Time Differential: Five to Eleven

Something a little different for you guys this week. Time Differential is a new type of look book where we mash up various combinations of the Doctors’ looks and see what comes out!

This time we’re mixing up two of my personal favourite Doctors. Both the fifth Doctor and the eleventh Doctor have a preppy, heritage inspired look which works well on gents of any age. The younger Doctor Who fan will suit either of these looks in the youthful, collegiate sense, and the older amongst you will pull out the classical, more gentlemanly nature of the look.

While initially this look can seem like a hodge-podge of styles, it’s actually a really comfortable and interesting look. The cooler weather that has finally struck the UK (and to an even greater extent, parts of the US) the use of layering will be a much welcomed wardrobe staple. The structured and heavier shirt underneath a cable-knit cricket jumper will lend a casual yet quirky warmth the whole look.

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The “Series 8.5” Twelve

With series 9 well under way and the Autumn months at our doorsteps, it’s perhaps prudent to take a gander at how to best combine the layered looks Capaldi has sported in his performance as the Doctor and how to best combine them to create something recognisable, but ultimately unique.

Between series 8 and 9 of Doctor Who there was a changeover of costume designers. Series 9 saw the return of Ray Holman who took it upon himself to build on Capaldi’s series 8 costume by updating, deconstructing, or generally just reinventing certain aspects of the look.

Indeed, one of the earlier posts on this very blog took a look at an outfit inspired by the new, more casual look worn by Capaldi on the show.

The “Preppy” Five

The fifth Doctor, as played by the inimitable Peter Davison had a difficult job. He had to keep fans on side after the departure of fan-favourite Tom Baker. The youngest Doctor ever (at the time of casting) Davison was a relative unknown and viewers were dubious that he’d be up to the task.

However, worries were allayed when he broke onto our screens in 1981. Clad in an Edwardian flavoured ensemble which was heavily influenced by cricket uniforms of old. Now, many cricket fans are quick to point out that Davison’s costume is not a true cricket uniform – and buffs of the Edwardian era are also eager to show that his look is not truly Edwardian either… That said, the influence of the Edwardian era and old fashioned cricket uniforms are distinctly present and that’s what helped to cut a unique swathe when compared to Tom Baker’s bohemian wardrobe.

The outfit, comprised of a frock coat with a heavy boating blazer influence, a cricket jumper, striped high-waisted trousers, and trainers, is instantly recognisable as quintessential Doctor Who and, as such, any outfit heavily reminiscent of this will instantly draw cries of “Where’s your TARDIS?!” or “Six!” from punters on the street.

Roll Over Beethoven!

“Who really composed Beethoven’s fifth?”

Last night’s episode of Doctor Who saw the return of the Doctor’s Yamaha guitar – he used this to illustrate his point about the bootstrap paradox (Google it!) which then led into an impressive, rocky rendition of the Doctor Who theme.

Say what you like about the Doctor breaking the fourth wall, it’s definitely a cool scene which we here at AAWTIS absolutely loved – here’s me paying homage to the scene by playing a quick couple of bars in an Instagram video.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice I’m wearing a holey jumper similar to Capaldi’s (but nowhere near as nice!) this was done by snipping some holes in a 99p charity shop jumper – a cheap but effective way to capture the look Capaldi is so fond of! A word to the wise though, the holes will tend to fray after a while so it might be wise to invest in a longer-term option if you plan on wearing yours regularly.

Full post is, as always, going live on Tuesday!

The “Professor” Seven

The 1980’s were a turbulent time for those working on Doctor Who and its fans. Following on from the rocky tenure of the sixth Doctor, Sylvester McCoy was tasked with reaffirming the public’s love of the show.

While we all know how this story ended, he was the man tasked with no small feat. In order to introduce the seventh Doctor to the world, McCoy needed a more refined and sophisticated costume which simultaneously created a sense of fun and light-heartedness. It was this sense of joie de vivre which he sought to inject into his performance as the titular Time Lord.

The look selected for the seventh Doctor was one which called to mind the heyday of classical British tailoring while also feeling very 1930’s in the cut of the jacket and the use of two-tone brogues. The knitted tank top is perhaps the most gairish part of the ensemble which helps to differentiate the Doctor as a quirky time traveller. Whether or not you like the question mark motif, you can’t deny it’s instantly recognisable.

The use of textures; tweeds, silks, wools, and cottons, is absolutely inspired as it creates a rich sense of contrast without disturbing the earthy colour palette used throughout the costume.

The “Autumn 2015” Four

For many fans of a certain age, Tom Baker’s wild-eyed fourth Doctor will always be the definitive article. More alien than any of his predecessors, the fourth Doctor had the manic expression of someone truly otherworldly; from his distinctive voice to his natty dress sense, the fourth Doctor was certainly a force to be reckoned with. It’s unsurprising that to this very day, the long scarf and bohemian bouffant is still inexorably linked with the Doctor Who brand.

While many people think they know what the fourth Doctor wore, many are stumped beyond his trade mark scarf and fedora hat. This may be due, in part, to the the ever changing nature of the Doctor’s costume. Indeed, the third Doctor too had dozens of costume variants and, as such, is remembered more for an overall “style” than one specific look. In his earlier episodes, Tom Baker sported a more professorial sense of style than his later, more flamboyant costumes.

Initially, the costume comprised of the care-worn hat (a forest green long-hair Herbert Johnson), the classic striped scarf, a neckerchief, a white shirt, an argyle cardigan, a pair of tweed trousers, a pair of sturdy brogues, and a burgundy corduroy safari style jacket.

The “Hipster” Doctor-Donna

The culmination of series four saw the birth of an entirely new type of Time Lord. The Human-Time Lord meta-crisis made for a bone of contention with some fans and saw the Doctor use up an additional regeneration without changing his face.

On top of this, it allowed writer Russell T Davies the opportunity to give Rose Tyler a happy ending without affecting the continued adventures of the Doctor. The Doctor-Donna is, in essence, a bonkers idea – but it sort of works for me and the costuming used to delineate between the Doctor and the Doctor-Donna is nothing shy of subtle brilliance.

The use of the Doctor’s alternate blue suit and a simple maroon t-shirt created a clear and obvious distinction between the two characters and made for a fan favourite look many cosplayers still opt for today.

The “Cool Grandad” Twelve

Regular Doctor Who viewers will be aware of the upcoming changes to Peter Capaldi’s wardrobe as the title character. Originally portrayed as favouring crisp shirts with a minimalist punk-meets-mod style, the twelfth Doctor has recently been photographed in variations of his “Last Christmas” look.

The multiple costume variants imply that this is Capaldi’s current favourite iteration of his Time Lord style and it seems we’ll be seeing quite a lot of this in the upcoming series 9.

The original version of the more relaxed twelfth Doctor look featured his Paul Smith holes jumper and a very thin All Saints hoodie. This slightly careworn outfit harks back to the classic era of Doctor Who when Patrick Troughton was renowned for his shabby-chic wardrobe.