James Bond takes a 'Quantum' leap in luxury

Interesting article in the LA Times on Tom Ford dressing up James Bond in the Quantum of Solace.

I particularly found this rather interesting -

"In all, Ford created 11 looks for Craig, and despite needing multiples of each garment (some 420 pieces in all) for stunt doubles and assorted stages of wear, tear and bloodstaining, he and Frogley insisted on an amazing level of detail. Frogley, originally from the U.K., desperately wanted to source a very specific, very expensive suiting fabric known as "mohair tonic," a wool-cashmere blend with a subtle sheen not unlike that of a subdued sharkskin suit. "It was extremely popular in the '60s; all the Mods and all the wannabe Bonds wore it," she said. "I'm sure Sean Connery would have worn it at least once." According to a Ford rep, when a sufficient quantity could not be found, the Tom Ford team developed the proprietary fabric to specification in its Italian mills (and cloaked in Bond-worthy industrial secrecy, she declined to identify the specific mill)."

Another thing that caught my eye was how James Bond's clothes were not particularly English, Italian or otherwise distinctly belonging to any one region. It's called globalization, Mr. Bond.

What interests me the most is this statement. "Additional flourishes include shirt collars scaled to precisely match the size and shape of Craig's face." I really want to find out how do they determine the precise scale and proportion of shirt collars to match one's face.

Originally Posted by vitaminc

Click to expand...

What interests me the most is this statement. "Additional flourishes include shirt collars scaled to precisely match the size and shape of Craig's face." I really want to find out how do they determine the precise scale and proportion of shirt collars to match one's face.

Theres a small tool, not unlike a protractor, that figures that out real nice and quick.




on the subject though, I went to see the movie tonight....it was pretty good (in comparison to movies of that type). Suits had a nice cut to them as well.

Anyone know what tie knot Craig used in Quantum of Solace?

Originally Posted by unicornwarrior

Click to expand...

Theres a small tool, not unlike a protractor, that figures that out real nice and quick.




on the subject though, I went to see the movie tonight....it was pretty good (in comparison to movies of that type). Suits had a nice cut to them as well.

care to disclose the name of the tool and where to get it?

Originally Posted by vitaminc

Click to expand...

care to disclose the name of the tool and where to get it?

http://www.symmeter.com

I thought the movie was just okay. Watching those bizarrly shot action sequences was like staring into a strobe light.

I'm not surprised by this; Tom Ford knows that celebrity/publicity sells and since his business is still fairly new, this is an amazing amount of publicity with a world-wide audience. So, of course he wants it to look the best it absolutely can.

TF has always had an amazing awareness of "packaging" and of how to give a brand panache and cache through attention to these details. He did it at Gucci and he's certainly trying to do it with his own brand.

Originally Posted by TCN

Click to expand...

I thought the movie was just okay. Watching those bizarrely shot action sequences was like staring into a strobe light.

Agreed. I always get sick when watching home-made videos because usually the camera person is wildly shaking the camera and not trained at being steady. The action scenes reminded me of that.

On a side note, what color suit was bond wearing most of the time? I almost thought that it was black, possibly just a really deep navy? I can't imagine that it was actually black.

Originally Posted by SirSuturesALot

Click to expand...

Anyone know what tie knot Craig used in Quantum of Solace?

James Bond has always used only the FIH. I recall when in one of the books, Ian Fleming states that any other knot such as the Windsor is the mark of a cad.

The movie has received consistently poor reviews. But I still want to see it for the clothes!

Originally Posted by TintinATL

Click to expand...

The movie has received consistently poor reviews. But I still want to see it for the clothes!

I'd still argue that if you liked Casino Royale, you'll enjoy this one...though I'd argue the villians aren't as memorable in my opinion.

Originally Posted by vitaminc

Click to expand...

care to disclose the name of the tool and where to get it?

It's the bespoke-ster. Only a few hand chosen tailors own them, as they were passed down through generations. Some say they were forged by Jesus Christ for use to build the devil a suit.

Originally Posted by Metlin

Click to expand...

James Bond has always used only the FIH. I recall when in one of the books, Ian Fleming states that any other knot such as the Windsor is the mark of a cad.

+1 on the knot

Also, in From Russia With Love I remember Fleming saying Bond never trusted a man who wore a full windsor, or something to that effect.

I thought the movie was good. Much more focus on the relationship between M and Bond which was subtly demonstrated in Casino Royal, which I feel gave the movie more depth. Also I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Olga Kurylenko, who was the only good thing in the movie Hitman (although I approached that film with low expectations anyway).