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1960s fashion in Doctor Who

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Doctor Who season one visited the 1960s, and 大象传媒 Archives has discovered it's not just the Doctor and Ruby who are fascinated by the fashion of the era.

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Ruby (Millie Gibson) and The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) dressed for adventures in the 1960s

Doctor Who began in the 1960s and while the Doctor often had a more timeless sense of style, his companions were very keen to wear contemporary fashions of the time. Sixties companion Polly was written to be a fashion-conscious young woman, as Anneke Wills discovered during her casting.

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Anneke Wills discusses the importance of image for her 1960s companion Polly, from an unedited interview for The Story of Doctor Who (2003)

"My eyelashes were longer than my skirts!"

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Polly (Anneke Wills) wearing dramatic eye makeup and a chevron print mini-dress designed by Finnish company Marimekko (1966)

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Polly wasn't always dressed in mini-skirts. In the final episode of The War Machines her Mod style jacket and trousers are finished off with a baker-boy cap (1966)

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Polly's predecessor in the TARDIS, Dodo (Jackie Lane), was also fond of a mini-dress. In this publicity shot she is wearing a short peacoat with go-go boots (1966)

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Dodo wears a mini-dress, with a bold circular print, and a matching baker-boy cap. Even Steven (Peter Purves) is getting in on the bold print style of the Swinging Sixties (1966)

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Earlier female companions may have worn slightly longer hemlines, but they still reflected the style of the time. Here Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) wears a sleeveless shift dress, while Susan (Carole Ann Ford) wears a pinafore dress over a collared shirt. (1964)

The style of the 1960s had a huge influence on early Doctor Who, not just in its contemporary setting and characters. As Russell T Davies explains, the era in which the show was made was reflected in its designs for the future.

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Russell T Davies describes how portrayals of the future always reflect the time in which they are made, from Doctor Who Confidential (2007)

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The future looks very Sixties, as demonstrated by Zoe (Wendy Padbury) in this short one-piece outfit with matching jacket (1969)

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Zoe (Wendy Padbury), wearing the archetypal 1960s future outfit, a glittery silver catsuit and white boots (1968)

Perhaps in sixty years time the costumes worn by Ruby and The Doctor will be used to uncover 2020s fashion and perceptions of the future.

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2020s fashion from The Doctor and Ruby

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