Eleventh Doctor Velvet Waistcoat Analysis – Pockets

The 11th Doctor’s velvet waistcoat (usually) had three welt pockets: two lower pockets and an upper left pocket.

As best I could tell, there was never an upper right pocket.

All three pockets slanted upward away from center.

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor"

The same trim used on the waistcoat’s front (and “Snowmen” frock coat) also decorated the side and upper edges of the pocket welts.

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x6 "The Snowmen" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x13 "Nightmare in Silver" (publicity photo)

The precise positioning of the pocket welts may have slightly varied, but the centermost lower corners of the lower pocket welts seem to have been level with the center of the second-lowest button (and buttonhole).

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x6 "The Snowmen" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor" (publicity photo)

(The dotted lines in the examples above may look crooked, but they were squared out from the front edge.)

The upper left pocket welt appeared to be angled parallel to the lower one, although the upper welt was smaller than the lower one.

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x11 "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor" (publicity photo)

The upper left pocket appears to have been positioned so its centermost upper corner was level with the third-highest/fourth-lowest button.

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x13 "Nightmare in Silver"
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x6 "The Snowmen" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x6 "The Snowmen" (publicity photo)

Sometimes, though, that upper pocket welt appeared to be slightly lower …

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor" (publicity photo)
11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor" (publicity photo)

We can probably just chalk this up to human error, though – either on my part, or that of the original costumers.

(Again, the dotted lines in the examples above were squared out from the front edge.)

At least one of the velvet waistcoats, though, had an upper left pocket welt that appeared to be positioned quite a bit lower than the others.

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
7x13 "Nightmare in Silver" (publicity photo)

Two final peculiarities regarding the velvet waistcoat’s pockets:

First, one waistcoat appeared to not even have the upper left pocket!

Granted, both the scene and the velvet fabric were quite dark and the details are difficult to make out, but you can see the light hitting the decorative trim on the lower pocket welt … but not an upper one:

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor"

And finally, the buttons were attached to the right side of the waistcoat, with the buttonholes on the left – as is traditional for men’s garments.

However, there was also this flipped shot from “The Time of the Doctor,” in which the opposite was actually the case – and the upper left pocket was actually on the upper right!

11th Doctor velvet waistcoat analysis
8x02 "The Time of the Doctor"

Again, Doctor Who has a built-in defense against continuity errors when “timey wimey” stuff is happening; in both cases, the Doctor was close proximity to a literal crack in the universe for hundreds of years … so who knows?

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