November 01, 2024
Guest writer Jamie Windust digs into the depths of the TARDIS wardrobe to explore how the Doctor has always been a style icon of sci-fi...
Jamie Windust (@jamie_windust) is an award-winning editor, freelance writer and author, who previously appeared as a guest on The Official Doctor Who Podcast. As a long-time fan of Doctor Who, their love of bow ties and trench coats was firmly inspired by watching all the varied and fashion-forward Doctors of the era onscreen as a child. Their favourite meal is fish fingers and custard.
You might be mistaken for thinking that since Ncuti Gatwa showed up on the scene, stepping into his newly refurbished blue box, his fashion-forward presence and striking appearance have pushed Doctor Who into a new era of glamorous magazine covers with an abundance of air kisses at some of fashion’s most lavish shows. From the cover of TIME Magazine to bearing all on the red carpet, Gatwa has not only been a key pillar of the show's reinvention but has brought Whovian magic into the world of high glamour.
However, as a long-standing fan, one could argue the Doctor has always been a fashion scene stalwart. As a child, I vividly remember having an equal amount of excitement and curiosity not only about who the latest iteration of the Doctor was to be, but also what their outfit would entail. What sartorial offerings were we, as an audience, about to be introduced to, and end up buying second-hand pieces from vintage stores to replicate and swish around in?
As I sat on my living room floor, devouring my fish and chips patiently waiting for the Eleventh Doctor reveal edition of Doctor Who Confidential, I couldn’t wait to see what outfit accompanied this new regeneration’s journey. Coming from David Tennant’s reign, I was hoping for more of the same expertly styled formal wear with a bit of human scruff in there for good measure; the tie never being fully tightened, the Converse trainers peeking out from under his coat. It was a look.
So imagine my delight at seeing a floppy-haired, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Matt Smith grace my screen to reveal himself as the new owner of the keys to the TARDIS, ultimately revealing his hallmark bow tie with fez in hand come his debut as the Eleventh Doctor. It was a dream come true.
Throughout its history, however, the aesthetics of the show have firmly existed as a pillar of what makes it one of the longest TV series around. Peter Davison proved, with the Fifth Doctor's Edwardian cricket gear, that bright red piping and vertical stripes aren’t just something that you put on a birthday cake. Colin Baker ensured that everybody who had splashed out on a big colour TV in the 1980s could see every inch of the his outfits no matter what. Every stitch of Tom Baker’s scarf became a core childhood memory for millions throughout the 1970s; with the Fourth Doctor's fluffy, curly hair and unforgettable hat and scarf combo again reminding us that, even 50 years prior to Gatwa, you could always rely on the Doctor to orchestrate their own unique sartorial ensemble.
The fashions of the Time Lord and their companions didn’t just influence Doctor Who fans, they became part of the fabric of British pop culture. I’m 99% sure if you stopped anybody on the street in the UK and asked what television show features a protagonist wearing a floppy hat and a long scarf, or a fez and a bow tie, chances are they’ll say Doctor Who. What a legacy the show has had, all thanks to the creative eye of those behind the camera knowing that it’s not just about how the Doctor saves the day, but what they’re wearing whilst they do it.
Subconsciously to this day as I dress myself at the start of each 24 hours I notice my desire to pull out the double-breasted blazer and shirt and tie, such is the show’s influence in me. When the rain pours down or the sun shines out, somewhere in the back of my head I hear myself asking: WWTDW - What Would The Doctor Wear?
As it turns out, it’s not just me - with millions creating their own screen-ready versions of outfits from the show. From recreations of the Doctor’s wardrobe to that of companions or even foes (I’m looking at you, Maestro), fans from around the world have fallen in love with the fashionable moments the show creates. Every single episode sees new fantastical creatures, characters and worlds that we could never dream of; and the attention to detail is always microscopic. The same goes for the wardrobe - just look at Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, infamously coming face-to-face with the Cybermen in the TARDIS, his extravagant (and polarising at the time) jacket and waistcoat look sat in stark contrast to the slick monotone of the Cybermen’s armour making their presence even scarier.
Costumes and accessories can even be pertinent to the plot in some of the show’s historic climaxes, like the Eleventh Doctor’s fez, helping audiences track where in time the Doctor was in the Series 5 finale, The Big Bang. When the Doctor is wearing his infamous fez, it’s a nod to the viewers that he’s visiting from the future, and not simply in the present moment with the younger Amy and Rory.
See, fashion even helps unscramble some of the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff!
I’ll always remember the evening I found out that Matt Smith was going to become the centre of my own cosmic world. Not just because of the promise of a whole new era of time travel but also because the Doctor Who baton was being handed down to me by my dad, who was a fan in his youth during the 1970s. As we sat down, my dad told me about his memories of Doctor Who when he was a child, recalling the outfits of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker and how their exploits and extravagance left a lasting impact on his own young mind. Our ability to reflect on the show together, bound by our memories of the vibrance and personality that the wardrobe provided the show, is an example of how influential fashion has been in Doctor Who since its birth.
It’s not just me who thinks this is the case. Ncuti himself, in an interview with Rolling Stone, said that he felt a connection with the Third Doctor’s suave and heroic outfits. Recounting his love for Jon Pertwee, Gatwa said it was his “lovely velvet jackets and frilly shirts” that he connected with, proving that the lineage of actors who play the Doctor can take aesthetic cues from previous incarnations and make them their own; allowing fans new and old to discover the constant call-backs to the TARDIS wardrobe.
So, as Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson continue to dominate the fashion scenes from London to New York, Paris and Milan, let us always remember just how important the clothing choices of our favourite time-travelling hero have been all along; and why at its core, Doctor Who is a celebration of self-expression through fashion, planting the seed for millions of us to create our own unique styles, inspired by the person in the mysterious police box.
Follow Jamie Windust on Instagram @jamie_windust.