10 Killer Bond Girl Looks and Where to Find Them
With nearly 58 years of bikinis, evening gowns, suits, and devilish dalliances with a certain 007, these iconic Bond Girl looks are yours for the reimagining.
On an unassuming May morning in 1963, a relatively unknown actor named Sean Connery waltzed onto the silver screen as a gun-slinging, martini-drinking, super-spy named Bond, James Bond. MI-6 Agent 007 immediately enticed audiences with his sophisticated style, growling voice, and a certain raffish rapport with the ladies. But, it was his female counterpart, Honey Rider, who ensnared their minds and bodies as she emerged from the ocean in a now-infamous white belted bikini. At that moment, the Bond Girl was created.
At first, the Bond Girl was one-dimensional: she often rocked a bikini with a knife sheath or a plunging evening gown and could hold her own at poker. But through the years, she began to expand. We've had MI-6 counterpart Bond Girls, a physicist, a psychologist, a few double-agents, and, hell, we even had Grace Jones. You could argue there would be no James Bond without the Bond Girl who balances him out and, from time to time, saves him—damsel in distress be damned. Most often, the Bond Girl is soignée, well-spoken, and knows her way around a pistol.
58 years and 55 Bond Girls later, we are now preparing for the 25th installment of the Bond franchise, No Time to Die, hitting theatres on October 8, 2021. So, in celebration, L'OFFICIEL remembers some of the most iconic Bond Girl looks from Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann to Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore.
Jill Masterson, a secondary Bond Girl, was unfortunately entwined with criminal mastermind Auric Goldfinger—later becoming his eyes during heated games of Gin Rummy. Using binoculars from her Fountainebleau Hotel balcony, Masterson would relay Goldfinger's opponent's cards to him via radio. When Bond sniffed out foul play, he discovered Masterson, seduced her, and convinced her to throw off Goldfinger's game. When Goldfinger found out, he ordered her death, and she ended up dying of skin asphyxiation after being painted in solid-gold paint. Rumors circulated that actress Shirley Eaton had been killed on set after being painted gold, but don't worry, they were just rumors.
Albeit horrifying, death by gold paint could arguably be the campiest way to perish. If you're interested in a less lethal option, look to Altuzarra's Cruise 2022 collection's plissé lamé look available at Moda Operandi ($1,495).
Xenia Onatopp is a former Soviet fighter pilot who joined a crime syndicate after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Skilled as a martial artist, adept at cards, and a genius in her own right, Onatopp's most notable quality is her sexual sociopathy. That's right, she reaches climax through killing. My favorite? Her murder of Canadian Navy admiral, Chuck Farrel, who she crushed to death with her thighs during intercourse.
If the black widow spider is your spirit animal, you needn't actually commit murder, just pre-order Markarian's Lottie Strapless Silk Faille Cocktail Dress from the brand's Spring/Summer 2022 collection ($2,795).
Honey Ryder made her living selling shells in Miami and was Bond's first love interest. She provided back-road routes for Bond, was eventually kidnapped, escaped, and is last seen with Bond kissing in a boat trapped at sea. As the genesis for all of these characters, Honey's legacy evolves with each increasingly well-rounded Bond Girl—even seeing a woman taking over the 007 title in the upcoming film No Time To Die.
She didn't have much depth, but again, look at that bikini. If you're interested in reimaging one of the most iconic looks in cinema, Lisa Marie Fernandez has you covered ($395).
It may be pretentious to bring Carl Jung into a Bond film fashion round-up, but synchronicity. In Spectre (2015), Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swan, and Daniel Craig are getting the heck out of dodge. So, it is only fitting that in celebration of the 25th Bond film—where Seydoux reprises her role as Swan—Michael Kors Collection teamed up with 007 to create a fashionable capsule for the spy on the run.
The No Time to Die Partnership includes The MKC x 007 Bond Bancroft Large Leather Satchel ($1750), MKC x 007 Bond Leather Duffel ($2350), and MKC x 007 Bond Cotton Canvas and Leather Weekender Bag ($1950). Crafted in Italy and made with calf-skin leather, the collection is now available at Michael Kors.
Kara Milovy—famous cellist and girlfriend to one of many Soviet Bond villains—initially encounters Bond as a skilled sniper. Their adventure begins when Bond shoots a gun out of her hands and vows to help her escape the KGB. A worldwide romp ensues, including a sledding moment in Milovy's cello case, Milovy poisoning Bond, and a dressing room encounter. Eventually, Milovy is granted hero status and an international visa to perform her music worldwide.
When not in evening wear or on the slopes of Vienna, Milovy can be found lounging in her floor-length silvery blue silk robe. To recreate, look to La Perla's Asure Silk Long Robe ($511).
Before she was Gone Girl, Rosamund Pike starred as Miranda Frost in Die Another Day. A Harvard graduate, Olympic fencer, and MI-6 intelligence agent, Frost was cunning, aloof, and well-dressed. Yes, she ended up selling out Bond to North Korea and double-crossed him for a diamond magnate, but you could argue that diamonds are a girl's best friend. In the end, she's impaled with a dagger by Bond's secondary girl, Jinx, who scarily tells her to "read this, bitch" as she kicks the knife deeper into Frost's body. Damn Jinx, that's cold.
For an updated version of Miranda's best look, frost yourself with Peter Do's Spring '22 Crystal-Embellished Oversize Woven Blazer ($17,000).
The one who got away, Vesper Lynd, is one of the few Bond girls who held Bond's attention and stole his heart. Lynd, a treasury agent, is sent to watch over Bond's MI-6 funds in a high-stakes poker game, but, unknown to Bond, she is a double agent. Forced into a crime syndicate, Lynd works both sides as her lover is held hostage by Quantum. But, in classic 007 style, she unwillingly falls in love with Bond. She meets a fateful end in Venice after being locked in the elevator of a sinking building and is last seen kissing Bond's hand through the antique elevator's metal cage.
The best Bond girl by far, find a wearable alternative to her jaw-dropping black number with Magda Butrym's knitwear dress ($1570).
After pulling off the most extraordinary red-lip look this side of the new millennium, Vesper Lynd gets a double feature. If you're interested in recreating the look, then organic clean-beauty brand Kjaer Weis has you covered. Their iconic KW Red lipstick is not only organic (and impossibly creamy), it is sustainably packaged. The initial silver packaging can be refilled repeatedly, eliminating the unnecessary and often unrecyclable packaging that comes with traditional lipsticks.
If you've yet to join the KW train, I implore you to do so. Both initial packaging and refills can be found here ($48 initial, $30 refill).
The only Bond Girl with an eponymous film title, Pussy Galore is a trained aviator who leads a group of pilots called Pussy Galore's Flying Circus. Despite working for the bad guys, Pussy Galore is likable and is often seen wearing a Bond Girl rarity: a suit. A skilled judo fighter, Galore is responsible for dragging Bond to and fro his jail cell for her employer, Goldfinger. When Bond escapes, they engage in a tangled judo match with Bond gaining the upper hand and then kissing her? An odd start to a short-lived romance.
If a white suit suits you, look to Sergio Hudson's Pre-Fall single-breasted option ($995).
Mary Goodnight, poor, poor Mary Goodnight. Girl does not have a clue; she's not exceptionally talented, sharp, or even helpful. She's a run-of-the-mill field operative who has the hots for Bond, but Bond isn't interested. At one point, she thinks she has a shot and goes to Bond's room, where he pushes her into a closet after his actual desire, Andrea Anders, comes into the room. Anders and Bond go at it while Goodnight is locked in the closet. Finally, Bond releases her and tells her, "Your turn will come, I promise." Which like, mate, c'mon.
Nevertheless, her bikini was a moment. You can replicate it with Cin Cin's version ($100) that incorporates 2021's wrap-around trend and is made from post-consumer plastic bottle waste, redeeming the tragic tale of Ms. Goodnight.
