The Doctor Wears Prada
The man behind the new look is Bafta-winning costume designer Ray Holman, who had conversations with Smith over the choices. But is this Time Lord dressed from the past or for the future? Fashion commentators and a Doctor Who expert give their views below, or click on the links on the picture to go straight to each critique.
GENERAL LOOK
Esquire has given the new-look Dr Who ensemble the thumbs-up, says Jeremy Langmead, editor of the men's magazine. "The cross between rookie geography teacher and Hoxton clubkid works well: a bit of old-school time-traveller meets modern-day adventurer."
But Andrew Groves, course director for fashion at the University of Westminster, thinks the get-up is very unflattering. "It seems a curiously British idea to make the lead character in a prime time TV show look purposely and perversely less attractive than they actually are," says Mr Groves. "I can't think of anyone that would look at this image and then decide they would want to stick it on their bedroom wall."
Sebastian Brook, editor of Doctor Who Online, thinks the look is very HG Wells' Time Machine, something timeless which marks a clear departure from Tennant but with a nod to the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.
BOOTS
The boots are very on-trend for this autumn, says Mr Langmead, and Matt Smith's are from the Prada autumn/winter collection that has just arrived in the stores. "Monkey boots hark back to the 1980s with a whiff of Greenham Common and pop groups such as the Joe Boxers and The Bluebells," says Mr Groves. "Who actually wears these anymore? Curiously they aren't done up properly, lending the outfit an air of someone that can't quite dress themselves.
TROUSERS
Rolled-up trousers will be very a la mode next spring and summer, says Mr Groves. But coupled with the tweed jacket and shirt, they look completely unfashionable. A shorter trouser length was first introduced by the American menswear designer Thom Browne a couple of years ago, says Mr Langmead. "It was then adopted by the Hoxton set [a loose collection of fashionable urbanites] who rather than buy shorter trousers, merely rolled theirs up - very credit-crunch friendly."
BOW TIE
The bow tie is obviously a knowing nod to those worn by some of the previous doctors, yet this also has a fashion resonance," says Mr Langmead. "Alber Elbaz, the designer behind the trendy Lanvin label, always sports a bow tie and the label's influential menswear line frequently features them. As a result, the bow tie has had something of a fashion comeback - although it's a hard item to wear; you have to try and avoid looking like Pee-wee Herman."
The bow tie is what makes this look possibly unattainable for fans, says Mr Brook. "A lot of fans liked dressing up as David Tennant. It's a very accessible look they can have, with a pair of Converse trainers and a tie. But this new look will be more difficult because it doesn't fit in as well, especially the bow tie."
JACKET
The tweed jacket provides another reference to the early 1980s, says Mr Groves. "High unemployment meant that people shopped in second-hand stores to find interesting, hard-wearing and above all cheap clothes to wear. Whilst David Tennant's Doctor was undoubtedly influenced by Britpop and [the film] Quadrophenia, this Doctor seems to be influenced by Indiana Jones' geekier nephew." The tweed jacket stops Smith from looking too "modern" and adds a bit of Doctor Who history into the mix, says Mr Langmead. "Mixing vintage pieces with new items has been a fashionable look for men and women for sometime now, and is very much how a large part of the show's audience will approach their wardrobes.
SHIRT
The shirt and bow-tie could actually be from a number of contemporary fashion designers, says Mr Groves. "Similar ones were spotted at the menswear shows in Milan last month. Spot-on for next season." Mr Brook detects a throwback to the seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy, who sported a similar shirt.
HAIRCUT
The hair looks much like Matt Smith's own style, and a longer version of David Tennant's. "The haircut works well," says Mr Langmead. "It is quite foppish and eccentric, and somehow ageless - like the Doctor himself. It wouldn't look out of place in a period drama, nor would it seem odd in an episode of Skins." Awful, says Mr Groves, who says it reminds him of early Michael Portillo and does nothing for the actor's wonderful cheekbones.
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