PLEATED DRESS SHIRT BY FRANK FOSTER
Today I’m going to talk about my Frank Foster pleated dress shirt. Frank Foster are based in Pall Mall, London and I’m sure you’ve heard Matt Spaiser from Bond Suits and I talk about them at length. They made shirts for Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore during their tenures as James Bond.
THE ORIGINAL SHIRT MAKER
Read the interview with Frank Foster and his work on the James Bond films in the book From Tailors With Love: An Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films, available on Amazon.
This one I had made was made by the same shirt maker Mary who was Frank’s wife, and she made the original of the one that George wears here in the pre-titles for On her Majesty’s Secret Service so you can imagine how much I’m going to cherish this particular shirt. (See the video below for full review).
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
When I first started thinking about recreating this shirt I asked Matt Spaiser if he could lend a hand with the pattern. There was some back and forth about the frills between the pleats.
Were they just the pleats getting wet? We considered that but Matt actually did a bit of sleuthing with and we discovered that the lacey-frills are already there before he gets in the water.
DESCRIPTION
The evening shirt is Swiss cotton voile, The collar shape is chosen to best suit your face shape and neck dimensions. Pleats are interspaced with vintage “baby” lace. Yours could well be the same lace, as I excavated it out of an ancient box. Buttons, are all 4 hole, mother of Pearl, natural shell.Collar and Shape
Collar and shape are the same as your other shirt as per your pattern. The fabric is made by a company called David and John Anderson. Frank would buy the materials directly from the mill in Glasgow, Scotland.
FIRST FITTING
Here are photos of my first fitting.
Click to follow me on Instagram
FINISHED ARTICLE
And here it is finished. That lace is quite something. Mine isn’t 100% screen accurate, I’ve shaved off a pleat from the front bib as I don’t have Lazenby’s broad chest. A big thanks to Matt Spaiser from Bond Suits for helping me. AND The great ladies of Frank Foster for making this beautiful shirt.
Update: Oct ’21
It’s with the greatest pleasure I got to wear my Frank Foster pleated shirt to the No Time To Die Premiere. Below I am snapped with Morten Steingrimsen from James Bond Norway (left) and Daniel Gaster (right).
