#but he talks to ianto about it and that's why ianto can't bear to see him in pain because he KNOWS the effect it has on jack

[torchwood-99]

Torchwood Costume Carnage!

Winners for Round 1!

Drumroll....

Ianto Jones: The Suit that Started it all.

Smirk beats tears, but both suits were lined with deception. Here we see Ianto for the first time, when he welcomes a pizza bearing Gwen to the Torchwood hub. Although it's not so vibrant as his later suits (suitably for a Ianto still hiding himself from the world and his team) the red tie adds some flair and hints at the danger and passion that lurks beneath the surface of the information centre, and the man himself.

Jack Harkness: The Jacket

Jack might be a dad several times over, but he isn't one for Dad clothes. We don't see this jacket on Jack much, but it fits into his military/pilot aesthetic. First episode, it makes sense that the writers are trying outfit choices that don't pop up again (for example we never see Gwen in that bowler hat that she wears in her first scene, can't imagine why). But on re-watch, it kind of suits who Jack is to the audience right now. This is Jack after we knew in him Doctor Who, an older, different Jack. It's also Jack before we get to know him. We're seeing him through Gwen's eyes, and here he's an enigma. So having him in a costume that suits his vibe, but isn't familiar, feels right.

Owen Harper: Sacrificial Scrubs

Owen, who is introduced to us as not always the nicest of blokes, gets steadily nicer as the show goes on (while still retaining his Owen-ess), is suitably dressed all in white here, the scrubs catching the light in an appropriately angelic light.

As the team doctor, this is isn't the only time we see Owen in medical scrubs. But the scrubs in this scene at worn as a doctor, or even a patient. They're the clothes of a corpse in waiting. This whole sequence is one of the most heart wrenching in the entire show, and that's saying something. Martha and Jack grimly prepping for the embalmment, Toshiko silently watching them as they prepare the tools for the death of the man she loves, Gwen helping him change and grasping for a chance at one final hug, Owen running his fingers through her hair while he can still feel them, and Ianto joining Gwen in forming an honour guard as Owen walks to his death.

Toshiko Sato: Pretty Purple Dress

"Is that a dress Tosh!"

This dress is introduces in a great sequence of Tosh dressing. We don't often see Tosh at home, and it's great seeing an episode from Tosh's pov for once. The care Tosh shows in getting dressed in this episode tells us without telling us that Tosh is excited, and she's getting ready for something special. When we know there's a hunky WW1 soldier on the way, we don't need it spelled out to us that he and Tosh share a special bond. The dress is pretty and feminine and in Tosh's power colour, purple (we're gonna see a lot of purple in the days ahead).

Also, it's worn over jeans!

@yourmyonlyhope makes a great comment here about the discussion in the show, where Tommy talks all about the changing fashions. This look is so of its time, and it's great watching Tommy talk about mini-skirts and all the other rapid changes in fashion he's witnessed in his flash tour through time, with Tosh in her early 2000s glory standing testament to the changing times. With trends changing so quickly, the writers probably did know that future watchers would see Tosh in a dress and jeans and find the costume dated, so as well as being a great bit of backstory and character exploration for Tommy, that scene and this dress have a lovely bit of meta going on.

Gwen Cooper: The Tea Windbreaker

Gwen mostly wears darker colours, with a few notable exceptions. In this episode, the rest of the team are in dark, earthy colours, and Gwen stands out in this teal windbreaker. A non-viewer who knows nothing about Torchwood could look at a pic of the all together, and point to the newbie who is about to get their innocence shredded. In a show like Torchwood, when a character turns in something pale and clean and on the opposite end of the colour spectrum to red, they're just screaming out to get covered in blood. Although Gwen's already seen some messed up stuff, Countrycide is the episode where she confronts just how cruel humans can be. Her entire world view, her faith in humanity, is thrown in a woodchipper. This is the jacket of a girl on the precipice of a full self-destructive spiral.

And, once more, pretty colour! (Brings out the green in her eyes and the red of her lips ;)

Thank you to everyone who voted! The next round of costumes will be up tomorrow!

#Torchwood #Torchwood Costume Carnage #Ianto Jones #Owen Harper #Gwen Cooper #Toshiko Sato #Jack Harkness