The ninth Doctor relaunched Doctor Who to an entirely new generation of viewers. Christopher Eccleston was the man cast in the title role and he was faced with the mammoth task of updated, reinvigorating, and re-imagining the part for the twenty first century.
Though Eccleston’s time aboard the TARDIS was short-lived, he successfully ingratiated himself with Saturday evening viewers and catapulted Doctor Who back into the hearts and minds of the British viewing public. Following the first series of NuWho, Eccleston departed – vacating the role and being replaced by fan favourite David Tennant.
While Tennant is immensely popular and helped to send the show’s popularity into overdrive, without Eccleston Doctor Who could very well have failed.
One of the biggest surprises when photos began to roll in from the 2005 series was the somewhat ordinary nature of the ninth Doctor’s costume. When thinking of Doctor Who many people conjure up images of long scarves, velvet jackets, and cricket whites – so Eccleston’s pared down and simple costume immediately set people aback as to whether or not this was going to be Doctor Who proper.
Luckily, the first series was a triumph and Eccleston was adored in the role. His look, while definitely different to the Doctor’s usual flare-filled style, is a fan favourite and is incredibly easy to copy as an everyday outfit.
While the only changeable item of Eccleston’s on-screen costume was his fine-knit jumper (he wore several different colours throughout his tenure) this look has ditched the somewhat monochrome nature of the original in favour of a more 1940’s/1950’s inspired flavour.
The jeans selected are a pair of Levi’s 511 slim fit selvedge jeans. Any male fashion fan worth his salt will know all about the benefits of selvedge denim and can understand why a heavier, better quality pair of jeans is worth the extra money. These are currently on sale at Dandy Fellow but are available elsewhere too. While the ninth Doctor wore a pair of black, straight-fit jeans – I feel slimming the silhouette and adding the dark indigo colour helps to make this outfit less of a costume, and more of a comfortable, everyday kind of look.
In order to create a clear division between your bottom and top halves, I’ve chosen a chunky, double pronged belt from Timberland – this is somewhat reminiscent of the belts favoured by greasers during the 1950’s and adds to the rebellious and carefree nature of the leather jacket. The belt can be purchased from Next for £35, but cheaper alternatives will be available – vintage shops often have a selection of similar belts, so be sure to check your local stores!
Fine-knit jumpers, similar to the ones favoured by Eccleston in the show, are available from lots of high street sellers – I’d recommend checking low price retailers such as Primark if you wanted to pick up a few different colours relatively inexpensively. Personally, I think it’s better to buy high end items for this outfit as the quality will help to make the simpler choices look more like a deliberate move, as opposed to just throwing some clothes on.
The jumper(s) chosen for this post are by Uniqlo and is available through their site. It’s available in a wide range of colours so you can pick up four or five and have a nice selection of comfortable jumpers to honour the ninth Doctor. These jumpers are made of an extra fine merino wool so will be incredibly comfortable worn without a base-layer, as Eccleston did in Doctor Who.
A man’s footwear is one of the make-or-break elements of his wardrobe, and the boots selected here are no different. While Eccleston screen-worn boots were an incredibly clumpy and unflattering shape, this pair by Hudson are still chunky and sturdy, without being cumbersome. They feature a wooden stacked heel and give a very vintage profile – they’re incredibly well made and will last a lifetime if well looked after.
Alternatively, if the Hudson boots aren’t to your taste, these chukka boots by River Island are a happy compromise. I’d recommend wearing whichever boot you choose with your jeans slightly turned up – turn-ups are a really popular trend at the minute and, again, helps to call back to the 40’s and 50’s.
One of the smaller details of the ninth Doctor’s costume was his wristwatch. The watch worn on-screen featured a gold case and rectangular face on a black strap – these watches are incredibly easy to find at various price points. Some can be found for as little as a tenner! The one I’ve selected here is by Sekonda and is only £20. Alternatively, this option by Limit will fit the bill just as nicely, but may not last as long.
Perhaps the most important element of Eccleston’s costume was the battered and beaten-up leather jacket. Then show-runner Russell T Davies even stated the October 2004 issue of SFX magazine that “In the very first draft of the script, I made reference to a leather jacket, just as a vague suggestion, but after that I just left it to Lucinda Wright, our costume designer, and Doctor Who himself. And I love it – that jacket looks battered, lived-in, comfortable, and a bit sexy too. I gather some fans are up in arms about this…”
The importance of the ninth Doctor’s leather jacket cannot be understated. It immediately modernised the character and let viewers who were unaware of just who the Doctor is know that he was a man of action, adventure, and as viewers saw in the series opener “Rose”, danger.
The jacket is a double breasted number with a belted back. This style is often
referred to as a pea-coat, a reefer jacket, or a U-boat captain’s jacket. Either way, the style mixes military cool with a relaxed and comfortable edge.
This type of jacket isn’t too hard to find, but finding one that looks of high quality
while also capturing the essence of the original can be incredibly troublesome. For my money, Wested Leather Co do one of the best ninth Doctor jackets. While it’s not 100% screen accurate, it’s guaranteed to be a comfortable and reliable companion through many, many years of wear. I personally own one of Wested’s Indiana Jones jackets and the quality is second to none. Furthermore, Wested allow you the option of having it made to your exact measurements and specifications, meaning you can have a truly bespoke version of Eccleston’s original jacket.
The details are all there and make for an incredibly striking garment. All their Doctor Who jackets are made to order and can be made in a pre-distressed hide – this means you’ll be even closer to the well-travelled nature of the screen-worn jacket in an even shorter space of time! While lots of other jackets of a similar style are available, this – for my money – is one of the best made options out there. The service from Wested is nothing shy of impeccable and all their jackets are made in house so you know you’re getting the finest craftsmanship and the finest materials.
While no one can deny that at £205 for the standard jacket is a bargain, cheaper options are available – though I can’t attest to the quality of them! Here’s a list of Amazon links I found:
Jacket 1
Jacket 2
Jacket 3
Jacket 4
Though these are tempting, I’d be inclined to save up and get the Wested – especially seeing as the quality is so stellar. Alternatively, wool versions of this style are often available in the cooler months – so if leather isn’t for you, you can probably find a good winter coat in a ninth Doctor cut!
That about wraps it up! What do you think to this look? Do you ever wear a ninth Doctor inspired outfit? Let us know in the comments!
An Adventure With Ties In Space 