…”
It took me back 18 years to a scene etched in movie history: Daniel Craig as James Bond, effortlessly cool, taking a call, on a boat in Venice at the end of Casino Royale.
Back in 2006, Bond’s outfit epitomized refined, casual European elegance—sleek, sophisticated, and undeniably suave. His appearance in shawl collar cardigans in a few scenes in Casino Royale, then again in the sequel, Quantum of Solace, has been held up as the lightning rod that brought the grandfatherly sweater style back to prominence.
It wasn’t simply the sweater, it was the whole outfit. Here we have a new James Bond– redesigned to be tough and tumble in the wake of the later shark-jumping Brosnan films as well as the grittier films like the Bourne franchise–wearing a heavy sweater over a white t-shirt with drape-y chino pants as chill, super casual-wear.
Bond gave us an example of how a guy can wear a t-shirt and be lazy-comfortable, without wearing a hoodie.
I founded Primer in 2008, two years after Casino Royale came out. The film’s styling has had clear influence on my personal style as well as the content on the site. But even as we hit our stride, by the mid-2010s the trend among my generation was a much slimmer fit than Bond’s sweater, t-shirt, and chinos in this iconic movie look.
Fast forward to 2024, and here I am, having run through my own ebbs and flows with different styles, now finding myself mirroring that look, including its renewed looser relevancy, but through the lens of my own evolved personal style.
Even though Bond was styled in this scene for the elegance of Venice’s canals, mine emerged as an instinctual grab-and-go for the cool evenings of the desolate southern California desert. His was about European refinement; mine leans into my affinity for classic American style—an aesthetic that blends preppy influences with pieces originally rooted in workwear. It’s a mix you find in brands like J.Crew, Buck Mason, and Huckberry, which incorporate a touch of prep but with a foundation of a heritage of rugged, functional design.
Yet, both share a common thread—a celebration of simplicity, versatility, and understated elegance.
The three items that make up this very simple look serve as a bridge between these worlds. The sweater is a piece, that–while conveying a dressier, seasoned elegance, adapts seamlessly to a more rugged, dirt-kicking American sensibility.
Pair it with tan chinos and a plain white t-shirt, and it transforms into an outfit that’s both comfortable and versatile—a far cry from the tailored suits and polished shoes of Bond’s universe, yet connected in its enduring appeal.
It’s fun to think that after nearly two decades of changing trends in society and style, as well as changes in my own personal style, I’ve unintentionally come full circle back to an outfit reminiscent of one that was so pivotal to the men’s style aesthetic of my generation.
But maybe that’s the beauty of fashion trends—like life, some things are meant to find their way back to us, no matter how much time has passed.▪