Tom Ford is James Bond’s most controversial suit maker. Bond wears his first Tom Ford suits in Quantum of Solace and continues to wear them through the end of Daniel Craig’s run in No Time to Die. For Quantum of Solace, costume designer Louise Frogley worked with Tom Ford to dress James Bond in a way that resonated with both the character and with Daniel Craig. Daniel Craig’s tailoring in the Bond films peaked with Quantum of Solace, and the tailoring is some of the best of the Bond series.
The Tom Ford menswear brand launched in 2006 and started with two suit fits for 2007: the ‘Windsor’ (‘Base A’) model with a classic fit and wide peaked lapels, and the ‘Regency’ (‘Base B’) model with a trimmer fit and medium-width notched lapels. The ‘Regency’ suit was chosen for Daniel Craig to wear throughout Quantum of Solace in 2008. The ‘Regency’ suit is one of Tom Ford’s own designs from a combination of English, French and Italian influences. The name of this suit, along with the ‘Windsor’ model, suggests English tailoring was Ford’s primary inspiration. While the ‘Windsor’ is directly inspired by Tommy Nutter’s bold Savile Row designs, the ‘Regency’ is a little more subtle and Cary Grant in style, albeit trimmer for the fashions of the mid 2000s.
Though Tom Ford suits are made in Zegna’s factory, they have a style, construction and quality unique and exclusive to Tom Ford. The silhouette is primarily reminiscent of English tailoring, with strong shoulders that are not built up with padding, fullness in the chest, a long and flared skirt, and a trim, contoured trouser leg. The stiff structure in the jacket gives an English military feel. Some of the details are English, such as the gentle curve of the lapel gorge, the slight belly on the lapel and ticket pocket on the jacket, and the side adjusters and the extended waistband with a hidden closure on the trousers. The trim fit of the suit has some similarities to a French fashion fit, and the slight pagoda shape of the shoulders is reminiscent of a few French tailors, but some English tailors make such shoulders. The curved ‘barchetta’ boat-shaped breast pocket comes from Italian tailoring. The three-roll-two buttoning is a style that comes from soft tailoring styles such as English drape tailoring, Neapolitan tailoring and American Ivy League tailoring, but Cary Grant wore it on more structured suits from England and Hollywood that are reminiscent of the ‘Regency’ suit. Tom Ford is an American designer, but there’s little of American style in this suit.
The English aspects of this suit make it an excellent design for a British character like James Bond, but the other aspects give it an international look that also represents the character. The suit isn’t trying to be completely English, but it doesn’t need to be and it shouldn’t be.
While the look of the Tom Ford ‘O’Connor’ suits in Craig’s later films started with costume designer Jany Temime, the suits in Quantum of Solace are more representative of a typical Tom Ford style and fit. Most of Daniel Craig’s clothes and accessories in the film are from Tom Ford, and the film’s wardrobe largely portrays the original vision and essence of the Tom Ford brand. While Tom Ford is often criticised for being too fashion-forward due to the suits from Craig’s subsequent Bond films, Tom Ford’s style is rooted in classic tailoring, which can be seen in Quantum of Solace.
The silhouette and fit of the ‘Regency’ in Quantum of Solace is striking without being as conspicuous as a suit like the ‘Windsor’. The suit has a very close fit that looks sculpted to the body, but it still maintains clean lines without being overly tight. And the lines are long, both to create drama and elegance and to elongate the body. This suit makes Daniel Craig look taller than his previous Brioni suits and his later Tom Ford suits. While there is also drama from Daniel Craig bursting out of his skinny suits in his later Bond films, it sacrifices elegance. The ‘Regency’ is elegant with a hint of aggression, an aesthetic that perfectly suits James Bond. The waist is just a little bit too tight, which lends the suit much of its aggression and sexiness, but it doesn’t go overboard with it. It shows how to hug the body without being a size too small. The mid-rise of the trousers also gives the suit a sexiness and modernity compared to a traditional high rise without going low-rise. Despite the sexiness, there’s also a maturity and professionalism to the suit.
Tom Ford is a detail-oriented designer, and he perfected the details to give this suit a specific look. The design is focused on balance. The lapels are just over half the width of the upper chest, meaning they don’t look narrow or wide. The jacket’s middle button is positioned in a medium height to emphasize the waist and to get the most length to both the torso and the legs. The breast pocket is placed on a steep angle, as some Italian tailors do, to create motion and to emphasise the shoulders. The long rear double vents give length to the legs and accentuate the movements of the body. Five buttons on the cuffs instead of the typical four gives the suit something extra, but designing the last button to be worn unbuttoned prevents the cuffs from looking too busy. Wide turn-ups on the trousers balance the details on the jacket. The trousers sit neatly on top of the shoe with a very slightly break, which gives the leg the longest possible line.
The overall look of this suit has much in common with trendier English suits of the era, such as those by Ozwald Boateng and Richard James, but in many ways it’s more classic and thus appropriate for Bond. It fits in well with the fashions of the mid-to-late 2000s, but it’s classic enough that it doesn’t look immediately identifiable to any era. It still looks modern and fresh 18 years later. While Bond should ideally be dressed in English tailoring, the Tom Ford ‘Regency’ fits the aesthetic well enough with just the right balance of classic style and contemporary fashion for Bond. It still looks superb in the 2020s.
The elegance of the ‘Regency’ suit on Daniel Craig was partially made possible because he lost some of his bulk from Casino Royale, and his trimmer physique in Quantum of Solace was easier to tailor in a trim way. Anthony Sinclair tailored Sean Connery’s suits with less waist suppression than usual to smooth out his athletic build, while all of Craig’s suits take the opposite approach to emphasise his athletic build. Craig had just the right physique to make the ‘Regency’ cut show off his build while not looking too bulky.
The cloths that the Quantum of Solace suits are made of are dark but not dull. Most of the suitings are English mohair woven with cashmere. This gives them a vibrant and luxurious sheen that sets them apart from an ordinary business suit. The midnight blue mohair-cashmere suit proves to be the perfect suit for a fancy evening out that isn’t black tie. The only issue with mohair is that it is a rigid fibre and will show ripples in a snug fit more than wool does. Mohair makes these suits look tighter than they are. The navy wool suit with a blue stripe from the opening scenes looks more interesting than the classic white or grey stripe, but it’s subtle and coordinates beautifully with a blue shirt. The suitings all allow the suit’s silhouette to take centre stage rather than the suit’s colour or pattern. More variety in tone and pattern would have been welcome, and the next two Bond films do better in this regard, but cloth is always less important than the cut of a suit.
The Brioni suits in Casino Royale take second place to the suits in Quantum of Solace. Costume designer Lindy Hemming gave Craig’s suit jackets a fitted torso, but there’s fullness everywhere else for an elegant drape and for a wide range of motion. The suits have too much width and padding at the shoulder, building up an already powerful body. The shoulders balance and smooth Daniel Craig’s more muscular physique, but they leave the suit looking boxy. The Brioni silhouette is not cut with the shape that Tom Ford suits are, and the Tom Ford shape better follows the dramatic shape of Craig’s body. The Brioni trousers have a wide leg to balance the upper body, but they instead make Craig look too stocky. The only area where Casino Royale has a clear edge over Quantum of Solace‘s tailoring is in the inclusion of a three-piece suit. Louise Frogley could have continued the three-piece suit for the opening of Quantum of Solace, but she removed the waistcoat so Bond does not stand out too much.
I couldn’t agree more. This is absolutely peak tailoring for the Craig-era films. I think you’ve nailed it. I think QoS overall has the best wardrobe from the era, his casual clothes hit a home run mix as the suits do.
I’ve always thought this. Controversially, I think it’s also the best of Craig’s Bond films – far better than the three that followed it anyway.
Not sure I’d consider QOS the best of the Craig era but I certainly push back against what I feel to be over the top criticism it seems to get. It’s all about opinions but I liked QOS when it was released and I think it’s held up better over the years than some others of the Craig era – and while costuming is a part of that belief it’s not the only part! I also think Olga was a top drawer Bond girl and Bond’s equal in many ways – and they didn’t even hook up which was perhaps a first in the entire canon that he didn’t end up with the female protagonist.
Whole heartedly agree. QOS is a highly grounded movie by Bond standards, it gives off License to Kill vibes but with better costume design. The cinematography is also excellent.
It may or may not be the best film of the Craig era, but it is Craig’s best acting performance as Bond. His Bond is bruised, badass, charming and chilling, all at the right time.
An article on QoS clothing is always welcome :-)
I’d have crossed out “Daniel Craig” from the title, however. For me, it has the best suits – indeed, the best wardrobe – of the whole series.
The cut of the brown suit almost looks like something Moore could have been wearing. Very nice, especially in that photo!
It does stand out, I remember seeing QOS for the first time at the cinema and this suit really left an impression, I do have one criticism of it looking at it now and it’s the jacket length, it’s a touch too long in terms of the balance between trouser and jacket but the Mohair makes rather special.
The length is perfect, much better than thhe bum freezers Craig wore onward.
I agree. When measuring the length of the jacket in the full-length image, it’s exactly half the length from the bottom of the collar to the hem of the trousers. While there is room for variation, this length is the happy medium that many consider ideal. It’s a little shorter than a traditional English length but longer than a modern Italian length. The button stance is making the jacket look a little longer.
In a traditional sense I agree the jacket is perfect in length according to the traditional rules, I do feel the length is off comparative to the trousers, the cut is off and unbalanced, in reality the trouser should have been bought inline with the proportions of the jacket but clearly the trousers were a stylistic choice and in reflection of that the jacket should reflect that, I don’t necessarily mean Skyfall short or Paul Smith’s Kensington cut short I simply mean the proportions overall as a complete suit are off, it looks more apparent side on and yes in part because of the button stance and the excessive flair at the quarters, front on the suits are beautiful and fabrics are splendid and they move well in the action sequences.
If anything, the problem is with the trousers and not the jacket. A slighly wide trouser leg would help to bring it all in proportion.
I do agree in that respect, I just find the trousers specifically on the brown suit aesthetically and stylistically juxtaposed to the jacket, perhaps it was a hint of the changing times? The blue suit at the Greene Planet party does appear to have a slightly wider leg and it’s noticeable in the desert scenes, perhaps due to there being action involved. In all respects though the QOS wardrobe is stunning, it certainly felt like a game changer in how mens style was perceived both in formal wear and casual attire. It left a huge impact on me, still to this day I might add.
Hear hear! Oh how I wish this cut carried through. I can’t imagine Mr Ford was thrilled that his brand became synonymous with skinny fit, no doubt thanks to Skyfall, but I’m sure the boat loads of money it brought him over the last decade or two made it easier to bear.
It’s really just QOS and CR in the discussion. With the fuller fits returning, the suits in the remainder of the Craig movies are increasingly looking dated.
I do like the QOS suits quite a bit, though I find the low rise trousers a bit distracting and too modern a concession. Based on Craig’s unused quantum suit, the rise was only 10”. This led to a few instances of the triangle of shame/turkey triangle/triangle of sadness (whatever you prefer to call it).
I vote for the sad shameful turkey triangle.
I have to agree, this triangle showing shirt and tie below the buttons stops any suit from looking good. Overall, they are the best fitting of Craig’s suits but the look is pretty much destroyed by the above in my opinion.
I agree with the fact that the QOS have the most flattering silhouette for Craig. However, I do find regular flaws to the design itself. The trousers have a rather low rise which creates that awful triangle under the jacket and expose the bottom of Bond’s tie. I don’t think it ever happened before (at least to this extent), and its really distracting. The suit sleeves are often too long as well, a flaw that was already present in CR and stayed there. Perhaps Bond’s watch was too bulky and the shirt cuff was blocked under the suit sleeve, perhaps the suit sleeve was too tight, who knows. A rise an inch higher would have tremendously improved his outfits. It would also have made him look a bit taller by virtually lengthening his legs. I have the impression the costume designer was inspired by the OHMSS suits, but these, although perhaps even closer fitting in some areas, looked better. The CR trousers had the flaw of being a bit baggy, but at least they had a proper, balanced rise.
I thought the Casino Royale rise was also too low, but the jackets were more closed in the quarters to keep the shirt and tie from showing.
Craig’s habit of sagging doesn’t help either.
But you would not say the Casino Royale dinner suit had trousers with a rise as low as in QOS, I presume ?
The Casino Royale dinner suit trousers have a different cut than the suit with a more traditional fit. I’m not sure if the rise is higher or if it’s just that the braces prevent the trousers from sagging.
QoS is definitely the high point of Craig’s suits. To me this is the slimmest you can with a suit go while still being flattering. The only minor criticism I would make is that the fabrics are a little too luxurious – they are beautiful but look like something you could wear only on special occasions rather than something dependable (and more Bond-like) like a flannel or a tropical wool.
I’m always surprised that the suits in Casino Royale look a bit lacklustre overall given how elegant Lindy Hemming and Brioni made Pierce Brosnan look. It almost feels like the chemistry was not there between actor and costume designer. QoS was definitely a step up in that respect.
I do wonder why they didn’t stick with Frogley for the subsequent films…
Fantastic article as always Matt. Any information on the grey necktie? I like that color combination.
All of the ties are from Tom Ford, and none are currently available.
Matt, I agree with your comment that Tom Ford is Bond’s most controversial suit maker. I’ve always found it a bit strange but that brand just seems to really polarize people. I agree QoS is closest to the brand’s vision, which is why I have always been perplexed why they decided to go with such a brand only to abandon its look over the next 3 films.
However, I believe the film itself is part of the issue here. It’s supposed to be a direct sequel to CR, starting immediately after CR’s ending. But everything looks different, M’s office has changed overnight as has the whole of the inside of MI6, it now looks vaguely like an Apple Store with these wild touchscreens. This of course is quite different compared to CR. For example, when Bond is going into cardiac arrest, the MI6 crew appear to be in a room quite similar to the one in Goldeneye, but in QoS the rooms all have transparent glass wall screens. And of course Bond’s clothes are different too. Now normally this is not an issue, Bond always has new clothes, but all the other films were not back to back sequels.
It seems, though, most people quite liked the wardrobe for QoS, it has issues, but judging by comments on this blog and other forums it’s generally well received, so it not continuing forward was jarring. I remember my experience of disappointment with the clothes of Skyfall in realtime. And frankly I think this inconsistency in costume is reflective of the inconsistency of the Craig era and why many are frustrated with it. CR was supposed to be a reset if not reboot, but starting with QoS each film is also a reset or reboot.
Fair comments and I especially agree about M’s office and the change in clothing from Bond and Mr White between CR and the beginning of QOS.
I’ve complained in these pages about lack of continuity and leaps in logic WITHIN the Bond films so unfortunately the optimism level that there would be any AMONG the films would be off the charts!
Fair point, continuity issues are very common within films so it’s a bit hopeful to expect good continuity between films, but QoS is over the top.
Really though it’s indicative to me of a bigger issue. They chose to do a reboot in 2006 but the subsequent films indicate that they did not have a plan on how to go forward after CR. I suspect this is why over time they gave Craig increasing creative latitude, for example, with the wardrobe.
Here’s a fun thought experiment. Lazenby’s performance in OHMSS has mixed reception, but I’d say many, if not most of us consider the wardrobe good to great, or at least the non disguises. It’s well known however, that Lazenby wanted to embrace the funky hair and styles of the fashion forward/counterculture set. Let’s assume he stayed on and got his way and was wearing some wild 1970s outfits by the time he stepped down. I’d imagine if that were the case we’d remember him a bit less fondly. In many ways this is what went on with Craig, he leaned really hard into a trend and got his way, so the last 3 of his films have fit issues and already look dated.
When Connery returned and then Moore took over there was restraint, at least at first, with regards to leaning into contemporary fashion. I think this is a wise approach.
I just wanted them to give him a damn waistcoat if they were going with another clothier! I could have lived with the other, more minor inconsistencies if not for that.
Hear hear!
As you say I think most of us could have forgiven some minor costume incongruities between the end of CR and the start of QOS but it’s just not playing fair with the audience to have Bond (and Mr. White) in such obviously different outfits. And I don’t even like waistcoats!
It’s particularly irritating to me as in the entire cannon they have only hinted at continuity between films (“Last time you went to Jamaica and I never saw you for six months …”, “This never happened to the other guy!” etc.) and I really enjoyed the concept of a direct sequel for the first time so this sorta bugs me on the poor execution.
Definitely his best suits, with a bit of room for improvement.
Interesting analysis but I can’t find much ‘sexiness’ in the mid-rise trousers and the resulting ghastly triangle.
Indeed. The triangle is quite visible in two of the above pic alone.
I’m honestly not even sure that counts as a mid-rise. I would say an example of a mid-rise would be like Richard Gere in his ‘80s Armani days. The lower gorge and button stance on those jackets also probably helped to balance things out and avoid any unsightly triangles.
According to the measurements of Craig’s unused Quantum suit, the rise was 10”. It’s true different people need a different rise to balance their physique, though I think by most standards 10” is basically low rise (or maybe medium-low, for the person).
I certainly can’t join some of the people on social media who declare this the best tailoring in the entire Bond franchise. “You must give me the name of your oculist….”
Piling on what others have said, QOS definitely has the best fitting suits of the Craig-era films. I would even add that the tuxedo from the opera scene is one of my favorites from the entire franchise.
I agree with you about the tuxedo.
Completely agree with Matt. He nailed it and this his a career defining take. QoS is the best tailored Film since the 60s. Absolutely perfect. They should never have changed costume designers. Absolutely wrecked Bond formal style after getting it so right here.