Fashion genius Tom Ford was given the distinguished task of dressing James Bond – aka Daniel Craig – for the latest film, Quantum of Solace, due for release this month.  Here, costume designer Louise Frogley discusses the sartorial process.

When it comes to dressing James Bond, the suit is the all-important piece de resistance, and Tom Ford’s designs have a very specific cut that perfectly encapsulates 007’s character. Otherwise, leaning at the bar sipping his shaken-not-stirred vodka martini just wouldn’t have the same effect.

    “These suits don’t have belts, they have side adjusters and they are higher on the waist, the trousers are narrow and there are no pleats,” Louise Frogley says. “The jackets are single-breasted, two-buttoned with a narrow lapel and as narrow a shoulder as possible for a man that is as muscular as Daniel. They are extremely waisted and slightly flared out in the shirt part of the jacket so there is some movement. They give a lovely silhouette.”

    Frogley wanted the suits to be reminiscent of what Sean Connery used to wear in the early Bond films. “I wanted to use ‘mohair tonic’ for the suits,” she tells. “It’s very difficult to find because it is a sixties fabric and I am quite sure Sean Connery would have worn it in at least one of his suits. It’s a very strange material but it films beautifully. Not only did we want a very rare material but we need a huge quantity because we had to make so many suits. Tom Ford found it for us.”

    In selecting clothes for Craig, Frogley studied the script carefully and liaised with stunt coordinators to determine the level of action the fabrics would need to withstand. “In some cases, Bond could go through 24 hours in the same clothes having been blown up, shot out of a plane and stranded in the desert,” she says. “I have to predict how the clothes will look after certain events happen that we may not have shot yet. It is quite a delicate balancing act.”

    But working with Craig was easy, Frogley raves. “He knows his body incredibly well and knows when something looks right. There is nothing better than an actor like that. I put him in a Y-3 jacket, and he looked great – he knew it and I knew it. I put him in a pair of Staypress trousers and they were just perfect. Often you can put clothes on and they are OK, but every now and again you get something that is fabulous, and with an actor like Daniel you can just go for it!”

    Craig also wears Tom Ford eyewear in Quantum of Solace.  The piece is called ‘James Bond 007’, and will be in stores at the end of this month.

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