Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond movie opened last weekend with the usual fanfare over technological and automotive innovations. This time around though, James Bond himself gets a makeover. Tom Ford, already accustomed to dressing actor Daniel Craig on the red carpet, was tapped to design 007 a whole new wardrobe. The changes are subtle, but as Ford points out, “By dressing him in a very simple way, it accentuates that it looks simple on the surface but it isn’t. It’s a metaphor for the perfect suit — the construction that goes into a good suit is a lot of hours of handiwork, but you shouldn’t see any of that it the end result. It should look easy and natural and a part of you.”I found it interesting that Ford chose to put Bond in a shawl-collared tuxedo, rather than the classic peak lapel style that Bond usually wears (see “Casino Royale” and any of the older films). The shawl-collar is a curved, less masculine line, whereas the peak lapel accentuates the masculine, inverted triangle shape that we associate with men. Perhaps this choice reflects the deep emotional turmoil of this particular James Bond, still devastated from the ending of “Casino Royale”. His tuxedo is also a midnight blue rather than black, which I think is a good choice as it won’t drain his face of color the way that black can sometimes do. I suspect too, that Daniel Craig can get away with wearing a shawl-collared tuxedo because of his rugged good looks. Most men, however, would do well to stick with the classic peak lapels.
Casino Royale peak lapel style tuxedo
Quantum of Solace shawl collar style tuxedo
3 comments
Kenneth
December 29, 2008 at 6:00 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
I think the Italian style Looks a lot better, the other style seems a bit more effeminate,but the Italian style, just looks much better on a man
Ken
Jim K
June 8, 2009 at 8:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Remarkably ill-informed. The shawl collar is the original lapel shape, preceding the peak lapel by some decades. It looks good on most any man–there is an old canard about it accentuating roundness, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Moreover, it is perfectly Bondian–echoes of Sean Connery. Its relative informality is perfectly at home in a swank casino. Better still, he finally found his cummerbund.
Martha Thomson
May 18, 2010 at 12:17 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
I would have to say that Daniel Craig is the best James Bond of all times.,:-