Nicola Copping
The man, the films, those blondes. Free DVD collection starting this Sunday

10. Octopussy - Maud Adams (Octopussy, 1983)
As the only woman to play two Bond girls, Bond producer Cubby Broccoli clearly found something irresistible about this demure Swede. Surely it was the hair? Sporting the most pouffy, wispy, honeycomb nest of a bouffant since Dusty Springfield, it’s hard to notice the face when the hair enters stage left. Twin that with some equally wispy lingerie (does Octopussy actually get dressed during the film?) and you have yourself a screen siren. This is a master class in underwear as outerwear; it’s a shame it doesn’t stay on for long.
9. Pussy Galore - Honor Blackman (Goldfinger, 1964)
Welcome to the Bond Girl’s Guide to Power Dressing. Goldfinger filming may have taken place in the sixties – an era dominated by mini skirts, pansies and women who looked like schoolgirls - but hey-I’m-all-woman-and-I-have-a-husky-voice Pussy would rather jump out of an aeroplane than wear a skirt – she had trouser suits galore. With her perfectly sculpted bob, low-cut gold tops and the best Bond make-up ever seen, it’s not just the name that’s memorable.
8. Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp - Famke Jannsen (Goldeneye, 1995)
Vampiric, fetishistic and one hell of a hot lady. Onatopp’s S&M kit makes Lara Croft look like Tiny Tears. What does a woman who can crush James Bond between her legs wear? Well, apart from nothing, red leather or a military uniform. Oh, and blood red lips. At the casino it’s Sophia Loren style but with none of the sweetness – she smokes a cigar and she’s probably hiding a razor-sharp flick knife in her suspender belt. Evil never looked so good.
7. Teresa Di Vincenzo - Diana Rigg (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969)
The most glamorous death scene belonged to Teresa Di Vincenzo (a.k.a the only Mrs Bond). If you’re going to cark it, you might as well do it in an aquatic glitter cocktail dress, on a beach, with perfectly voluminous hair and feline, mascara-caked eyes. And of course, a look of desperation when you realise you’ve been married to the most eligible bachelor in the world for precisely five minutes. Were it not for the outfit, this would be tragic.
6. Melina Havelock - Carole Bouquet (For Your Eyes Only, 1981)
If you want an excuse for a nautical wardrobe, then film your Bond story at sea. Cue high waisted trousers, plenty of heat-reflective white t-shirts, and effortlessly straight hair – with not a sign of salt frizz (not even after being plunged into the sea tied up in ropes). The only woman in history to make a yellow jumpsuit look good – not even a leathery Roger Moore could pull that one off.
5. Vesper Lynd - Eva Green (Casino Royale, 2006)
Cue the twenty-first century and a harder Bond, and out comes the glamour quicker than you can say “hand over the pussy, Blofeld”. Given Roberto Cavalli’s involvement in the casino outfits you can already see the formula: sleek, sexy and sculpted. But Vesper Lynd’s forties locks, icy froideur and scant trace of a smile hardened the look in tune with Daniel Craig’s pithier 007. A master class in hauteur.
4. Solitaire - Jane Seymour (Live and Let Die, 1973)
How do you dress a psychic tarot card-reading virgin? Slap on the eye make-up (think Ming from Flash Gordon), give her some bling-tastic ethnic jewels and make her wear more maxi dresses than Talitha Getty at a Moroccan riad. One of the most beautiful and innocent of Bond Girls, Solitaire managed to look sexy, even when draped in a red satin tent. OTT? Absolutely. And this is why we love her.
3. Miss Mary Goodnight - Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974)
Yes, her ears stick out. Yes, she looks like Patsy Kensit. Yes, she has a ridiculous name. But Miss Mary Goodnight also benefits from the best ever Bond wardrobe. Cue geometric seventies prints, fabulous shades of turquoise, emerald and azure, and even a towel that was perfectly accessorised with her hair. She’s the Bond girl we want to be, and we’d run her over in an Aston Martin for her clothes.
2. Honey Ryder - Ursula Andress (Dr No, 1962)
Was it the body or the bikini that made Andress the most memorable (and lusted-after) Bond Girl of all time? Given that the remaining elements of her on screen wardrobe were significantly suspect (think pink satin Orient-inspired dresses and frizzy Jodie Harsh hair) the bikini had to be a force with which to be reckoned. Give the costume designer an Oscar for creating a white version that wasn’t see-through.
1. Miss Moneypenny - Lois Maxwell (Dr No, 1962 - A View to a Kill, 1985)
Miss Moneypenny is the consummate British Bond Girl. Granted, she has the advantage of an extensive wardrobe (an appearance per episode requires serious costume department strategising), but we love her because she never let James get a whiff of what was lurking beneath her twinset. Like Maggie Thatcher with a twinkle in her eye, her look was dominated by pussy bow blouses, pencil skirts and perfectly coiffured hair. Ursula may have had the bikini, but it was Moneypenny’s prim, trim and keep-it-all-in (and out of sight) that passed the test of time, and kept 007 guessing. What a woman.
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Diana Rigg proved to be every bit Bond's equal. Tough, smart, beautiful, she stole Bond's heart. In the movie that was Ian Fleming's personal favorite, Diana was head and shoulders above all Bond girls before and after. She is also drop dead gorgeous, tough and softly feminine in one package.
Frank Herrmann, Naples, FL, USA
Yep the texan blonde in view to a kill is number one for me.Number two is Denise Richards - The World Is Not Enough and third Holly Johnson in HMSS.
Kim Bessanger I'm in Love! NSNA
All soughted
Rob Jones, London, UK
Yep the texan blonde in view to a kill is number one for me.Number two is Denise Richards - The World Is Not Enough and third Holly Johnson in HMSS.
All soughted
Rob Jones, London, UK
I agree with Ian Hillman!
Claudine Auger was delectable as Domino in Thunderball.
Ursala Andress coming out of the ocean was the sexiest scene.
Alan Kent, Palo Alto, USA
Two of my favorites:
Jill St. John - Diamonds are Forever
Denise Richards - The World Is Not Enough
Randy, Dallas, TX , USA
I say all of the above!
Winston, Mobile, USA
My favorite of your lists. I have to point out, though, that you seem to have conflated the dress in which Tracy tries to drown herself in the first scene and her wedding dress in the last scene.
Ned Hastings, Atlanta, GA, United States
Maud Adams Hubba Hubba - WOW!. As a kid I had such a crush on this woman - the best James Bond girl ever in my view!
Robert Tilford , McCracken, Kansas, USA
You are forgetting the first 'Bond Girl' Sylvia Trench in Dr. No
Played by Eunice Gayson. Dark, sultry looks in an off the shoulder red dress...ending up in JB's shirt.
She is also my eldest Brother's God Mother.....
Valentine Quin, London
Valentine Quin, London, United Kingdom
Great List. I could dispute some of the order but not worth it. Good to see someone not just fill in the top 10 with the most recent actresses to play the parts (that means you Halle Berry). Let's hear it for old school Bond, before the movies became so politically correct.
Tom Frankowski, Annapolis, U.S.A>
What happened to Jill St John as one of the top 10? The sexy, skittish Jill played Tiffany Case in Diamonds are Forever and spent most of the film in skimpy bikini or under bed covers. Awesome.
Graham, Sheffield, UK
Although a small role, let's not forget the lovely Robbin Young. She won the part in For Your Eyes Only (1981) in a contest sponsored by Playboy magazine. Check her pics on IMDB.
Visi Profio, New York, USA
Daniela Bianchi in "From Russia With Love" has got to be Top Ten.
Ron, Los Angeles, USA
...oh yes - how can ANYONE forget DIANA RIGG?
Surely Mrs Emma Peel (aka 'Tracey' Di Vicenzo) has to be THE most wonderful bondgirl ever. She was way cool, beautiful, sexy, and intriguingly sardonic.
Diana Rigg is actually an actress - unlike the rest of the bondgirls who are all just eye-candy.
Ian Hillman, York, UK
The ALL TIME unbeatable Bond girl is....
Claudia Auger as Domino in Thunderball. The best Bond movie and the best bondgirl - by far.
Ian Hillman, York, UK
How can you leave out Halle Berry !!!!!!!!
Mark , Cambridge,
What about Sophie Marceau?
I would replace Famke Jannsen with her in this list.
She was effortlessly stylish and beautiful in The World Is Not Enough.
Roxy Campbell, London,