"It’s
about being clean and well-turned out, but also quite hard," says
Stylist's Anna Fielding
Twelfth
Doctor Peter Capaldi's new outfit has been unveiled, to a largely positive
reaction. Among the many comparisons made were Jon Pertwee's third Doctor and a
magician, but fashion-conscious Whovians spotted a mod-influenced style.
Here,
Stylist's Anna Fielding unpicks Capaldi's look, comparing it with his recent
predecessors Matt Smith and David Tennant, and explaining why age does matter –
and why it's ok that the new Doctor is a skinhead...
"The
12th Doctor’s new look is really interesting. It’s a classic early skinhead
look, which started to appear in the late 1960s (in Earth’s timeline, that is).
These days people think of the skinhead movement as being associated with
racial violence and far-right politics, but in the beginning it wasn’t like that.
"The
style grew out of the harder end of mod, but also took in fashion and musical
influences from Jamaican culture. These were kids wearing classic British
bands, like Crombie and Dr Martens, but also listening to ska and rocksteady
and wearing elements of Jamaican rudeboy style, such as sharp tonic suits (made
with shiny two-tone fabric) and porkpie hats.
"It
was a very working-class movement and the absolute opposite to the hippy
culture going on at the same time. This was about fighting and football, about
looking sharp and taking your girl dancing on a Saturday night. There was no
room for the hippies’ peace and love. That’s something to consider when we
start guessing at what this incarnation of the Doctor will be like.
"The
last few Doctors have, fashion-wise, drawn quite heavily on style from UK
subcultures. David Tennant's tenth Doctor was an indie boy through and through.
With his Damon-Albarn-style hair, his long coat, his second-hand-looking suit
and his Converse plimsolls, he’d have fitted in happily at any night playing
post-punk or Britpop. It works with his personality too: he’s a doomy romantic
and also a touch vain (he wouldn’t regenerate fully because he liked the way he
looked). The clothes also work with the actor’s age, they’re things men in
their 30s and 40s have and do wear.
"Similarly,
Matt Smith’s Doctor was dressed in a style you see on certain twentysomething
men today. He looks like a bit of a hipster. His bowtie and tweed jacket would
be well at home in various east London bars. He’s very much the Generation Y
Doctor, starting out playful and full of whimsy and, as his story progresses,
coming to accept the weight of his responsibilities.
"Peter
Capaldi is 55, so this is a look that works with his timeline and doesn’t look like
he’s trying to be too young. It’s also a break from the eccentric professor
look, popular with many Doctors including Matt Smith, but one that Tennant and
Eccleston rejected. My guess is that this Doctor will be angry, sharp-thinking
and mostly very controlled – except on the few occasions he turns into a bit of
a berserker."
Deconstructing the 12th Doctor's
skinhead style
1. Hair
Not quite shaved (that came later), but more closely cropped than we’ve seen on
any Doctor with the exception of Christopher Eccleston.
2. Coat
Crombie is actually a Scottish firm – which matches nicely with Capaldi's roots
– and is over 200 years old. They’ve supplied coats to royalty and statesmen,
but the skinheads made them their own. Clean lines and good quality.
3. Shirt
Clean, pressed and no tie. You can’t get into a fight wearing a tie, can you?
4.
Cardigan A smart cardigan was a popular alternative to a jacket for skinheads.
5. Dr
Martens A footwear staple for any Brit who fancies themselves to be a bit
alternative. These DMs are shiny, though, unlike the bashed about ones worn by
most of the subcultures that followed – again it’s about being clean and
well-turned out, but also quite hard.
No comments:
Post a Comment