8. Shirts

Whilst Captain Jack rarely wears anything too radical in the shirt department, there are a lot of little things that come together in order to create the right sort of look for the character. Much like with the trousers section, I have attempted to catalogue every variant of shirt that John wore, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are one or two subtle variants that have slipped under the radar.

Click here to access the main costume index page.

If you follow the advice in these sections below then that'll give you a pretty good idea of what properties you should look for when buying an off-the-peg shirt for your outfit, or even commissioning a custom made one.

This shirt is not like his others, read on to learn the secret.

Perfect Fit:
Given that nearly all of Jack’s shirts were tailor made for John Barrowman, they tend to fit him perfectly. It is important to know what makes a shirt fit well. All too often, off-the-peg shirts are overly voluminous things that don’t follow the contours of the wearer and instead look more like something Mr. Darcy would wear. Just as grave of a sin is a shirt that is too snug, modern fashion often pushes skinny fits for everything. If you’re wearing a shirt and the buttons on the body start to strain or the arms squeeze against your biceps as you move or sit, then the shirt’s fit is too small. The trick is to have a shirt that follows the lines of your body, but is loose enough to never ever fight against you and restrict your movement.

The shirt on the left is far too tight in the upper half of the body and in the arms, you can see the fabric and button straining against the wearer. The shirt on the right is clearly too loose for the wearer, resulting in the muffin top appearance over the trousers and general billowing look.

Another tip if you ever have a shirt custom made is to have an appropriately high armhole. If the armhole is cut too low then any time you move your arms up they’ll pull the body of the shirt upwards too and untuck it. Also, if the shirt armholes are cut higher than the ones of the jacket, then when one puts a jacket on it’ll cause the sleeves to pull up the arm slightly. If this happens then the sleeves either be too long without a jacket but ok when worn with one, or ok without a jacket and too short when the wearer puts one is put on. Many mass-market shirts and suit jackets today are cut with low armholes in order to fit as many body types as possible, however this means that causes the body part to move about untidily during everyday tasks. For those who are unsure about fit, this guide gives a good idea of how to get the perfect fit.

Spearpoint Collar:
One of the key parts of Jack’s Cardiff era look is the spearpoint collar shirt. This vintage style of collar features elongated front points that are noticeably longer than modern collar styles. This collar style first came into fashion in the 1920’s, with variations in the exact proportions occurring over the next few decades.

This annotated diagram is an example of a fairly typical modern collar. The point length isn't all that different from the height of the rest of the collar and on this example the collar spread is a fairly classic distance rather than the wide spread ones that are now fairly common.

It is important to note that in a spearpoint collar, only the front points are proportionally elongated. The collar band itself and the height of the rest of the collar aren’t all that different to modern shirts. Many custom shirt makers offer larger collar styles, but they nearly always increase the other dimensions in addition to the length of the front. This results in a vaguely Harry Hill style collar that looks more like an exaggerated costume piece than a true spearpoint collar. I don’t know the exact measurements of John’s collars but if I had to estimate I’d say that 88mm along the points, 42mm tall at the back, and a collar band of 35mm would get a collar with the right proportions. Jack’s shirts don’t use collar stays and appear to have little in the way of structure from stiffening interfacing or starch. The collar points themselves are able to bend freely.

Harry Hill's shirt collar is clearly intended to be completely over the top, but it illustrates the kind of look that can happen when enlarging all the parts of a collar as a whole. Captain Jack's screen worn shirt on the right shows how the spearpoint look is achieved by only elongating the points.

It's also important to note that not all spearpoint collars will look the same, as it's not a standardised shape or length, more just a term to describe a collar with elongated front points. Some manufacturers out there make them cartoonishly long, and others have an ultra narrow spread that'll make you look like you're cosplaying Joe Pesci's character from Goodfellas.

John posing with the costume on display at the Doctor Who Experience. This is one of the few times we get to see the shape of the collar when worn buttoned up.

Double Cuffs:

In general, Jack seems to prefer double cuffs (also known as French cuffs) on his shirts, these are the ones that are designed to be folded back on themselves and worn with cufflinks. Single cuff shirts (also known as barrel cuffs) can also be worn with cufflinks assuming there is a buttonhole on each side of the cuff. Britain actually banned double cuffs for several years during the war, as part of fabric rationing measures.

Examples of all most common cuff types. Jack generally goes for French Square, though a handful of his shirts use buttons instead.

No Placket:
Although there are a couple of exceptions to this rule, in general Jack seems to prefer his shirts made without any form of exterior button placket, this is sometimes called a French front. This makes sense as whilst a button placket will help increase symmetry when a shirt is fully buttoned up, it decreases symmetry when the collar is worn open as Jack does.

Only three of Jack's shirts feature a button placket like the one on the right.

Textured Fabric:
The majority of Jack’s shirts were made using an end-on-end weave cotton, also known as fil-à-fil. This fabric looks like a plain cotton poplin from a distance, but close up it has a very fine texture created from using two differently coloured threads as part of the weave.

An example of a light blue end-on-end cotton, a large percentage of Jack's shirts use this weave.

The result is a tastefully textured fabric that is more visually interesting and can have a slight iridescence that gets more pronounced the greater the degree of contrast in the two thread colours. A subtle texture often makes a cloth look more high end. I speculate that this was chosen in order to take advantage of the 1080i high definition cameras that were used since the first episode. Doctor Who by comparison was shot in 576i standard definition until the series four specials, meaning subtle textures like this would be invisible on-screen.

Shirt Stays:
A top tip for keeping your shirt tucked in and looking crisp all the time is to use shirt stays. These are basically elasticated straps that connect the base of your shirt to the top of your socks and pull down on the shirt to ensure it always looks crisp and stays tucked in. These are sometimes used by military personnel to maintain a sharp look. The strap sensation is a little weird at first but they really do make you look a lot tidier.

I don't know if shirt stays of this style were ever actually used in the series, but they are extremely useful in keeping oneself looking sharp. I do know however that for Miracle Day at least there was an elastic patch added to some of the shirts used during running scenes that went underneath the crotch and kept the shirt tucked in.

Left = an example of shirt stays and how they keep the shirt tucked in.
Right = a screen worn shirt from Miracle Day, with crotch piece to keep the shirt in place.

Section Index:

By my reckoning, Captain Jack Harkness wears a total of 21 distinctly different shirts over the course of all of his appearances where he wears his R.A.F. inspired outfit.

    8.1. MOD light blue - R.A.F. (2005, 2008*)
    8.2. French MOD light blue - military (2006-2008)
    8.3. Angels spearpoint collar (2006-2010)
        8.3.1. light blue (2006-2008)
            8.3.1.1. end-on-end (2006-2008)
            8.3.1.2. Oxford (2008)
        8.3.2. cornflower blue (2008-2009)
        8.3.3. royal blue (2006-2008)

            8.3.3.1. end-on-end - white buttons (2006-2008)
            8.3.3.2. poplin - grey buttons (2008)
        8.3.4. navy blue (2006-2010)
            8.3.4.1. grey buttons (2006-2010)
            8.3.4.2. white buttons (2008-2009)
        8.3.5. seafoam green (2006)

        8.3.6. steely blue - barrel cuffs (2006)

        8.3.7. white striped (2006)

    8.4. Nigel Hall blue striped (2006)

    8.5. Angels modern (2009)

        8.5.1. cornflower blue (2009)

            8.5.1.1. with placket (2009)

            8.5.1.2. without placket (2009)

        8.5.2. light blue (2009)

    8.6. Di Stefano light blue - military style (2011)
    8.7. Di Stefano royal blue (2011)
    8.8. Chester Cordite light blue - spearpoint collar (2020)

    8.9. Unknown navy blue (2021)

    8.10. Unknown light blue - large collar (2021)

8.1. MOD light blue - R.A.F.:

Years Used: 2005, 2008*
Underneath the layers of wool in his debut outfit, Captain Jack wore a light blue shirt in keeping with the uniform, though paired with a silk ascot rather than the regulation black tie.

Not much of this shirt is actually visible, but it is clearly an attached collar version (detachable collar versions were also worn during the war). It is presumably made of end-on-end cotton as this was the standard material for these shirts, a weave Jack continued to favour into the 21st century. Most of these shirts produced during this era would’ve been half-button ones rather than ones that button all the way down, though it is impossible to tell which type Jack wears. Cuff style could vary too, though Jack seems to have barrel cuffs, which makes sense as double cuffs would get crushed by the blouson's narrow cuffs.

This is probably the most that is ever visible of this shirt.

Pretty much any light blue shirt with a similar collar will work for this look, but reënactment places do sell proper replicas of the WWII style shirt. To be honest given that the cuff style looks angled rather than rounded this leads me to believe that the screen worn one is a random modern light blue shirt rather than a proper uniform piece, but for the purposes of the episode it is meant to be a R.A.F. shirt and given the real-world variation in them it would likely not raise any eyebrows.


8.2. French MOD light blue - military:

Years Used: 2006-2008
With the advent of his own spinoff series, Captain Jack wore a new shirt that was very much in keeping with his uniform look. These are the main features:

• Light blue end-on-end cotton
• Two hole transparent buttons
• Standard shaped modern collar
• No button placket
• One button rounded end barrel cuffs
• Shoulder straps (the braces are worn over these)
• Two flapped chest pockets (though not the same design as those found on an equivalent R.A.F. shirt)
• No rear pleats
• Rear darts
• 6 button opening
• Sleeves that are about a couple of inches too short for Barrowman (though he usually wears it rolled up)
• No button on sleeve placket

"Come on! She was going to say, "Here's your pizza." and I was going to say, "How much?" and she says "Oh whatever, 20 quid." and I say, "Oh, I don't have any money.". I was working on a punch line. I hadn't got there, but it would've been good."

This shirt was used with a variety of outfits across the first two series. In the top right image you can see the sleeve length is short on Barrowman.

After many years of believing this to be a custom made one that combines aspects of R.A.F. and U.S.A.F. shirt design, I was by chance able to identify it! It turns out that the screen worn shirt is from the French Air Force, albeit one of a particular vintage as the ones that are currently issued are not quite the same as Jack's. Fortunately, I have managed to find a limited stock of 100% screen accurate vintage shirts! This is the first time that these have been available, they are priced at £39 and can be supplied in most sizes. If you want one of these then email me here or send a message via my Instagram.

One of my screen accurate shirts, get in touch if you want one!

This shirt was popular throughout the first series and returned in the second during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s flashbacks in Fragments. So he has canonically owned been wearing it since before becoming the head of Torchwood Three.

A closer look at some of the fine details, such as the distinctive pocket shape, textured fabric, and cuff style.

Note that in 2017 France changed the name of their Ministry of Defence to Ministry of Armed Forces. As the former was correct at the time of this shirt's creation I will be sticking with that one. I'm not sure the precise era this exact style of shirt was introduced or discontinued within the service but I suspect it to be 1990's to 2000's era.


8.3. Angels spearpoint collar:
Years Used: 2006-2010
Nearly all of the shirts worn by Barrowman during his Cardiff era were made by Angels to a vintage spearpoint design. These Angels shirts had the following details:

• Spearpoint collar (non-detachable)
• Double cuffs (with the sole exception of the steely blue shirt)
• No external button placket
• No pleats at the rear
• No pockets
• Rear darts to give the middle a more tailored fit
• One piece rear yoke (usually, for some shirts a two piece yoke was used)
• 7 button opening
• Button on the sleeve placket

    8.3.1. light blue:
     Years Used: 2006-2010
This colour of shirt was probably the one most commonly worn during Jack’s Cardiff era. From what I can tell it was made it two slightly different versions, both used white buttons.

        8.3.1.2. end-on-end:
        Years Used: 2006-2010
In keeping with WWII R.A.F. uniform shirts, the cotton is an end-on-end weave giving it a tasteful texture when viewed up close. Of the two types of light blue, this is the more commonly used.

This and the navy shirt are probably the most commonly selected ones during the second series.

        8.3.1.2. Oxford:
        Years Used: 2008
It seems that some of the light blue shirts were made of an Oxford cotton. Unlike the end-on-end cotton, this fabric is woven from a single colour and is slightly thicker. This texture can be seen in certain scenes when watching From Out of the Rain on blu-ray, as it can sometimes look more like twill under sub-optimal viewing conditions. This weave of shirt might’ve been worn in other episodes too.

The Oxford cloth's texture is just visible in the photo on the right.

    8.3.2. cornflower blue:
     Years Used: 2008-2009
This shirt is essentially identical to the light blue shirt, right down to the end-on-end weave, just in a slightly darker shade of blue. The difference is not always apparent given there isn’t much between the two. From what I can tell, this colour was worn in the first two series of a Torchwood, plus probably the 1965 scenes in Children of Earth, though I can't be totally sure of that given the scene's lighting conditions.

Shots from Adam. This shirt is sometimes mistaken for the lighter blue one given how the shades aren't massively different.

    8.3.3. royal blue:
     Years Used: 2006-2008
Jack’s royal blue shirts make several appearances over the first two series.

        8.3.3.1. end-on-end - white buttons:
        Years Used: 2006-2008
Although not always visible in-episode, the first of Jack’s royal blue shirts featured an end-on-end weave which gave it a subtle texture. This shirt can be more easily distinguished by the white buttons. This shirt was used for the first two series of Torchwood.

Shots from Countrycide, the image on the left shows the texture of the cotton.

        8.3.3.2. poplin - grey buttons:
        Years Used: 2008
For the second series a new royal blue shirt was introduced. This kind used a cotton poplin and can be distinguished from the other from its smoky grey buttons. It is prominently featured in Something Borrowed.

Shots from Something Borrowed.

    8.3.4. navy blue:
     Years Used: 2006-2010
The darkest of Jack’s shirts were his navy blue ones. Both were cut the the same pattern, with the only discernible difference being the button colour. These shirts were sometimes used interchangeably by the costume department, as the button colour changes between scenes in the third series. The fabric appears to have no discernible texture, so is likely cotton poplin.

        8.3.4.1. grey buttons:
        Years Used: 2006-2010
This version was the first one that was introduced (during series one), it has smoky grey buttons. This shirt can occasionally be mistaken for the white button one under certain lighting conditions, as the buttons have a smooth finish that reflects light easily.

This shirt had the greatest longevity amongst Jack's collection.

        8.3.4.2. white buttons:
        Years Used: 2008-2009
This appears to be identical to other version, just with white buttons. It was introduced in the second series.

Notice how the buttons look white even when not reflecting studio lights.

    8.3.5. seafoam green:
     Years Used: 2006
Whilst Jack is known for wearing various shades of blue, for the first series of Torchwood he also donned a seafoam green shirt on several occasions. The material is Jack’s preferred end-on-end cotton, which is somewhat uncommon in this colour. The buttons are white in colour.

Left = They Keep Killing Suzie
Right = Out of Time
Hands = on hips

This shirt was first seen in They Keep Killing Suzie paired with brown trousers, though was later worn in Out of Time paired with dark grey trousers. It made its last appearance in Combat when Jack visits Owen in the hospital towards the end of the episode.

A shot of the screen used shirt that shows the end-on-end texture.

Although this is speculation on my part, it is possible that this shirt (along with the brown trousers) was intended to channel the colour palette of British Army uniform. Jack was canonically a veteran of many battles of the First World War, serving as a Captain in the British Army.

    8.3.6. steely blue - barrel cuffs:
     Years Used: 2006
A shirt frequently worn by Barrowman during the first series was a steely blue one that he usually paired with his waistcoat, though was also worn standalone (Greeks Bearing Gifts). It is made out of end-on-end cotton with white buttons.

The top right image nicely shows the subtle iridescence that end-on-end weaves can achieve.

This one is identical to all his other Angels spearpoint collar shirts, save for having one button barrel cuffs with a curved end instead of the usual double cuffs. The curve has a smaller radius than most, which seems typical of Angels’ barrel cuff shirts from the brief period where they sold them on their website. I did try to contact Angels about the possibility of ordering these, but received no reply.

A screencap from 2020 when Angels seemingly sold these through this website.

    8.3.7. white striped - unknown cuffs:
     Years Used: 2006
This shirt was only seen during Greeks Bearing Gifts during a single scene. It appears to be made to the same pattern as the Angels spearpoint shirts, which leads me to believe that this is another one made by them (though I can't be 100% sure). Unfortunately the cuffs are never seen due to the sleeves being rolled up. The material is a white cotton with a repeating pattern of blue and red stripes.

I assume this was made to try out the striped shirt look but wasn't as popular as solid blues, hence why it was only seen once. Personally I think it gives some realistic variation to Jack's wardrobe.

8.4. Nigel Hall blue striped:
Years Used: 2006
This is one of two striped shirts that was worn by Jack, seen in the series one episodes Random Shoes and Out of Time. The features are:

• Light blue cotton with darker stripes (in two shades)
• Modern collar
• No button placket (though a seam is present that acts as a discontinuity in the striped pattern and brings the lines closer together in this area)
• Rounded end barrel cuffs (though worn with cufflinks)
• Two piece rear yoke with diagonal stripes
• White buttons
• 7 button opening

This one is definitely the boldest of Jack's shirts.

Based on a description from an auction listing, this shirt was made by Nigel Hall. This brand has manufactured a great deal of shirts over the years, and as far as I’m aware nobody has ever found one in the wild.

8.5. Angels modern:
Years Used: 2006
For Jack’s post-explosion Children of Earth outfit, Barrowman wore three slightly different variations of a fairly generic looking blue shirt. Based on the overall look of it I suspect these were made by Angels, as it looks a lot like his earlier shirts, but with a few tweaks to make it more modern looking (as in-episode Ianto bought it in a shop). That being said I can't guarantee it, these do look like they were made bespoke as they have no visible brand label sewn onto the inside.

The collar has been swapped from a spearpoint shape to a smaller modern style with a wider spread, much like the later Miracle Day shirts. The cuffs are also a one button barrel style rather than his favoured cufflink style, though the shape of the end style does seem to change between shirts. Overall, these shirts are probably the easiest to find decent off-the-peg alts for. All three were exclusively used in the third series.

Photo taken from an auction showing three of the cornflower blue Children of Earth shirts, note the collar shape of them compared to the two spearpoint collar shirts.

    8.5.1. cornflower blue:
     Years Used: 2009
Both of the shirts made in this colour seem to use identical end-on-end cotton fabric. The shade is a slightly more vivid version of cornflower blue compared to the spearpoint collar one that was introduced in the second series.

        8.5.1.1. no placket:
        Years Used: 2009
Starting on Day Three, Jack wears a shirt with no button placket, and unfortunately the end style of the barrel cuffs is never seen directly.

This is the first post-explosion shirt of Children of Earth.

        8.5.1.2. with placket:

        Years Used: 2009
At some point off-screen after hurriedly leaving the makeshift base and talking to Frobisher on the phone, Jack changes into a shirt made out of identical fabric to the previous one. In terms of design, this version has a button placket and squared ends to the button cuffs. This is actually the first time that jack wears a shirt with a button placket.

This is the second post-explosion shirt of Children of Earth.

    8.5.2. light blue:
     Years Used: 2009
This shirt is worn for Day Four and Day Five, it is made out of a light blue end-on-end cotton and has rounded barrel cuffs. Unlike the previous two shirts, this one is featured in the promotional photos for Children of Earth.

This is the third post-explosion shirt of Children of Earth.

8.6. Di Stefano light blue - military style:
Years Used: 2011
With Jack’s new outfit came a brand new shirt. This one doesn’t appear to be based on any particular military’s uniform, but is militaristic in style.

• Light blue cotton poplin
• White buttons
• Modern collar (dimensions on image below)
• No button placket
• Shoulder flaps (this time his braces are worn under the straps)
• Two rounded base unflapped chest pockets
• Double cuffs (with a very subtle fine speckle pattern printed inside, so not normally visible)
• One piece rear yoke
• Twin darts running the entire length of the back panel
• 8 button opening
• Button on the sleeve placket

Whereas on Jack's previous military shirt that he wore the brace straps over the shirt's shoulder straps, on this one he always wears the braces underneath the straps of the shirt.

Screen used shirt from The Blood Line, featuring authentic damage from the episode.

Some of the closer details from the screen worn shirt. The modern style collar features a point length of 2¾ inches and a spread of 4½ inches. Inside the double cuffs is a printed cotton with a very subtle speckled pattern.

8.7. Di Stefano royal blue:
Years Used: 2011
Another shirt by Di Stefano, this one appears to be cut the the same design as the light blue one but with the following changes:

• Royal blue end-on-end cotton
• Matching coloured buttons
• No pockets
• No shoulder straps
• Barrel cuffs (one button, rounded end)

Screencaps from Immortal Sins.

This one only appeared for the 1920’s scenes in Immortal Sins. The overall design of this shirt is quite modern, so it looks rather anachronistic in that setting.

Screen used shirt from when it was sold by Propabilia.

8.8. Chester Cordite light blue - spearpoint collar:
Years Used: 2020
With Jack’s long awaited return came a new shirt. For Fugitive of the Judoon a light blue 3½ inch spearpoint collar shirt from Chester Cordite was used. This was available from their website between 2019 and 2021, and is now unfortunately discontinued in this fabric, though other shirts are still available cut to the same design.

The dim lighting and liberal lens flare make gathering good screencaps a challenge.

Much like his earlier light blue shirts, this one uses an end-on-end weave cotton (poly-cotton blend this time to be precise) and white buttons. Unlike his Angels shorts however, the Chester Cordite features a subtle button placket, chest pocket, rounded one button barrel cuffs (that had buttonholes on both sides and were worn with cufflinks in-episode so probably had the buttons removed), and pleats in the rear. This shirt is only the second time that Captain Jack wears one with a button placket, and the very first time that he wears one with a lone chest pocket.

The screen accurate shirt, as pictured on the Chester Cordite website.

8.9. Unknown navy blue:
Years Used: 2021
For his more concrete appearance in Revolution of the Daleks, Jack wore a navy blue shirt. Due to the dim lighting and lack of behind the scenes photos there isn’t much information about this shirt, even details like the cuff style are unknown. From what is visible however, it has a button placket, and no chest pockets. The collar is hard to gauge precisely due to being partially covered by the coat, but I would say that it is probably not quite as long as his usual spearpoint style collars, but appears to be more forward pointing (narrower spread) than something like his Miracle Day shirt collars. It could be a spearpoint style collar however, so aim more for that sort of look than a wider spread small modern collar.

As far as I can tell, there is no texture visible to this fabric. The button placket is visible in the top right image.

Given the lack of a visible texture, I believe the material is a cotton poplin, and the buttons are a smoky dark grey. I suspect that this shirt was purchased off-the-peg rather than being bespoke. This shirt marks the third and final time Jack wears one with a button placket. Given that the design is fairly generic, one might be able to source something similar off-the-peg. Although the collar appears to be not as long as his spearpoint ones, try to avoid the tiny collar shirts or spread collar ones that one often sees in cheaper shops.

The shot on the right is pretty much the only time we get to see the chest area, showing an absence of any pocket.

8.10. Unknown light blue - large collar:
Years Used: 2021
For his cut scene in Time Fracture, Barrowman wore a hitherto unseen light blue shirt with white buttons. At first I believed it to be the Chester Cordite from his 2020 appearance, but after examining a behind the scenes photo this shirt lacks the distinctive texture. After a little bit of searching I was able to find a better photo.

From this photo, the cotton appears to be a plain weave.

For this shirt, the fabric appears to be untextured, suggesting that it’s made from cotton poplin or similar fine weave. It has no button placket, or chest pocket (unlike the Chester Cordite), and I believe double cuffs (although these are only partially visible). The collar looks a little different to his typical spearpoints on this one though, seemingly slightly higher at the back and with a thicker collar band which sizes up the whole collar and gives the front less of a distinct point. I don’t know the origin of this shirt but this sort of collar is what you get when you size up a collar on a lot of those online custom shirt creation websites, a larger collar overall rather than a spearpoint one.

The absence of a pocket confirms that this is not the Chester Cordite. These photos also illustrate the general largeness of this collar. These images were taken from this YouTube video.

Given the overall larger size (rather than the more distinct spearpoint), this shirt could probably be replicated fairly accurately from one of the aforementioned types of custom shirt makers. If using iTailor then by selecting a French collar and then adjusting it up to around 3½ inches on the size option just below would yield a similar looking result. Alternately, on a site like ModernTailor then the Italian collar option will channel the right sort of look. No matter what site you use, I always suggest sending garment measurements from one of your preëxisting shirts that fits the way you want it. Often with these sites they ask for body measurements, which are open to interpretation for a shirt and may result in unexpected results such as weirdly tight arms. Sending garment measurements to copy is much more reliable and many places that only take body measurements on their website will do garment measurements instead so long as you email them asking about it.