Do-It-Yourself Doctor Who Costume Ideas

The Eleventh Doctor wears a brown tweed jacket with elbow patches, bow tie, suspenders (aka braces), rolled up trousers and black boots. The bow-tie is his key quirk. Color of the bow-tie, suspenders, and shirt vary, sometimes a combination in shades of red, sometimes in shades of blue. For Amy's wedding his attire was black and white, with a silk scarf and top hat.

The Fez was briefly added to his wardrobe in The Big Bang, to be destroyed by the end of the episode by River Song and Amy. "Cool" headgear has become a recurring theme, with the Doctor donning a Stetson in the episode The Impossible Astronaut only to have it shot by River Song, as well.

The Tenth Doctor favored suits and ties, but always somewhat rumpled. The top button of the shirt undone, tie loosened. His most recognizable trademarks were a long brown trenchcoat and battered white or red high top Converse sneakers. The actual Converse logo was colored out to prevent the logo being visible on screen in close-ups.

David Tennant played The Doctor from 2006 through 2009, undergoing a few different variations in his costume through the seasons. At times his suit was blue, sometimes pinstriped, at other times it was brown. The brown suit was paired with the off-white Converse; blue suit with the red. There were times he wore red and blue 3D glasses, times he wore dark brown rectangular-shaped eyeglasses, and times he wore none.

Doctor Who Tenth Doctor's Coat Replica

Officially licensed time-travel gear! Trench coat based on the 10th incarnation of The Doctor, played by David Tennant. Officially licensed by the BBC and available in a very limited run, this designer-quality replica trench coat features high-quality wool-blend fabric, deep blue lining (color-matched to the costume coat), double-breasted buttoning, detailed stitching on the back, two inside chest pockets, outside welt pockets with flaps, and a Doctor Who woven label.

The Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann, appeared in one televised movie in 1996. The rest of his time as Doctor has been portrayed in comic books, audio dramas, and novels, although the alternative media are typically treated as an alternate timeline to the televised series. He's been described as "Byronesque", and, as you can see in the movie trailer below, he wore a long frock coat and dark grey cravat in a style that calls to mind that time period.

The Seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy, wore an off-white safari style jacket over a plain white shirt and a yellow pullover with blue-green zigzag patterns and red question marks. His pants were sand-colored tweed plaid; his shoes white/brown brogued spectator shoes. His hat was a white colonial-styled Panama hat with a paisley hatband and an upturned brim. A red paisley tie, red paisley scarf worn under his jacket lapels, and a matching handkerchief tied up the paisley theme. He also carried a fob watch chained to his left lapel and an umbrella with a red question mark-shaped handle or bamboo handle. His is one of the most complicated wardrobes, though much could be done with the right hat, jacket, and umbrella, with red paisley accessories.

The Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, would have preferred to wear black but was instead costumed in tasteless, mismatched, garish clothes he described as "an explosion in a rainbow factory". Best seen for yourself, check the video below.

The Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, wore a variation of an Edwardian cricketer's uniform, complete with a cricket ball in one of his pockets. He favored a cream-coloured frock coat, striped trousers, and a celery stalk in his lapel.

The Fourth Doctor Who is known for his mass of curls escaping beneath his broad-brimmed hat, and his impossibly long scarf. He wore three distinct coats: a reddish-brown blazer that he wore throughout his first season, a full-length dark brown coat for the darker horror stories, and a full-length light gray for more action-packed stories.

In his last year on Doctor Who, they changed Tom Baker's costume to a full-length burgundy overcoat, a wide-brimmed fedora, a matching blazer, and a new, redesigned, and even longer scarf of varying of reds and purples. Before long, he'd ditched the hat and blazer, leaving the hat to be seen in the background on a rack.

Unfortunately the shapeable brimmed fedora is out of stock at Amazon with no idea if it will be available again. You might give a look to the fedoras styled as Indiana Jones hats - their color and style is similar. Our Fourth Doctor is pictured in many hats, some appearing more stiff or new and others more battered, so I'll leave it up to your judgement whether the styles are similar enough, adding one here so you can see what I mean:

Sometimes there are several to choose from, sometimes none. There seem to be dedicated eBay sellers who create them, though, so if you don't see one now, check back later. Or if you're a crafty type - or know one - check out the Doctor Who Pattern Book for a pattern.

The Third Doctor, portrayed by Jon Pertwee, wore frilled shirts, velvet smoking jackets in blue, green, burgundy, red, or black, evening trousers in colors that matched his smoking jackets, and Inverness cloaks. His shoes were dress shoes, formal boots, or riding boots, and he accessorized with bow ties, cravats and leather gloves. This earned the Third Doctor the nickname of "The Dandy Doctor."

The Second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, wore clownishly baggy trousers, dark jackets, and a bowtie. Another of his quirks was to carry a recorder. His personality as well as his wardrobe was more relaxed than the original doctor, and he was called a "Cosmic Hobo" and a clown.

The First Doctor, portrayed by William Hartnell, wore a frock coat and plaid trousers. Sometimes he wore a cape, an Astrakhan, or a Panama hat. He wore a blue signet ring, and occasionally used a walking stick. When in Earth's past, he would often alter his standard outfit in an attempt to blend in.

Offering both knitting and sewing projects, the Doctor Who Pattern Book dates from 1984 and includes a few most-haves for old-school Doctor Who fans. The patterns include, but are not limited to: Tom Baker's scarf; Peter Davison's cricket jumper; Nyssa's jacket; Romana's t-shirt and sailor top; Adric's tunic and anorak; a K-9 toy, cushion and shoulder bag; toy Cybermats; a TARDIS sleeping bag, tidy and cushion; clothes for action figures; a celery brooch; a console floor cushion; and Nasty puppets.

Most of these are not easy beginner projects, but offer a lot of fun for the dedicated Doctor Who themed crafter.

Although no longer in print, copies can be found on Amazon and eBay:

Blink Weeping Angel Costume
This is a photo illustrated how-to of an amazingly realistic Weeping Angel costume.

If you're still coming up empty for ideas, check out Doctor Who Props.com for photos and discussion of real, old-school costumes worn by The Doctors and others in the series. They have close up shots of the costumes and discussion of how they were made, very helpful for anyone wishing to recreate their own. The tales of how the props came to be used in the show are fascinating.

You might also enjoy the Costume Design section of Tom Baker, the official website where June Hudson discusses Tom Baker's costume

Finally, the Doctor Who Experience photo stream on Flickr includes close-up shots of Doctor Who costumes. You can find Time Lords, Captain Jack Harkness, River Song, and other companions and characters.

Making My Tennant Coat
Much discussion of the finer points of making a quality Tenth Doctor's coat, reviews of some of the eBay sellers also making Tennant-style coats, and other Doctor Who costume notes. Links on the side of the blog lead you to his other blogs on making a Tennant-style suit, and other Doctor Who costumes.

Crafty Tardis LiveJournal Community
This link leads to posts within the Crafty Tardis community which are tagged as costume posts. The community itself encompasses any kind of crafting related to Doctor Who or Torchwood. (Do not need a LiveJournal to read.)

Doctor Who Cosplay and Costuming LiveJournal Community
Another LiveJournal Community rich with pictures, discussion, and ideas.