Click here to access the main costume index page.
Some other points of note before we dive in:
Braces have been worn in one form or another for several centuries, but their modern iteration was invented in 1822 by London haberdasher Albert Thurston. Their popularity first waned after the First World War, when soldiers became more accustomed to wearing belts as part of their uniform. After a gradual decline in popularity over the 20th century, nowadays most trousers are designed to be worn exclusively with a belt, with braces being perceived as a more formal option. This is rather a shame as braces are nearly always the more comfortable of the two.
Although braces are considered a key part of Captain Jack’s look, he doesn’t always wear them. There are many occasions over the course of the first two series of Torchwood where he actually wears no braces, specifically always when he wears flat fronted trousers.
5.1. British MOD light grey - brown leather:
Years Used: 2005, 2008*
5.2.2. 35mm straps - ᗜ stitching:
5.3. Unknown burgundy - black leather:
Although they wouldn’t appear for the next few years, they made a return for Miracle Day. I don’t doubt these are two different pairs of braces, sourced at different times by different costume designers, but visually they appear to be identical. Hence, I am classifying them as one item.
There are some rules behind as to when Jack wears these. For series one these burgundy braces are always worn whenever he wears one of his pairs of fishtail trousers, whereas for series four the burgundy braces are always paired with the more modern styled of his two pairs of Miracle Day trousers.
Some other points of note before we dive in:
- Braces’ standard strap width is 35mm for regular ones, and 25mm for skinny ones like the Eleventh Doctor typically wore. Other widths do exist, but these are by far the most common two.
- There are two main kinds of end styles for button braces. One with the singular leather runner connecting to both buttons, and the other with separately stamped out leather tabs. you’ll see what I mean below.
- Braces come in different strap lengths, designed to correspond to the wearer’s height. The further up the body the metal adjusters are, the longer the straps are.
- All of Jack’s braces are Y back, with matching colour straps all around. Although variations of back style do exist, the Y back design is the standard for button braces nowadays.
Braces have been worn in one form or another for several centuries, but their modern iteration was invented in 1822 by London haberdasher Albert Thurston. Their popularity first waned after the First World War, when soldiers became more accustomed to wearing belts as part of their uniform. After a gradual decline in popularity over the 20th century, nowadays most trousers are designed to be worn exclusively with a belt, with braces being perceived as a more formal option. This is rather a shame as braces are nearly always the more comfortable of the two.
Although braces are considered a key part of Captain Jack’s look, he doesn’t always wear them. There are many occasions over the course of the first two series of Torchwood where he actually wears no braces, specifically always when he wears flat fronted trousers.
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| Multiple examples of Jack not wearing any braces over the course of the first two series. It's actually not all that uncommon for him to do this. |
Section Index:
5.1. British MOD light grey - brown leather (2005, 2008*)
5.2. Unknown light grey - black leather (2006-2010)
5.2. Unknown light grey - black leather (2006-2010)
5.2.1. 30mm straps - ᗜ stitching (2006-2007)
5.2.2. 35mm straps - ᗜ stitching (2006-2008)
5.2.2. 35mm straps - ▽ stitching (2008-2010)
5.3. Unknown burgundy - black leather (2006, 2011)
5.4. Unknown burgundy - brown leather (2011)
5.5. Darcy Clothing blue-grey striped - black leather (2020-2021)
5.4. Unknown burgundy - brown leather (2011)
5.5. Darcy Clothing blue-grey striped - black leather (2020-2021)
5.1. British MOD light grey - brown leather:
Years Used: 2005, 2008*
These braces were standard amongst the various branches of the British Military during WWII. Presumably John wears them under the blouson during his 2005 appearance and 2008 Torchwood Trading Card Collection photoshoot, although they are never actually seen. So the actual existence of this item within the context of the show is actually speculation on my part, but as they’re a standard part of the uniform it’s a fairly safe bet.
These braces feature 35mm light grey straps, and brown stamped leather ends. Original examples are not elasticated, though many modern replicas are (for comfort).
5.2. Unknown light grey - black leather:
Years Used: 2006-2010
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| Military braces being used on Captain Jack’s outfit at the Doctor Who Experience (left) compared to a stock photo (right). It’s possible that these are the screen used ones, but given the non-original belt I suspect these might also have been sourced retroactively. |
These braces feature 35mm light grey straps, and brown stamped leather ends. Original examples are not elasticated, though many modern replicas are (for comfort).
5.2. Unknown light grey - black leather:
Years Used: 2006-2010
Captain Jack’s preferred type of braces are button ones with light grey plain weave elasticated straps and black leather runner ends. Over the course of the show he wore many different pairs, often with minor changes to the stitching shape on the leather end tab. For the purposes of this however I will break down the braces into two main types based on the strap width.
5.2.1. 30mm straps - ᗜ stitching:
Years Used: 2006-2007
These have rather unusual straps, sitting between standard and skinny width. He generally seemed to wear these for the first series, gradually transitioning into wider 35mm ones. I don’t think he wears these in the beyond the first series but I’m not 100% sure of that. The length on these is consistently long enough for the adjusters to be at chest height. The leather end tabs have the stitching in a pretty standard ᗜ shape. |
| These 30mm braces seem to be more of a series one thing. The strap length was consistent meaning the strap adjusters were always positioned around chest height. |
5.2.2. 35mm straps - ᗜ stitching:
Years Used: 2006-2008
These are standard width, so slightly wider than the previous ones. They were phased in during the first series then fully replaced the 30mm ones after that. For all intents and purposes, these are identical to the previous pair save for the width. These might have been the Cardiff era braces that got the most screentime overall. |
| Left = Cyberwoman Right = End of Days |
The best match that I've found are these ones from Gents Shop. Assuming you're a comparable height to Barrowman then the 48 inch long ones will be the length to go for, as then the adjuster ratchets will be around chest height.
5.2.3. 35mm straps - ▽ stitching:
Years Used: 2008-2010
During the second series, a pair of grey braces were introduced that are nearly identical to the previous 35mm pair, albeit with two noticeable differences. Most obviously, the strap length on these was reduced to around 44 inches, resulting in the adjusters sitting lower down on the body. Secondly, the leather end tabs had stitching in more of a angular ▽ type shape. Although in the second series they were not used as often as the longer pair, by the time of Children of Earth these became the only ones that were used.
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| Left = Something Borrowed Right = Children of Earth |
This style of stitching is somewhat uncommon these days, Albert Thurston use this style so it's possible that the originals were from them, though at the time of writing they do not offer any exact match to these.
5.3. Unknown burgundy - black leather:
Years Used: 2006, 2011
During the first series of Torchwood, Jack would occasionally switch thing up and wear a pair of dark red braces. These appear to have 35mm straps, a short length, and black stamped leather button tabs. |
| Shots of the burgundy braces from series one (left) and series four (right). John never threads the braces under the shoulder straps until Miracle Day. |
Although they wouldn’t appear for the next few years, they made a return for Miracle Day. I don’t doubt these are two different pairs of braces, sourced at different times by different costume designers, but visually they appear to be identical. Hence, I am classifying them as one item.
There are some rules behind as to when Jack wears these. For series one these burgundy braces are always worn whenever he wears one of his pairs of fishtail trousers, whereas for series four the burgundy braces are always paired with the more modern styled of his two pairs of Miracle Day trousers.
Again, Gents Shop have a pair that matches the screen worn ones really well. For someone around John's height the 44 inch version would be the best length to go for.
These braces were always paired with the higher waisted pair of Miracle Day trousers. They make appearances in both the present day (2011) and 1920’s flashback scenes.
5.5. Darcy Clothing blue-grey striped - black leather:
Years Used: 2020-2021
As with most of his previous braces, the straps are 35mm wide, however the length is noticeably less than the previous ones. Objectively speaking they’re too small for John as the adjusters are right at the base, leaving no room to add any further length.
5.4. Unknown burgundy - brown leather:
Years Used: 2011
The other pair of braces worn during Miracle Day had 35mm straps of the same hue of red as the others, but had two key differences. Firstly the leather ends were the brown and the runner tab style. Secondly the straps were too long on John, with the adjusters sitting around shoulder height. |
| Note the very high location of the adjuster straps on these braces. The specific combination of features these braces possess make them the hardest to find a match for. |
These braces were always paired with the higher waisted pair of Miracle Day trousers. They make appearances in both the present day (2011) and 1920’s flashback scenes.
5.5. Darcy Clothing blue-grey striped - black leather:
Years Used: 2020-2021
One of the most notable changes in brace style occurred for Jack’s return, where he changed from wearing plain straps to striped ones. These were sourced from Darcy Clothing (with product code BR716) and were worn for all three of his Whittaker era appearances.
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| Left: Revolution of the Daleks (in-episode) Top right: Fugitive of the Judoon (behind the scenes) Bottom right: Time Fracture (behind the scenes) |
As with most of his previous braces, the straps are 35mm wide, however the length is noticeably less than the previous ones. Objectively speaking they’re too small for John as the adjusters are right at the base, leaving no room to add any further length.
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| Listing photo of the screen accurate braces. |
Braces with these exact pattern of strap stripe actually pop up a lot in film and television, the strap manufacturer supplies a variety of brace producers. John Turturro wears an identical pair in Severance, and Daniel Craig wore a red colourway in the 2008 film Defiance. John Barrowman even wore a red strap version in his 1899 scene in the episode Fragments.
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| The red striped pair that was sold at auction back in 2013. I haven't included this pair in the index as I am only documenting R.A.F. inspired looks, though the long grey Ulster coat here is clearly meant to be a Victorian precursor to his later look. |
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