The Quantum of Solace Striped Suit

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Quantum-Pinstripe-Suit

Quantum of Solace started right where Casino Royale left off. Because of the change of costume designer (from Lindy Hemming to Louise Frogley) and a new suit maker (Tom Ford instead of Brioni), the sartorial transition was rather rough. The most obvious continuity error is the change from a three-piece suit to a two-piece, though it’s not just the same same suit sans waistcoat but a whole new suit altogether. The cloth is still a navy pinstripe but the stripes went from white to light blue. This Tom Ford suit is cut and detailed exactly the same as all the other suits in the movie, which means that the latter suit has a button two, show one (also called three-roll-two) configuration instead of a full button three front. It also has five buttons on the cuff instead of four and the addition of a ticket pocket. The Tom Ford shoulders, whilst still structured, have a more natural look on Daniel Craig than the Brioni shoulders do.

The shirt in Quantum of Solace is still light blue cotton poplin with double cuffs but the collar isn’t as strong as the Brioni collar, which overwhelms Craig’s face and neck. The tie isn’t the same but it’s a pattern of blue and black squares. The shoes have gone from a two-eyelet derby to the Church’s Philip perforated cap-toe oxford. Apart from the basics of the outfit, Louise Frogley seemed less interested in continuity and more interested in dressing Bond how she pleased. Whilst Tom Ford is a much better fit for Daniel Craig than Brioni, it would’ve been nice to keep the suit a three-piece with a full button three jacket.

20 COMMENTS

  1. Dislike the look of the Tom Ford suits in QoS. Hopefully Ford will be jettisoned for the next film in the series.

  2. I guess it's not 3 piece, because later we have those Siena-roofs-chase scenes. They wanna leave Bond in the lighter suit, you know what I mean. But eventually it's bad that in QoS Bond doesn't wear any 3-piece suit — it'd be good for Craig's muscular physical (in private life Craig wears them very often).

  3. Stuart, it looks like a 2-button jacket and behaves like a 2-button jacket, but there is a third button hidden under the lapel. It's often cut a bit different from a 2-button jacket. The 3-roll-2 as it is often known is a classic American style.

    • Stuart, it’s an old style that goes back to at least the 1930s. It’s just for show. Technically, so is the bottom button and the cuff buttons on suit jackets. They serve no real purpose, but are simply there “because”.

  4. Sorry Andrew, but I have the costume card with this shirt and it is indeed light blue, but a very light and pale blue. Even in the picture I posted above the shirt is too blue there to be white. There is no suggestion of a blue light shining on Bond either.

  5. Hi Matt, I was just curious about Craig’s tie knot in this scene, because when we see him removing it, he does it in a rather special way. Any idea of what kind of a knot it is ? Thank you.

  6. are you saying that bond’s brioni suits were made in a regular button 3 style but the lapels roll at the top button, while the Tom Fords were made in the three roll-2 style? Is it that tom ford suits that have 3 buttons naturally roll over the top button for the 3-roll 2 style, or would you have to specify that you want a 3-roll-2 style? Does Brioni do a 3-roll 2 style like Tom Ford for their suits?

    • Yes. The Brioni jackets have the lapels rolled at the top button whilst the Tom Ford jackets in Quantum of Solace and Spectre have the lapels rolled to the middle button, which is an American style. The jackets in Skyfall have the lapels rolled to just below the top button. Tom Ford mostly does button two jackets, but the button three jackets that I’ve seen all are made in the style where the lapel rolls to the middle button. All button three Brioni jackets I’ve seen have the lapels rolled to the top. I don’t know if they do the American style of the lapels rolls to the middle button, but they may have a model with lapels that roll below the top button in the style of the Skyfall suits. That’s an Italian way of doing three buttons.

  7. Still not perfection, but in my opinion this is the best that Craig’s Bond has looked in a suit, excluding evening wear. A sound fit, beautiful suiting and near-monochromatic shirt/tie ensemble subtly bringing out the eyes. I agree that the collar is an improvement on the Casino Royale three-piece. Second place for me among Craig’s suits is the one worn during his first meeting with Vesper Lynd, which is let down by a busy tie and potentially by the trousers. This is not a request, but it may be interesting to have an article picking out the best suit worn by each Bond. Hope you are well, Matt.

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