9. Underlayers

Underneath his shirt, Jack nearly always wears a prominently visible t-shirt. Although nowadays wearing one is perfectly normal, by the standards of wartime Britain a t-shirt would've simply been considered a type of vest. As a result it would've been considered an undergarment that shouldn't really be seen, unless doing something very physical. It wasn't really until the 1950's that it became more common to see a t-shirt worn as the outermost layer, with the popularity of printed ones gaining traction during the 1960's.

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The exact number of shirt buttons that Jack unfastens to allow the undershirt to be seen varies from scene to scene. Usually it's two buttons, but sometimes he only undoes the top one. The button placement on his shirts vary depending on how many buttons there are in total, so for example on his Cardiff era military shirt he only undoes the top one as that has fewer buttons, hence a greater spacing between them.

Jack inside the stet radiation chamber in Utopia.

Top tip to those who live in a warm climate or suffer from hyperhidrosis, there are specialist undershirts available with underarm patches that are capable of fully absorbing sweat. Various brands exist, but Sweatshield Undershirt is a solid option. These sorts of tees prevent underarm sweat patches, which is often handy if you're wearing an expensive shirt that might get stained by these.

Section Index:

    9.1. Ralph Lauren white t-shirt (2006-2021)

    9.2. Ralph Lauren grey t-shirt (2008)
    9.3. Ralph Lauren navy t-shirt (2008)

    9.4. Unknown white vest (2011)

    9.5. no underlayer (2006, 2011)

9.1. Ralph Lauren white t-shirt:
Years Used: 2006-2021
By far the colour most favoured by Jack is a simple white t-shirt. Auction listings here and here confirm it to be by Ralph Lauren, and a Whittaker era behind the scenes video of Barrowman shows the brand continued to be used even after all those years. I suspect this was a personal choice by John, as he is often seen sporting Ralph Lauren tops outside of the show.

The white t-shirt pictured during the latter three of Jack's eras.

Note that the Ralph Lauren logo can change in size and colour depending on the specific year the shirt was made, I'm not sure what's 100% accurate but presumably the screen worn ones changed too given how long they were used for. Generic unbranded white tees were also used for certain scenes where he doesn’t wear a shirt over it, presumably to avoid the logo being visible or to save a few quid when a shirt needed to be distressed.

A behind the scenes shot from Revolution of the Daleks where the Ralph Lauren logo is visible.

9.2. Ralph Lauren grey t-shirt:

Years Used: 2008
This grey marl t-shirt was worn intermittently throughout the second series of Torchwood. Although the brand has not been confirmed, it is very likely Ralph Lauren like his others.

Although not as commonly used as his white one, the grey t-shirt saw significant usage.

Grey undershirts are actually better than white ones in certain conditions. On shirts made with certain slightly translucent fabrics (such as a fine white cotton) the outline of the undershirt can often be seen underneath. Grey is a less brilliant colour that will blend in with the wearer's skin tone and be less visible.


9.3. Ralph Lauren navy t-shirt:

Years Used: 2008
This is the t-shirt that gets the least screentime amongst the three Cardiff era ones. On a handful of occasions (such as the beginning of Something Borrowed and the various flashback scenes in Fragments) Jack Harkness wears a navy blue t-shirt underneath his military shirt. A subsequent costume auction description confirms it to be by Ralph Lauren.

The t-shirt's very brief appearance in Something Borrowed, where it is paired with the waistcoat.

The navy t-shirt as it appears in Fragments.

9.5. Unknown white vest:

Years Used: 2011

During The New World Captain Jack can be seen wearing a white vest (with a subtle ribbed texture) when examining his wound. This marks a bit of a departure from his usual preference of short sleeve t-shirts. In the previous scene he was in pseudo-disguise as an F.B.I. agent, however as this disguise is just adding a suit jacket and swapping the greatcoat for a Burberry trench coat over his otherwise usual Miracle Day clothes I'm counting this as part of his standard wardrobe.

I suspect that this vest was only used for this scene, Jack is seen wearing a t-shirt later on in Miracle Day when he removes his shirt.

9.5. no underlayer:

Years Used: 2006, 2011

Although Jack wears a t-shirt for around 99% of his screentime, there are however a small number of single scene exceptions to this during both his Cardiff and L.A. eras where he forgoes one entirely. I can only remember there two episodes off the top of my head but there might be additional instances.

Left = Combat
Right = Miracle Day (I can't remember which episode)