Daniel Craig has received a lot of attention for his sartorial choices in the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, whether it's the Billy Reid pea coat or Tom Ford-designed suits. Ever wondered how it all came together? GQ recently sat down with Jany Temime, the film's costume designer, to answer those questions. Temime reveals Craig's costume ideas, what happened when she asked Tom Ford to design the suits, the importance of James Bond's style, and more. Read on below.
On asking Tom Ford to design the suits:
"I thought Tom Ford would either kick me out or smile, one or the other. But he was fantastic, completely ready to do the best with what we gave him, and he did it wonderfully. The tailors were amazing. Everything about the fitting was serious. You know how Italians can be. Like, for half an hour you'll discuss whether the length of a trouser should be a half-centimeter longer or shorter. I wanted Bond to look perfect all the time, so I chose Tom Ford shirts that had a tab under the collar—great for the action scenes—and light blue and sky blue colors, because they go wonderfully with Daniel's eyes. I also wanted a tie you could forget; I didn't want Bond to be the guy with a tie that has a little square on it. Those are too loud, and you'll just remember the wrong design. The trousers were flat-front and belt-less—[belts] are so nineties."
On Craig's costume ideas: "He was saying things like, "I want a tab trouser, slim fit, and a light jacket with little padding." I wanted certain details, like one streak on the back of the jacket. The first time we see Bond in the film, Daniel said, "I really want to look shoddy." So out of fifty leather jackets, I chose one from Levi's Vintage—an old-fashioned style that you'd forget easily. He also wanted a very fine scarf around his neck at the end, so I chose one from Tom Ford, a very expensive scarf made from the finest cashmere.We spent a lot of time on the last sequence. He wanted to look as though he had found the scarf in the Bond family's home. Another one of Daniel's ideas: When he's playing the chauffeur in the airport, he was the one who said, "I want to have a blue pea coat. I know Billy Reid makes very nice ones." So I ordered ten pieces, and I must say, they put this little piece of leather on the back and it is beautiful. And paired with the chauffeur hat he's wearing, it gives Daniel a sort of boxy look. The unusual shape makes him completely different, you know?"
On why James Bond's style is still important:
"It's because you'll always have a British gentleman. Daniel Craig's Bond is just the evolution. You will always have someone like Bond as the ideal, perfect gentleman, who has a very sexy job and spends his time killing people and jumping off a train, but still pulls up his cufflink." Check out the rest of the interview here.[via GQ]
