Inspiration came from research into a handful of rakish designers ­– Hardy Amies, Digby Morton and Cristobal Balenciaga – as well as Day-Lewis’ father Cecil. Cecil was a loyal patron of Anderson & Sheppard, and Woodcocks’ overcoat pays homage to him. “We’re not known for doing a raglan sleeve,” says Cutter Leon Powell, “so that was a challenge. He brought a photo in of his father wearing one and said he liked the style.” It’s likely Day-Lewis knew that a raglan is the perfect coat to wear over a suit – there is no seam in the shoulder, so it doesn’t crush the suit seam, and it hangs loose so as not to crease the tailoring; the sort of details only an obsessive couturier would notice. “One thing you won’t see on screen,” Martin reveals, “is the name stitched into the lining of his breast pocket. We always do this with bespoke orders, but here we made a special case: on one side, it has ‘Daniel Day-Lewis’, and on the other side, ‘Reynolds Woodcock’” – a subtle bespoke touch and an Anderson & Sheppard signature which attests to the attention to detail applied in the film. The tailoring itself has generous drape – a combination of the house cut and period authenticity – wider lapels, high armholes and a soft, natural shoulder. One of the more charming scribbles in Crawford’s notes from his original meeting with Bridges reads ‘Phantom Fred Thread’ – “We had no idea what the film was about at that point,” he chuckles, thinking back to 2016 when the process began.

The tailoring itself speaks of skilled craftsmen and exceptional quality, something Day-Lewis and his character both hold in high regard. The actor once spent over a year learning to be a cordwainer in Italy, and eschewed a career in cabinet-making to become an actor in his teens; he’s set the bar for turning a profession into a craft. His obsession with finely made footwear has led to a long-term relationship with British shoemaking institution George Cleverley, whose Co-Owner George Glasgow Sr was even invited to star in the film as Woodcock’s advisor (which he duly did). “We made him a pair of Oxford shoes which you can see him polishing with expert technique,” Glasgow explains, “and one pair in suede, for the country scenes.” Surprisingly, the affable Glasgow felt a kinship with Day-Lewis’ exacting character. “In the game of craftsmanship, you’ve got to have so much focus. If you’re doing things by hand, it’s all in your brain –yourmind alone – so you can’t have distractions. When things go wrong, it reflects in the final product.”