The amazing help provided by Series 9 costume designer Ray Holman to costumers on Twitter and at the Doctor Who Festival, along with some detective work I was able to do when I was in London, has necessitated an update to my previous article on the Doctor’s coats in series 9.
I was correct when I said that the Doctor’s blue coats (and the new red velvet) were made by Chris Kerr of Berwick Street, the same tailor who also made all of Matt Smith’s coats. I incorrectly said though that the coats were made of melton wool when in fact they are actually made from a much pricier pure camelhair in navy, purchased from W.Bill. Thanks to Doctor Who Magazine we know that the red velvet is a cotton/modal blend purchased from Holland & Sherry. The lining for all the coats was provided by Chris Kerr, but is also available through W.Bill.
One of the standout features of the red and blue coats in series 9 were the distinct red cuff buttons. Luckily I was able to get to see the buttons up close at the Doctor Who Festival and some important details were revealed. Firstly, the buttons on the blue coat are 4 hole 15mm buttons in red with a convex center and small rim. Unfortunately for us, the entire tube of these buttons was purchased by the costume department and they are no longer available. Keep your eyes posted on this site though as I may be able to provide some suitable replicas in the near future.
The buttons on the velvet coat are also 15mm and red, but only have 2 holes and, very interestingly, are different on each cuff! The right side cuff is shiny and the left side cuff is matte. These buttons were purchased from a tiny shop in Cardiff.
As I mentioned, the costuming area at Doctor Who Festival in November had a wealth of information. Each of the costumes displayed had with it a change form that listed out all of the items that comprised that costume. It was this way that I (and anyone else who saw it) learned that the Doctor’s latest waistcoat was black 5 button purchased at TM Lewin. After comparing my own with the photos I took at the Festival I can say that I am 99% certain the waistcoat model name is the Palmer.
Awesome breakdown! It confirmed my suspicion that the navy coat was a blue camel hair.