The Capaldi look - alternative boots

So now The Doctor’s new look is out there, we know pretty much everything he’s wearing and the price tag attached - which coming at a minimum of £2,000 for the complete costume, is out of the range of most cosplayers.

That said there are always alternatives to give that ensemble look and achieve the correct silhouette.

The screen used boots are by Loakes, but this style of boot is often referred to as DMs (short for Doc Marten’s) in the same way we call a vacuum cleaner a Hoover, regardless of brand.

The hard vinyl sole; high ankle; and rounded top-cap are typical but not exclusive to the Doc Marten’s range.

This means there are alternative makers out there, some in a more budget conscious bracket.

I’ve seen a lot of suggestions for the boots, so here is my pick of the best.

Urban Outfitters - Dr. Martens Affleck Brogue Patent Leather Boot

Scorpio Shoes - Dr Martens Anthony Mens Leather Brogue Boot

Zappos.com - Florsheim Gaffney Ltd Gray Milled Leather

The Capaldi look - the trousers

When Peter Capaldi’s coat was revealed to be from Crombie, a lot of people noticed that they also sell trousers which bear a mark resemblance to those in the new costume.

They certainly have the right general look, and are in probably the right colour being a dark navy. But looking at them they seem to lack the very tapered ankle.

I think they can only be regarded as a good alternative.

Crombie Navy Birdseye Trousers

The trousers now identified as probably the right ones are from the Spring/Summer 2013 Paul Smith range.

Paul Smith Indigo Mohair-Blend Trousers

If you remember, back in October Paul Smith himself posted in his blog that Peter Capaldi had visited his workshop.
Could this have been when the trousers were chosen.

There is one notable difference however, the pleats on the front are flapped in the opposite direction. That said, the trousers could easily be altered to change the way these pleats lay, so I’d say these are the right ones.

The Capaldi look - breakdown in the Metro blog

There have been a number of press articles online about the new Doctor’s costume, breaking it down into its constituent parts.

One I thought worth showing you is on the Metro-online.

Get the look -
Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who outfit

It covers each of the items in turn, naming the screen-used garment (not always getting it right) but then does offer some suggestions as to good alternatives - one of which accidentally turns out to be the screen-worn item!!

Even though it is not 100% correct, I thought it worth flagging up, even if only for the alternatives.

The coat
it correctly identifies the Crombie coat, highlighting the accepted closest on offer, the Navy Retro Crombie Coat, slim fit at £795.

It gives a suggested alternative of a Navy Trench Coat from TopMan costing £150.

TopMan - Selected Homme Trench Coat

I really don’t rate this choice at all. it doesn’t have proper lapels;
the back has a yolked shoulder;
and it lacks the red lining.

The Cardigan
This is a curious piece of happenchance. The way the article is written it suggests the John Smedley Merino Woll Cardigan (from John Lewis) at £150, not realising it is actually the screen-worn garment.

John Smedley - Cavendish In Midnight

The Shirt
This is the one disappointment here, as they fail to identify the shirt worn, and suggest a Plain Tailored Shirt from Zara for £29.99 as a throwaway “that will do” option.

The Trousers
Their choice for the trousers are from Riess at £110.

Reiss - Hertford T Dark Navy Pleated Tuxedo Trousers

The Boots
The Metro’s choice for the boots is a bog-standard Doc Marten’s Dr Martens original 8-Eye boots at £100 from ASOS.com

ASOS.com - Dr Martens Original 8-Eye Boots

The Capaldi effect

According to an article on the Radio Times website, sales of Crombie coats have gone through the roof since there costume was revealed barely a week ago.

Doctor Who: Sales of Peter Capaldi's Crombie coat skyrocket

The article quotes a spokesperson for Crombie, who although was unable to provide precise sales figures, but did reveal there had been a two-fold increase in enquiries about the item.

“Calls and e-mails to our customer service line were double their usual,” said the spokesperson, “and more than half the queries for our made-to-measure service this week have been for the style of coat worn by Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.”

It goes on to say that:

So-called “cos-play” enthusiasts whose budget doesn’t stretch quite as far as the Doctor’s will be busy with a needle and thread ahead of the next Doctor Who convention...

The Capaldi look - definitive ID on the cardigan

After the initial flurry of activity identifying the components of Peter Capaldi’s costume, the dust is beginning to settle and some more measured IDs are coming to light.

The cardigan is a case in point.

Sometimes there are trends in fashion, such that a number of different designers will draw inspiration from the same source and produce garments with an uncanny similarity.


Fans were quick to notice that Cromie, as well as supplying the coat, also had a cardigan on their website which looks exactly like the screen-worn costume. It made a certain sense that that had been bought from the same supplier.

However, since then an article on the Daily Telegraph website has given a more astute insight into the costume.
It throws aside the Doc Marten’s (as has many fans); it casts some doubt over the exact source of the coat - saying that Crombie can be regarded as a style as well as a maker; and it quiet drops in that Jhn Smedley made the cardigan.

Sorry?
What was that?

Well, digging a little deeper it would appear this is true, as the official John Smedley blog caries a story about the cardigan.

John Smedley blog - I Spy Smedley

It is their Cavendish cardigan in the colourway Midnight from the Autumn/Winter 2013 range, which was briefly available at 40% off.
This offer seems to have expired now, and the cardigan has ben carried forward into their Spring/Summer 2014 range, so at least it is still available.

At time of writing XS, M and L were out of stock.

John Smedley - Cavendish In Midnight

As an aside, the jumpers worn by Christopher Ecceslton were by John Smedley too!