Today's Femme Fatale

Samourai Soundtrack

What is Italy?

"Italy is the Land of Laissez-faire, a bucolic anarchy governed by wine and connivances of various loves--of good food, of sex, of liberty, of devil-may-care, of take-it-or-leave-it--above all a love of life."--Signor Farfalla, A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth

Samourai Soundtrack

A great song from trip-hop's glory days in the '90s. The sample is from John Barry's soundtrack to The Ipcress File.

The Classic Harrington Jacket

One of the many great things about the Daniel Craig-era James Bond films is the return of 007 as a style icon. Consider, for example, the resurgence of interest in the classic Harrington-style jacket in the wake of Craig's use of one in Quantum of Solace.

Of course, the Harrington jacket has been around for decades. The original G9 Harrington was and is made by the U.K. firm Baracuta. The G9 was a favorite of the ultracool Steve McQueen.

The G9 doesn't come cheap. It's retails for a bit over $250. That's a bargain compared to the jacket used by Craig. Designed by Tom Ford, it runs at least four times as much, a nice sum for a casual cotton jacket.




For the rest of us, the renewed interest in the Harrington has led to more affordable options, such as the one at left by Land's End Canvas, or the one below by Old Navy.

Neither have anything near the panache of the famous Baracuta, but they are a touch more attainable!

More PPK Coolness

George Clooney in The American.

The Walther PPK

What can be said about the venerable Walther PPK?

A fair amount of bad things, actually. It's an arguably obsolete design, with a questionable safety system. The slide can cut into a shooter's hand. And the 7.65mm caliber? Rather anemic, despite the claim of having a "delivery like a brick through a plate glass window."

And yet... I'd still love to own one. Yes, of course the Bond mystique has something to do with it. It would be a lie to say otherwise. While Connery was of course the first 007 actor to be armed with the PPK, I must say Daniel Craig's handling of this venerable pistol in Quantum of Solace has elevated my Walther-lust to new levels.

Of course, James Bond wasn't the only fictional hero who utilized the PPK. In the TV show "Magnum, P.I.," Thomas Magnum sometimes used a PPK as a backup to his .45acp 1911.

Interestingly, this same combo--1911 as primary weapon, with PPK as backup--was also the same combo used by Val Kilmer's character in the vastly underrated film Spartan.

The PPK is also just a gorgeous firearm, with smooth, classic lines. That's probably why it remains so popular both in fiction and with shooters 80 years after it was first introduced.