THE JOURNAL
Presenting the latest collection – created exclusively for MR PORTER.
A number of different elements combine to produce the archetypal image of the gentleman spy, as immortalised by Mr Ian Fleming in his James Bond books and further fleshed out in the spin-off films. They include his capacity for cocktails, his penchant for one-liners, his irresistible appeal to women and his icy sang-froid – whether in the midst of a gunfight, at the wheel of an Aston Martin, or undercover at a high-stakes baccarat table. But, perhaps, the most recognisable of all these traits – and, crucially, the one that’s easiest to imitate – is his wardrobe.
The secret-agent fantasy has long held a romantic appeal, in part because it is utterly inaccessible. (Save the world? Get the girl? Please – most of us find it hard enough to get a girl.) Indeed, so far-fetched are the globetrotting escapades of fictional spies such as Bond, Bourne et al that they must seem fanciful even to real-life intelligence operatives, whose jobs typically involve less time spent at the casino and rather more spent behind a desk. But though we may never get to live out the fantasy, there is a way that we can dress the part.
Kingsman by MR PORTER was originally devised as a custom wardrobe for Mr Matthew Vaughn’s gloriously over-the-top spy pastiche Kingsman: The Secret Service, with the initial idea being that it would be possible to walk out of the cinema, open the MR PORTER app and purchase any of the clothes that were featured in the movie. And not some ersatz reproduction, either, but the very same suits, shirts, shoes and accessories that were worn by stars Mr Colin Firth, Mr Taron Egerton and Sir Michael Caine.
Kingsman has since evolved into a standalone brand in its own right, featuring fine watches by Bremont, Goodyear-welted shoes by George Cleverley, outerwear by Mackintosh, shirts and pyjamas by Turnbull & Asser, luggage by Globe-Trotter, and much more. When looked at as a whole, it represents a comprehensive wardrobe that caters to the needs of the modern gentleman – with a few killer touches that nod to the life of an undercover agent. For the past few seasons, we’ve imagined Kingsman in a series of different locations: on an undercover mission to Paris, and on the run in Venice. Now, for the brand’s fifth season, we see our protagonist back on home soil, his mission complete. But, this is no excuse to dress down: his wardrobe remains formal to a T, with velvet jackets, camel overcoats and check-patterned double-breasted suits – a Kingsman signature – forming the backbone of his look.
This new collection was designed while the 2017 sequel of the Kingsman movie was being pieced together in an edit suite in Soho. Now live and available to buy on MR PORTER, we like to think of it as a risk-free way of indulging your fantasies as a gentleman spy – albeit, via a suit, coat, and tie.