Seven things 007 has that we want

James Bond usually operates in a world of pure fantasy. His signature accessories have always been futuristic gadgets cooked up by his fictional spymasters, and if you wanted to, say, visit Dr. No’s lair or dispatch an enemy with a cyanide cigarette just like Bond did, you were out of luck - reports Vanity Fair.

Quantum of Solace is different. Many critics have pointed out that Daniel Craig’s Bond has an emotional depth we haven’t seen before, but that’s not all that makes this 007 more “real” than those of the past. He and his female counterparts wear real clothes, ride in real vehicles, and even chase each other around real buildings.

This new approach is the work of director Marc Forster (and his Casino Royale predecessor, Martin Campbell), but give some credit for the quality of the details to costume designer Louise Frogley.

It goes without saying that the Aston Martin DBS, the Omega Seamaster, and the Prada cocktail dresses are gorgeous, but here’s a list of seven items that really stood out to us:

1. Best Shades. Bond has always had great specs—Sean Connery basically put Ray Ban Wayfarers on the map—and the sunglasses Craig wears in Quantum of Solace are a fresh take on another American classic: the aviator. Tom Ford, the guy who turns classic into hot, designed the FT 108 James Bond specifically for the film. Ford also created the sharp suits Craig wears in and out of the movie. In fact, this is the first Bond film that did not feature Brioni suits. “I wanted something that was beautiful and elegant that would remind us of the type of suit Sean Connery wore in the early Bond films,” Frogley explained.

2. Best Accessory. When we first meet Camille (Olga Kurylenko), she is at the wheel of a Ford Ka, dressed in a striking Jasper Conran outfit and trendy Hogan sandals. But it’s the chunky double-strand chain-link necklace with an upside-down fish pendant by Conran that captivates the eye (although my husband somehow failed to notice it). Honorable mention goes to the brown leather multi-strap high-tops, called the Lizzy, which Camille wears when she and Bond storm the bad guys’ desert- hotel hideout. This modern update of Converse’s Jack Purcell, designed by Kurt Geiger, is the anti-stiletto.

3. Best Conference Room. Say what you will about the evildoers of Quantum, but they sure know how to conduct a conference call. Plugging pencil-eraser-size cellphones into their ears, they murmur to each other while posing as audience members at a performance of Tosca at the Bregenz Festival House, in Austria. The open-air opera house, which floats on Lake Constance, was designed by Austrian architects Deitrich+Untertrifaller. The tiny earpiece doesn’t exist, but we hope it’s only a matter of time before Steve Jobs adds it as an accessory to the iPhone. May we suggest flesh-tones?

4. Best Mile-high Martini. Ian Fleming made the martini famous for being “shaken, not stirred.” And it wouldn’t be a Bond film without seeing our hero ordering his fair share. You may have missed the introduction of the Vesper martini in the Casino Royale movie, but the drink was actually described by Fleming in his 1953 novel of the same name:

Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?

In Quantum of Solace, Bond drowns his sorrow over the death of Vesper Lynd by swilling six of them at a dark, swanky in-flight bar inside a first-class cabin. You can try to match that feat on your next transatlantic flight, as long as you’re willing (and able) to splurge on a seat aboard Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class Cabin service. And if that sounds a bit rich, you can always whip one up on your next staycation.

5. Best Nice-to-Meet-You-and-Yes-This-Is-All-I’m-Wearing Trench Coat. Upon landing in Bolivia, a remarkably non-groggy 007 is greeted by Bond Girl No. 2, Miss Strawberry Fields, played by Gemma Aterton. Under strict orders to apprehend our hero on behalf of the British embassy, she arrives wearing an unmistakable outfit of seduction. We like this trench by Hugo Boss because of the interesting twists on classic details—including the horizontal “gun flaps” and the slightly bulbous wrists sans belted cuffs.

6. Best Vintage Ride. the Douglas DC-3. This plane was first flown in 1935 and is credited with popularizing air travel in the U.S., due to the first sleeping berths and in-flight kitchen. For the movie, DC-3 owner and pilot Skip Evans deftly maneuvered this silver bullet in one of the film’s most exciting action scenes. You can watch Skip describe the experience on the film’s official site.

7. Best Bomber Jacket. In Quantum of Solace, Bond can’t seem to make it through two scenes without being punched, whacked, shot at, chased, or all of the above. Fortunately, his black canvas bomber with a stand-up collar and zipped-front and his aptly named Staypress pants make the perfect all-purpose armor. The jacket was designed by Yohji Yamamoto for the Adidas backed Y-3 Spring 2008 RTW collection.

Come to think of it, President-Elect Obama could take a cue from Bond’s casual look. It just might help get him through what’s sure to be a rough couple of months ahead, and it looks a whole lot better than a White Sox hat.

If not, we can at least rest assured that there is one government agent whose taste in clothes, cars, weapons, and women will never, ever let us down.

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