Doc Martean boots - when a lie becomes the truth

Back in late January 2014, when Peter Capaldi’s costume was first unveiled to the world, the BBC stated the new Doctor was wearing:

Peter Capaldi, who replaces Matt Smith, will have a dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark blue trousers, white shirt and black Dr Marten shoes.

Fan quickly realised this wasn’t entirely correct - in fact the coat turned out to be custom-made, and not cut by Crombie; and the boots were Loakes, not Doc Marten’s as written.

Now the new series is well underway, the high resolution images used to publicise the episodes are revealing a few secrets, including the Doctors NEW boots!

Posting the pictures from Under The Lake has prompted a spate of comments from readers who have identified the new boots - as Doc Marten’s.

This photo in particular shows the boots very clearly - and you can see they are not Loakes.
In fact, they are not the Doc Marten alternatives to the Loakes, but appear to be Mayer boots, available on their website.

Dr Martens (Germany) - Mayer Boots

At the moment I can’t find them on the UK site - so if I’ve missed them, let me know and send me a link.

But here they are on their other regions - Catch them while you can!!!

Dr Martens (France) - Mayer Boots

Dr. Martens (Netherlands) - Mayer Boots

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 - 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 look - definitive ID on the boots

Since the initial BBC press release there has been some speculation on the correct ID for the boots Peter Capaldi is wearing as the Twelfth Doctor.

According to the statement they were Doc Marten’s, but this was quickly question by keen-eyed fans who were more taken with the Loakes Black Smooth Leather Brogue Boot.

This has been debated on the forums for the past couple of days, but now an article has appeared on The Drum website which seems to conclusive prove them to be the Loakes.

Peter Capaldi’s Dr Who boots identified as £215 Loake loafers not Dr. Martens

That will be that then!

Doc Marten boots - BBC correction

In an amazing turn of events, the BBC has issued a statement via their official Twitter feed confirming the boots Peter Capaldi wears are not Doc Martens as their original press release stated.

Twitter / Doctor Who Official

But in a curious Blue Peter-esque way (we were never allowed to see brand names when presenters made fun things out of Corn Flakes packets, or ball point pens) they avoided naming the brand as Loakes, despite the fans having already positively identified them!

It’s not common for the BBC to get involved in such matters, and it never brought itself to correct the mis-information that was issued regarding Matt’s costume when he started.
I guess this is the power of the Twitter generation.

The Capaldi look - these boots are made for walking

I remember way back in July 2009 when Matt Smith’s costume was first revealed, there was a certain amount of misinformation and assumptions made at the early stages.

In a BBC news article called The fashion police on Doctor Who's new outfit it was said categorically that the boots were from Prada.
This was quickly proved wrong when they were found to be from All Saint (abet copies based on them).



Well, the same seems to already have happened with the new Capaldi look, with the boots being stated as Dr Marten’s, which you’d be forgiven for thinking they were.

But closer inspection has found that they are actually by Loake.

Loake - Black Smooth Leather Brogue Boot

These are certainly a much better match than anything the iconic Dr Marten’s make themselves.

Suited and booted - the big reveal

So the day has finality arrived - the day we get to see what the new Doctor will be wearing.

And I have to say I’m somewhat underwealmed by what they’ve putt together.

It doesn’t inspire me a great deal and it doesn’t have that bespoke, custom feel of the outgoing Doctor’s cashmere Frock Coat.

The image has been released through the official BBC Twitter feed and is already doing the rounds of sic-fi news sites and forums.

But one article did catch my eye.

Digital Spy - Capaldi Doctor Who outfit: 100% Rebel Time Lord

In the article it states:

The next incarnation of the Doctor sports a dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark blue trousers, a white shirt and black Dr Martens boots in his first official picture.

Doctor Who costume designer Howard Burden created the new look.

"He's woven the future from the cloth of the past. Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 per cent Rebel Time Lord," said Capaldi.

Showrunner Steven Moffat added: "New Doctor, new era, and of course new clothes. Monsters of the universe, the vacation is over - Capaldi is suited and booted and coming to get you!"

So there are already some hints and clues as to where the costume has been sourced. I would still have preferred something a little more custom made to be honest.