Dressed to thrill: As new Bond girl Gemma Arterton creates a stir on the red carpet, how does she compare to previous 007 beauties..

Gemma Arterton at the Quantum of Solace premiere this week

I love Gemma Arterton, the latest Bond girl. Not only is she a talented actress, but she is also a stunning beauty.

However, poor Gemma got it hopelessly wrong on the red carpet on Wednesday night at the Quantum of Solace premiere.
She chose a bizarre purple mini-dress by Miu Miu which was slashed to the thigh but trailed at the back.
She accessorised her outfit with an ugly studded belt and matching clumpy shoes, both of which were far too heavy for the flimsy fabric of her dress.
The 22-year-old from Kent was wise to avoid a long, demure dress as she would have looked like lamb dressed as mutton.
Sadly, she went too far in the opposite direction and chose a dress that was fussy, tarty and did her curvy figure no favours at all.
Of course, she is still young and entitled to make fashion faux pas, but she would do well to learn the golden rule of red carpet fashion: expose only one erogenous zone at a time.
So, how does Gemma's style compare to other Bond girls on their premiere night?

Goldfinger 1964

Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore)

Now, this is how to do Bond girl: be totally of your time.
Honor Blackman epitomises the mid-Sixties in gold trousers worn under a cutaway pink gown.
I love her hair, too, and the fact that she looks as though she is having fun rather than trying to look sexy.

Thunderball 1965

Claudine Auger (Domino)

This is what it's all about: a bit of cleavage, a classic, figure-hugging gown, a sleek updo and a look in the eye that speaks of mystery.
Claudine Auger, a former Miss France Monde, whose thick accent was dubbed for the film, was compared at the time to Elizabeth Taylor.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969

Diana Rigg (Tracy)

I love the fact Diana Rigg was paid twice as much as George Lazenby was for playing Bond, but I hate her little-girl dress, a look copied recently by Sienna Miller and Burberry for her red carpet moment.
It looks terribly dated.

Live And Let Die 1973

Jane Seymour (Solitaire)

So this is where Tamara Mellon, boss of Jimmy Choo and Halston, gets her fashion ideas from.
Jane's kaftan was a little shapeless and all-concealing for a Bond girl, but as a Seventies fashion plate, complete with centre-parted hair, she was spot on.

The Man With The Golden Gun 1974

Britt Ekland (Mary Goodnight)

Britt Ekland wears a 1920s-inspired black sequin dress that was later worn by Kate Moss on her 30th birthday, proving that true style never goes out of fashion.

The Spy Who Loved Me 1977

Barbara Bach (Anya)

Barbara Bach, a beautiful and statesque former model from New York, wore a floor-length sheer kaftan over a long black dress that was very Seventies, but not particularly sexy of flattering, hiding her lovely figure.

Octopussy 1983

Maud Adams (Octopussy)

A great beauty, but she makes the common mistake of overdoing it on the red carpet.
Her hair is curled rather than sleek, and the dress reveals too much and is fussy.

A View To A Kill 1985

Grace Jones (May Day)

Here, Grace wears a hooded yellow bodysuit by her favourite designer, Issey Miyake.
She doesn't look like the sort of woman whom Bond would ever lust after, but she does look amazing, and totally Eighties.

The Living Daylights 1987

Maryam D'Abo (Kara Milovy)

Maryam was, to my mind, the most beautiful of all the Bond girls: she oozed intelligence from every tiny pore.
I rang her to see if she remembered what she wore for her premiere and, without missing a beat, she said: 'Olive green Emanuel Ungaro, which was so tight at the hem I could hardly walk.'

Licence To Kill 1989