Doctor Who on Tor.com   
      From Bow Ties to Sneakers: Fashion Tips from the Doctor   
      Ryan Britt   
      December 16, 2013 12:00PM   
      
      Other than maybe Han Solo, in the universe of sci-fi fashion, most   
      leading men have let us down. Captain Kirk is cool, sure. But you cant   
      go out dressed like him without getting some serious pit-stains. I   
      always loved the outfits from Logans Run, but it gets cold in big   
      cities sometimes. Battlestar Galactica? Come on. T-shirts and ugly   
      wifebeaters? What is that?   
      
      All in all theres only one hero of time and space out there who knows   
      how to dress. And his name is the Doctor.   
      
      Footwear:   
      
      Before the Tenth Doctors alternating red or cream sneakers, the Fifth   
      Doctor was rocking some pretty sweet white trainers. Because Peter   
      Davisons Doctor sort of had a cricket-player thing going on, this   
      totally made sense. But hes not the only Doctor with cool shoes.   
      Though one cant wear the dandy boots of Jon Pertwees Third Doctor   
      with just anything, a good formal boot is an easy way to communicate   
      sexiness. And speaking of boots, Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith has brought   
      back the ugly functional boot in a big way.   
      
      
      Jackets, Blazers and Suits:   
      
      Starting with William Hartnell, the Doctors dress has generally exuded   
      a vague sense of formality. With the exception of Christopher   
      Eccelstons Ninth Doctor, every incarnation of our favorite Time Lord   
      has worn a collared shirt, and often a blazer or suit-jacket of some   
      kind. Though Patrick Troughtons ill-fitting jacket is pretty much a   
      fashion fail, he did start the trend of the Doctor dressing casually   
      formal while simultaneously goofy.   
      
      Youd think Jon Pertwees Third Doctor would have a monopoly on the   
      velvet blazer, but both the Fourth and Eighth Doctors sported velvet   
      too. The Eleventh Doctors tweed blazer is maybe a little more classic   
      than a velvet one, but it communicates the same retro message. The   
      Doctor likes vintage clothes, because from his perspective theres no   
      such thing as vintage since nothing ever goes out of fashion.   
      
      The Tenth Doctor probably wins in the blazer/suit department owing to   
      the fact that his ensembles work because he isnt trying too hard. He   
      looks cool, but never out of place. In The Waters of Mars when hes   
      standing there in his blue suit, cradling his spacesuit, it might have   
      looked stupid. But it doesnt, because the Tenth Doctors suits are   
      like James Bonds tuxedos, strangely appropriate for all occasions   
      because the wearer is super-confident.   
      
      
      Outer-Wear:   
      
      When the Doctor is doing outer-wear, he does it in the style of a   
      detective or a superhero. Most of the Doctors big coats are   
      cloak-like, reminding us of the characters connections to Sherlock   
      Holmes. Some of this like the Third Doctors capes just call a lot of   
      attention to the Doctor. Other coats, like the Ninth Doctors plain   
      leather jacket, are unassuming, but still works on a classic level.   
      
      Even though the Ninth Doctor got a lot of grief for this jacket, it   
      actually was a brilliant fashion move. The Doctor had been gone from   
      the public consciousness for a while, meaning any notion of how he   
      dressed was up for grabs. Playing it safe would have probably meant   
      doing some amalgamation of familiar Doctor pieces; a scarf, a hat, a big   
      coat, a tie of some kind. Instead, the Ninth Doctors outfit is a risk.   
      Because its simple, or boring, it actually is one of the cooler   
      outfits of all the Doctors. The Ninth Doctors coat and general fashion   
      works because its relatable. Most of us dont wear bowties and crazy   
      scarves. But many of us do own a warm-weather coat and a few sweaters   
      (jumpers) which we will always wear. Fashion-wise, the Ninth Doctor was   
      the peoples Doctor.   
      
      While hes not the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness should get a special   
      mention here for bringing back the WWII style trench. Honestly, I   
      bought one cheap from an Army surplus place last winter and feel like   
      Im on the Torchwood team whenever I put it on.   
      
      
      Scarves and Ties:   
      
      Obviously we cant talk about the Doctors fashion sense without   
      talking about neckwear. The Fourth Doctors ridiculous scarf is   
      probably the most noticeable scarf of all time and space. Whats so   
      great about the Fourth Doctors scarf is that it is somehow its own   
      fashion reference point. Dont tell me the long scarf Rose wears in the   
      final scenes of The End of Time isnt a shout-out to Tom Baker. Not   
      only that, but I bet those Harry Potter scarves wouldnt be near as   
      cool if it werent for Doctor number 4.   
      
      Ties and bowties are obviously a big deal with the Doctor. And even   
      though the Eleventh Doctor has been constantly reminding us that   
      bow-ties are cool, he isnt the first Doctor to rock this iconoclast   
      fashion statement. The Second Doctor, the Third Doctor, and even David   
      Tennant under the guise of John Smith, have all worn bow ties. There   
      are a lot of sociological theories as to what the wearer of a bow tie   
      is trying to say by wearing a bow tie. In one of the deleted scenes   
      from Season 5, Amy asks the Doctor is it a cry for help? But not   
      matter the answer, the main reason the bow tie works for the Doctor is   
      because he is the Doctor. The Doctor has also worn regular ties   
      throughout his various incarnations. This is good, because ties are   
      cool too.   
      
      
      Hats:   
      
      Lets get one thing straight fezzes are NOT cool. River Song did us all   
      a favor by blasting that thing with her ray-gun. But, some of the   
      Doctors hats have been awesome. I know we all love Tom Bakers big   
      floppy hat, and the hat is pretty much the only thing that saved the   
      Seventh Doctors look; the sweater and trousers werent really doing   
      Slyvester McCoy any favors, but the hat sort of brought it all together   
      and gave him a more distinguished/mysterious quality. All in all   
      though, I have to say that I love Fifth Doctor Peter Davisons hat the   
      best. It seems like he really uses it to protect himself from the   
      elements, and it somehow makes the stick of celery on his lapel make   
      sense.   
      
      
      There have of course, been many fashion failures. And no, I didnt   
      forget about the Sixth Doctor. I just couldnt bring myself to write   
      about his get-up. Sure, trying to kill Peri in The Twin Dilemma was   
      messed up, but not near as whack as that freaking coat!   
      
      All in all, considering how long the guy has been around, I think hes   
      succeeded more times than hes failed. As aliens go, I think we can all   
      agree that the Doctor is hands-down the best dressed.   
      
      
      This post originally appeared December 31, 2010   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
      Ryan Brit is a long-time contributor to Tor.com. In the late 90s and   
      early 00s, his fashion repertoire relied heavily on navy blue Chuck   
      Taylors. But in the era of Tenth Doctor David Tennant, he switched to   
      red. Hes also been rocking an elbow-patched tweed jacket way before   
      Matt Smith showed up.   
      
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