The cumme*rbund in SkyfallThough the cumme*rbund is a well-known part of black tie, Bond has only worn a cumme*rbund on a handful of occasions. Traditionally, one isn’t wearing a cumme*rbund because he’s wearing a waistcoat or a double-breasted dinner jacket, but those situations do not make up the rest of Bond’s black tie outfits. Bond is well-known for omittingthe waist-covering altogether, but Bond wears the seemingly pointless piece of silk around his waist a few times.
According to Black Tie Guide, the cumme*rbund originated from coloured sashes that British officers wrapped around their waist in India. Now cumme*rbunds ordinarily come in the form of a piece of pleated silk—with the pleats worn facing up—in the front that connects in the back with a strap and buckle. The purpose of the cumme*rbund is to act as a formal waist-covering that wears cooler than a waistcoat. It covers the bottom of the shirt front and the trousers’ waistband, so it serves an aesthetic purpose if not a practical one. Unlike how braces and belts aren’t worn together because they serve the same purpose, the cumme*rbund is not a belt and does not hold up the trousers. Thus, there is no rule about not wearing a cumme*rbund with braces. Braces can be worn with a cumme*rbund just the same as they can—and should—be worn under a waistcoat. Bond wears both a cumme*rbund and braces in Licence to Kill and Skyfall. Though belts and cumme*rbunds serve do different tasks, a belt should not be worn under a cumme*rbund since it will show as a bump underneath.
A fancy, coloured silk cumme*rbund in Diamonds Are ForeverThe cumme*rbund is traditionallyblack and matches the bow tie in both colour and texture, but it can be other colours. Burgundy is the most common choice for a coloured cumme*rbund, but the bow tie should always be blackno matter the colour of the cumme*rbund. Coloured matching bow tie and cumme*rbund sets are often sold and can be worn for “creative black tie” functions and high school proms, but if you’re trying to follow the elegant example that Bond sets the bow tie should always be black. After all, it’s called “black tie”. The only time Ian Fleming mentions Bond wearing a cumme*rbund it’s a “wine-red cumme*rbund” that he wears with his white dinner jacket and dress trousers in theThunderball novel. Since the bow tie isn’t mentioned, we can assume that Bond wears aproper black bow tie. The first time Bond wears a cumme*rbund in the films it’s a fancysilk in burgundy and black in Diamonds Are Forever. It’s a flashier 1970s take on the “wine-red cumme*rbund” that Fleming writes about, but the bow tie is still black. It’s the only time in the series that Sean Connery wears any sort of waist-covering with black tie.
The built-in cumme*rbund in For Your Eyes OnlyIn For Your Eyes Only, Bond wears trousers with a sort of waistband that acts like a cumme*rbund. The waistband is very wide, flat silk that extends across the entire front and fastens with two buttons at the right side. It’s a little narrower than a real cumme*rbund, but it’s a clever design and acts like a built-in cumme*rbund. The same type of built-incumme*rbund returns in Octopuss*. It may not be a propercumme*rbund, but it’s a step in the right direction.
A flatcumme*rbund in Licence to KillThe first time Bond hasa traditional black, pleated cumme*rbund is in Licence to Kill. It’s one of the few redeeming qualities of the black tie outfit in that film. But actually there are two cumme*rbunds used. The one Bond removes is flat silk and is used with the purpose to conceal rope. But later when Bond wakes up at Sanchez’s villa and sees his dinner suit neatly hung up, it’s the traditional cumme*rbund with pleats.
The cumme*rbund briefly appearing in Quantum of SolaceWhen Bond wore his dinner suit without a cumme*rbund or waistcoat in Casino Royale, many people took note of it and started doing the same. Though Bond’s tradition of foregoing the waist-covering began from the start of the film series in Dr. No, it took 44 years for people to notice and make a big fuss over it.When Bond returned in Quantum of Solace two years later, the cumme*rbund returned. And Bond wore a cumme*rbund again in Skyfall despite the cumme*rbund not being very popular at the moment.
The cumme*rbund does not work well with the low-rise trousers that make up the majority ofsuit trousers today since the cumme*rbund should be worn up at the waist and not down at the hips. Some people say that the cumme*rbund should be used with such low-risetrousers to prevent the white of the shirt from showing between the jacket button and the top of the waistband, but that’s not a true solution for a poorly-designed suit. The cumme*rbund’s purpose is not to prevent that bit of shirt from showing. The jacket’s buttoning point and the trousers’ waistband in a well-fitting suit should not be very far from one another. The cumme*rbund should actually be mostly hidden under the jacket and only show just a little above and below the jacket’s button, if it shows at all.
