Esquire interviews Jeffrey Kurland, the costume designer responsible for the suits and other stylish sartorial aspects of Inception.
All of the clothes were designed solely for the film, because of the originality of the script, and the story itself. What I was trying to do was create a kind of corporate atmosphere that's not futuristic but that you could not date. You couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
This movie was designed entirely by me — made by me. The fabrics were all bought and found. I had my tailors at Dennis Kim make the suits, my shirt maker, Anto of Beverly Hills, made all of the shirts, and the dresses were made in my dress shop here in Los Angeles.
I chose sharp lines, considering their field is architecture; there are peaked lapels on several things. There are windowpane patterns, plaids, and glen plaids, but each character has their own color palette.