Fashioning James Bond
Authors: Chapman Llewella 
Published: September 2021

Fashioning James Bond is the first book to study the costumes and fashions of the James Bond movie franchise, from Sean Connery in 1962’s Dr No to Daniel Craig in Spectre (2015). Llewella Chapman draws on original archival research, close analysis of the costumes and fashion brands featured in the Bond films, interviews with families of tailors and shirt-makers who assisted in creating the ‘look’ of James Bond, and considers marketing strategies for the films and tie-in merchandise that promoted the idea of an aspirational ‘James Bond lifestyle’.

Addressing each Bond film in turn, Chapman questions why costumes are an important tool for analysing and evaluating film, both in terms of the development of gender and identity in the James Bond film franchise in relation to character, and how it evokes the desire in audiences to become part of a specific lifestyle construct through the wearing of fashions as seen on screen. She researches the agency of the costume department, director, producer and actor in creating the look and characterisation of James Bond, the villains, the Bond girls and the henchmen who inhibit the world of 007. Alongside this, she analyses trends and their impact on the Bond films, how the different costume designers have individually and creatively approached costuming them, and how the costumes were designed and developed from novel to script and screen. In doing so, this book contributes to the emerging critical literature surrounding the combined areas of film, fashion, gender and James Bond.

Fashioning James Bond provides the first full-length critical study of the costume and fashion evident in the James Bond films that have spanned six decades. Its methodological approach includes research generated from archives, close textual analysis of the costumes and fashion brands presented within the James Bond films, interviews with families and employees of tailors and shirtmakers who assisted in creating the ‘look’ and fashion for the character of James Bond, critical reception and the marketing strategies for the films promoted to create a ‘James Bond lifestyle’ in order to understand and comprehensively analyse the contribution that costume and fashion has made to the longest and consecutive running franchise in cinema history through three key themes: agency, labour and costume.

In Fashioning James Bond, Llewella Chapman questions why costumes are an important tool for analysing and evaluating film, both in terms of the development of gender and identity in the James Bond film franchise in relation to character, and how it evokes the desire in audiences to become part of a specific lifestyle construct through the wearing of fashions as seen on screen. Specifically, it researches the agency of the costume department, director, producer and actor in creating the look and characterisation of James Bond, the villains, the Bond girls and the henchmen who inhibit the world of 007. Alongside this, it analyses the trends of fashion and its impact on the Bond films, how the different costume designers have individually and creatively approached costuming them, and how the costumes were designed and developed from novel to script and screen. It further analyses the approach of Eon Productions in marketing Bond as an international brand though fashion tie-ins and brand associations, and how this has contributed to promoting a particular lifestyle that was initiated by Ian Fleming in his novels. In doing so, this book contributes to the emerging critical literature surrounding the combined areas of film, fashion, gender and James Bond.