Reason: This page was recently renamed to "Espionage Chic" and should exclusively focus on the fashion style inspired by historical and fictional spies.
Spy Fiction is a genre that involves espionage, the covert gathering of information to be delivered to a third party. Mostly, the works in spy fiction focus on agents employed by the government to retrieve stolen information and objects, discover double-crossers, or end world-ending machines from nefarious villains.
The blueprint for most fictional work involving spies comes from Ian Fleming's James Bond series, which glamorized the life of spies; in fiction, these secret agents tend to be highly trained in a variety of stunts and visit exotic and luxurious locales while being hindered by incredibly sophisticated technology and seductive characters. However, the reality of spies is entirely different from the portrayal in fiction, with their activities being more mundane. There is a spectrum in Spy Fiction from being completely fantastical and even campy to dark and gritty. The commonalities between both is the emphasis on the agent being able to escape dangerous situations, the use of action and disguise, and an organization existing to give orders to the agent.
History[]
The oldest spy story can be found in the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible. Spy fiction is generally associated with the World War Two and Cold War eras, but spying and secret agents have existed during many wars as well as in times of peace. After the Cold War, the discovery of espionage training programs led to the appearance of spy schools in fiction. Spy fiction in the 1960s could be extremely serious, reflecting the fears of the public during the Cold War era, or it could be humorous and lighthearted, in an attempt to push back against these fears. Humorous spy fiction often parodies more serious spy fiction with references to characters and titles which existed previously. In the late 20th century, spy fiction began to be marked to children. Children's spy fiction is often more easy-going and focuses a lot less on the violence and/or sexual content common in spy fiction created for adults.
Visuals[]
- Concealed carry guns and various forms of clandestine weaponry
- Poisons and chemicals
- Gadgets
- Sheets of plans/maps, including coded messages
- Sports cars/vintage cars, planes (especially private jets) and yachts
- Fire and explosions
- A signature drink, such as James Bond's martini
- Abandoned and condemned buildings
- English manor houses and estates, castles and secret passageways
- Balls/events
Fashion[]
Much of the clothing associated with Spy Fiction is inspired by spy movies from the 1960s, when characters wore black turtlenecks and tan trench coats. A trench coat and fedora hat is often used to symbolize a spy's disguise, although this outfit is so out of fashion in today's world that it would be a completely ineffective one.
Disguises[]
Spies often desire to blend in with their surroundings as opposed to standing out. Most spy stories involve "The Spy" infiltrating a fancy event (e.g. ball) and therefore most spies will have a specific disguise for events like this.
Outfits[]
- Tuxedos (white tie/black tie)
- Long dramatic ballgowns
- Heels/dress shoes
- Lots of jewellery
In the Field[]
Spies are usually required to do "field work" which can hugely vary location-wise, from busy city centres, to arctic tundras, to hot desert valleys. Garments that have mission capability/durability etc are used by agents and operatives. Colors, usually militaresque like black, gray, tan, brown, navy and green are typically worn, as well as camouflage (the latter not as a uniform but for concealment/deception only). Layers are worn to regulate body temperature/ease of disguise/interface of garments, and footwear that are easy to run, jump, and climb in. Blouson jackets are typically worn, centralizing important EDC items to the wearer and allowing ease of swift movement.
Accessories[]
- Concealed thigh holsters (often holding a gun or a knife)
- Briefcases/duffel bags
- Umbrellas
- Goggles/glasses (often with a dual purpose)
- Hats (thick winter ones or small summer caps)
- Gadgets with dual purposes (pen with a camera, etc)
- Mission gear such as belt kit, climbing harnesses, gloves for gripping walls/protection from friction, barbed wire etc, grappling hooks etc
- Ninja gear, or similar clothing for night ops
- Tactical/bullet proof vests (often concealed)
- Tacticlip (often worn by women)
Resources[]
Blogs[]
- Bond Lifestyle
- Iconic Alternatives - James Bond Fashion on a budget
Gallery[]
