Jantzen shorts

In the movie Thunderball (1965), James Bond (Sean Connery) wears three different pairs of Jantzen shorts.

When Bond meets Domino for the first time, he wears a blue pair of Jantzen shorts with a black or dark navy belt. The shorts feature the Jantzen ‘diving girl’ logo on the left leg (see the photo of a 1960s Jantzen logo on the left, photo courtesy of Fuzzy Lizzie). Bond wears the shorts with a pink shirt. Later, after the party and casino scene, when Bond get's back to his hotel room and finds the intruder in his room, he seems to be wearing the same shorts with the same shirt. (What Bond did with the tuxedo that he wore during the party is a bit unclear).

Another interesting thing the logo on the left leg reveals, is that the two shots of Bond entering the hotel (right before he receives his keys from the hotel receptionist) and when he walks up the stairs (right after he got the keys), seem to be flipped horizontally, because in those shots the logo is only on the right leg of the shorts.

The blue shorts with belt are worn once more when Bond dives and discovers the Vulcan.

Later, Bond wears a white pair of Jantzen shorts, when he dives to investigate the Disco Volante. When he returns from this expedition, he reveals a navy Fred Perry polo shirt under his diving suit. In this outfit (white shorts and navy polo), Bond is picked up by SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe in her Ford Mustang and taken to his hotel. He wears the shorts again with his diving suit in the last underwater battle scenes and boat crash at the end of the film.

When Bond and Domino meet under water and later sit together on the beach, Bond wears a pink pair of Jantzen shorts with pink gingham-pattern shirt and black Wayfarer style sunglasses. A good image of these shorts and the Jantzen logo can be seen in the James Bond Archives book, on page 123.

Where to buy

Update 2025: in celebration of Thunderball’s 60th anniversary, Anthony Sinclair and Jantzen have collaborated to recreate Sean Connery’s iconic “Bondi Colt” swim shorts, faithfully restored from Jantzen’s archives.

The shorts are an accurate recreation of the rare, original 1960s swim shorts sported by Sean Connery as James Bond in the 1965 movie Thunderball.

The shorts are available now at Anthony Sinclair.

Buy at Anthony Sinclair UK/ROW

Buy at Anthony Sinclair USA ($250)

The recreation of the iconic Jantzen design incorporates distinctive features of the original - including the extraordinary buttoned belt-loops and Diving Girl logo - together with a number of subtle, sartorial upgrades by Anthony Sinclair.

These shorts have set the standard for many iterations of blue swim shorts (see an overview here).

The shorts feature an ajustable, removable belt for a refined fit, internal drawstring for added comfort and flexibility, zip hip pocket for secure storage and soft net lining for enhanced comfort and support.

Also available in white and pink, and in a longer version.

Shop now at Anthony Sinclair

Vintage Jantzen shorts can be found on eBay, although finding similar shorts worn by Bond might be hard.