I wonder if he looks this shocked when he finds out he's so popular.
If the last con I went to was any indication, Doctor Who is making a massive resurgence, thanks greatly to Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, bless them. But, amongst the cool bow-ties and the coats from Janice Joplin, I was seeing an awful lot of scarves, which to me, was amazing.
The greatest fashion accessory mankind will ever know.
So, if you're interested in becoming the embodiment of the greatest Doctor to ever be known (opinions may vary, depending on who you started with, it IS true that you never forget your first), you will need to do a variety of things before even getting started.
This is no time to get lazy.
First off, you have to come to the realization that Tom Baker's Doctor had one of the more diverse wardrobes in the series. Consisting of three very distinct coats, two noticeably different=coloured scarves, not counting the differing multi-coloured ones that appeared throughout the Fourth Doctor's long run.
You have to make a decision about which sort of Fourth Doctor you want to portray. Do you want to be the early Doctor, fumbling around in his short burgundy blazer? Do you want to be the Doctor in his dark brown coat, ready to plunge into a dark and mysterious plot? Or would you rather wear the light grey-brown frock, ready for a more light-hearted and action-packed adventure?
He can't make the decision for you.
- Blazer or frock coat
I got mine from CosplaySky, rather thank making my own, since making coats can actually get far pricier than simply buying one online. I was also pressed for time, so I just placed the order and focussed on other parts of the costume instead.
CosplaySky is actually a really great place to get the coats, since they have both the grey-brown frock and the reddish blazer, and everything's made to your own specific measurements, which is pretty awesome. So whether you buy it online, or you make it yourself (there is a wide variety of patterns available online if you need one, simply search "Frock coat pattern" and you'll find one), this should be one of the first things you get done, since coats can be time-consuming to make and orders can take a few weeks for delivery, so don't do this one last-minute.
- The Scarf
The iconic scarf. This is the item that will make people recognize who you're cosplaying as. Most people, myself included, will say that this is the most important part of your costume, seeing as it IS his trademark accessory.
Now the scarf is slightly more difficult. Frock coats are coming back into style with all the steampunk and popularity of Victorian-era clothing. Eighteen-foot scarves, however, have never really been in style, and considering the impracticality or them, I don't think you'll be finding those at your local stores.
There are people online you can commission a scarf from, but in this case, that would probably be the more expensive route. If you know how to knit, or even if you don't (it's not really that hard, so why not give it a try?), it's time to get crafty. Wool, if you shop at stores like Wal-Mart, isn't that expensive and you can get rather large balls at a much cheaper price. If you're willing to put aside the time (and eighteen feet or so IS going to be time consuming) you can get the scarf for much cheaper than if you were to buy one online.
My grandmother, an avid knitter (my own personal Madam Nostradamus), volunteered to make the scarf for me, and, knitting for hours a day (it's her hobby, I'm not a slave-driver, honest), she managed to make the entire scarf in a little under two weeks, but don't expect that sort of productivity if you have an actual life. Set aside some time to knit, but make sure you start enough in advance, I'd recommend a good couple months in advance, giving yourself some lee-way. If you want a good pattern to knit from, I'd recommend doctorwhoscarf.com, since they offer all four patterns of the scarf as it evolved.
Either way you choose to go about obtaining the scarf, be assured that it's well worth it. You'll have a Doctor Who prop as recognizable as the Sonic Screwdriver... which, speaking of...
- Sonic Screwdriver
This is one of the accessories people often forgo if they need to save some money. I'm not against dropping the screwdriver if you're a little strapped for cash (I'm no stranger to being broke, but that cos I buy all sorts of Doctor Who stuff), but it is one of the cheaper items to put into your costume. I paid 19.99$ for my screwdriver at the last con I went to, and looking online, it's not too much more to order online. I've also seen the Fourth Doctor's screwdriver in comic book and collectible shops all over, so there are options with the Screwdriver. And, after you're done with it in your costume, it's fun to have around as a decoration, I keep mine with my DVDs, and people who visit are always playing with it because of the fun sound it makes.
- Hat
The hat is another difficult one if you don't want to spend a lot of money. The only floppy fedoras I'd found outside of Hallowe'en time were in men's specialty shops for upwards of 80$ apiece. I suppose if you shop around online enough you may find one for cheaper, but I hadn't found one. So, with those shocking prices, I'd ended up going to a Hallowe'en costume shop, hoping to fins Victorian props, and came out with a Freddy Kreuger hat. It's not EXACTLY like the Doctor's hat, but it's really similar in some ways, and is providing me with a good template to make a better hat for future cons. So my advice for the hat is to shop around and don't be afraid to get something cheap and work to make it similar with a little scrap fabric.
- Waistcoat
The Doctor is famous for his crazy pattern choices, and the waistcoat is no exception, sporting a cheerful brown tartan pattern along the front. Now, if you don't have a lot of time or money on your hands, this one doesn't have to be perfect the first time around, as your scarf does hide a lot. The first time I dressed as the doctor, I didn't have a waistcoat at all. No one noticed with the scarf in the way, but if you're a die-hard cosplayer like me, I know you'll want to get one eventually. I recomment going to men's shops that sell Victorian-inspired clothing, or to shop online in places that sell Victorian or steampunk clothing, as they're the most likely to have what you're looking for. I found that The Gentleman's Emporium had the best choices.
In some earlier episodes, the Doctor was seen wearing an argyle cardigan under his blazer, which is probably easier to find than the waistcoat. I've never gone looking for a cardigan like his, so I have no real advice, other than to look in menswear stores.
- Shirt
The Doctor's shirt isn't often seen under everything he wears over it, but's mostly a baggy dress shirt, a more Victorian-styled shirt, but this is one place you can afford to be lazy and just use a normal shirt, as it will be covered. If you're going for authenticity, shop around in Victorian stores until you find something.
- Ascot
The Doctor is definitely one for accessorizing! He's always seen with a colourful neckscarf (in red for later episodes, green for earlier ones). This is one of the things that will be visible if it's missing, but I didn't find red ascots too difficult to come by. They sell them in men's specialty stores and online everywhere that sells steampunk and Victorian clothing.
- Trousers
The Fourth Doctor wears baggy wool trousers. They're a sort of grey-brown, and you can get them pretty much anywhere you can buy men's pants. I personally bought mine in a suit I got for the jacket that looks like the one Matt Smith's Doctor wore.
- Shoes/Boots
The Doctor wears either brown loafers or knee-high buccaneer boots, depending on the episode. This is another decision that needs to be made in the costume process, keeping in mind that the loafers would probably be easier to find, as you can buy them in pretty much any shoe store. The boots would not be too difficult if you don't mind paying for it, as boots can get to be quite expensive. For boots, I'd recommend, once again, looking in places that sell older-fashioned and Victorian clothing, as you'll have the best amount of luck there.
These shoes scream sex.
However you go about getting the components of your costume, it will be well worth it once you start to see it coming together. The only thing left to do once you've gotten everything you'll need is to wear it with confidence. If you have crazy hair like mine, fashioning your own hair into an acceptable "fro" to rival Tom Baker's mess of curls. If you don't have insane hair, there are a variety of curly wigs to be found both online and in costume and party shops all over, so this will probably be the easiest part of the costume.
When you look this good, the ladies love you.
Once you've gotten your hair in order and all of your costume put together, rejoice! For you are now the Fourth Doctor. And that's certainly something to be proud of. Enjoy showing it off at your next party or convention!
Cheers!
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