The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[kjb]

May I ask people's advice on sizing, please? I have bought this in a size 36. I am, typically a size 38 in Drake's Chore jackets (thanks to lockdown! Used to be a definite 36/46) However, some of their Chore jackets come up REALLY BIG! The Artist's Chore for instance is hilariously big in a 38.

Anyway, the 36 in this fits perfectly in terms of arm length and I can do the zip all the way up and it's not too tight - but when I fold my arms, I can definitely feel the tension in the back of the jacket. Do people think this will stretch at all over time. A dumb question perhaps, but a jacket that you can feel is slightly tight on the back when you fold your arms is too small. Right...?

Royal Blue Cotton Canvas Sailing Chore Jacket

100% Cotton. Made in Portugal.

www.drakes.com

View attachment 1621866

i guess it would depend in what you else you had on while wearing it and if you plan to add more or less layers. was it too tight when you had just a t shirt or polo as pictured? that would make wearing it with a sweater extremely tough.

how do you plan to use it? all year or just in certain parts and what else would you wear during those seasons.

generally though, i'd want my outerwear a touch bigger than smaller. especially through the chest, shoulders, and back. sleeves can get hemmed.

 

[yungchomsky]

There was one games suit left in my size at the Mr Porter sale so I had to cop...

 

[Calanon]

Have Drake's just done away with seasonal collections?

 

[Shetterd]

There was one games suit left in my size at the Mr Porter sale so I had to cop...

View attachment 1621876

This looks so good! Can I ask, did you size up on the games chino? I usually take a 32, but that was way too tight in the seat in this case.

 

[yungchomsky]

This looks so good! Can I ask, did you size up on the games chino? I usually take a 32, but that was way too tight in the seat in this case.

Yep -- jacket in my normal size, trousers sized up one.

 

[wahnamhong]

May I ask people's advice on sizing, please? I have bought this in a size 36. I am, typically a size 38 in Drake's Chore jackets (thanks to lockdown! Used to be a definite 36/46) However, some of their Chore jackets come up REALLY BIG! The Artist's Chore for instance is hilariously big in a 38.

Anyway, the 36 in this fits perfectly in terms of arm length and I can do the zip all the way up and it's not too tight - but when I fold my arms, I can definitely feel the tension in the back of the jacket. Do people think this will stretch at all over time. A dumb question perhaps, but a jacket that you can feel is slightly tight on the back when you fold your arms is too small. Right...?

Royal Blue Cotton Canvas Sailing Chore Jacket

100% Cotton. Made in Portugal.

www.drakes.com

View attachment 1621866

I cannot decide for you of course but I just wanted to bring up that often a piece of clothing in a particular size is meant to be either slim or more roomy, depending on what the designer has in mind.

People have a tendency to pick sizes that always fit the same, but sometimes it’s nice to follow the suggestion by Drake’s in this case. With Drake’s I am a reliable size 42, and some items fit snug while others are more roomy. And when sizing is truly erratic it will often be mentioned by Drake’s in the description, as with the recent blue fleece sweater where they suggested to size down.

 

[kentpope]

Just got a Drake’s houndstooth sportcoat (AW2019) delivered from YOOX and was a little surprised to see the sleeves are lined with polyester. Wasn’t aware they did this as the other ones I’ve seen largely use cupro for the lining. Also looks like it’s another one that’s not canvassed at all other than a paper thin lining. Kind of disappointing.

Anyway, given that the jacket was marked at $399, it also reminded me that some here were discussing the possibility that Drake’s is perhaps manufacturing some stuff specifically for archive/discount. That seems unlikely in general but the quality of the last two jackets I’ve handled also seem to be of lesser quality so it’s hard not to wonder absent any other explanation.

 

[mbb355]

Just got a Drake’s houndstooth sportcoat (AW2019) delivered from YOOX and was a little surprised to see the sleeves are lined with polyester. Wasn’t aware they did this as the other ones I’ve seen largely use cupro for the lining. Also looks like it’s another one that’s not canvassed at all other than a paper thin lining. Kind of disappointing.

View attachment 1622099
View attachment 1622100

Anyway, given that the jacket was marked at $399, it also reminded me that some here were discussing the possibility that Drake’s is perhaps manufacturing some stuff specifically for archive/discount. That seems unlikely in general but the quality of the last two jackets I’ve handled also seem to be of lesser quality so it’s hard not to wonder absent any other explanation.

Great looking piece though

 

[Nickd]

Have Drake's just done away with seasonal collections?

I’d wait till the world is back to relative normality before judging anything in retail over the past year or so. From friends inside the clothing design industry the work dried up completely, so much so that they had to go into entirely unrelated side work to keep the money flowing.

The factories Drakes use will have been working with a much smaller capacity for a while.

 

[Gus]

Just received the deep green polo shirt. The pique fabric is heavier than any other polo style shirt I've ever owned. Not sure I will keep it as the weight seems to defeat the purpose for warm/hot weather shirt. Too bad, it is otherwise quite nice. It would be an ideal weight for winter if long sleeved.

 

[zenosparadox]

Has anyone successfully (and recently) called in a VAT-discounted order to Drake's London store for shipping to the US? The converted USD cost (plus duties plus, in most instances, markup) in relation to the UK website cost differs drastically, I've found, between items, and even items of the very same material from the same source, so that this is unlikely to be a difference in the duties levied on individual items. As we've seen most starkly with the archive sales, Drake's "retail" prices are mostly just throwing darts at a board. There's one item I'm particularly interested in, but the discrepancy between the UK retail and the US retail price is much greater than with other versions of the same style - and the difference is such that the piece would be affordable at UK retail, but unaffordable for me at US retail, which means that I'd need to cross my fingers for its inclusion in an archive sale. If I lived in Guernsey or Mexico or the US Virgin Islands, for instance, then I could buy it, but living in a country that has its own "native" version of the Drake's website means it's out of my price range.

In short, then, I'm wondering whether anyone has made a purchase of an item from the UK location. I did so before they really confirmed the separation between the two websites (and established the now shuttered Crosby St. location), and also more recently purchased a discounted piece directly from the factory store before that also shuttered, but has anyone done this in the last year or so? Or, rather, inquired about this and been refused?

I'll certainly reach out to Drake's myself if there's no experience with this, but I'd love to know in advance if this has recently been attempted. Thanks!

 

[bry2000]

I can't help with your specific request, but your best bet is to wait for the archive sale when you can pay the "true" (as in TM Lewin) retail price.

 

[wahnamhong]

Another place to get belts from.

Men's and Women's Belts I Made in Italy I Portia1924

Portia1924 offers men's and women's belts in suede, leather and textile. Choose between braided,croco pattern and elastic belts. Portia1924 offer timeless and classic belts.

www.portia1924.com

 

[mbb355]

Just received the deep green polo shirt. The pique fabric is heavier than any other polo style shirt I've ever owned. Not sure I will keep it as the weight seems to defeat the purpose for warm/hot weather shirt. Too bad, it is otherwise quite nice. It would be an ideal weight for winter if long sleeved.

I feel like Drakes is primarily geared toward the UK. It's faithful to its English heritage. And the UK never really gets that hot in the summer. So it's not all that surprising (though it is a little disappointing) that Drakes doesn't work well in summer, and that their stronghold is fall/winter.

 

[cristofromkensington]

I feel like Drakes is primarily geared toward the UK. It's faithful to its English heritage. And the UK never really gets that hot in the summer. So it's not all that surprising (though it is a little disappointing) that Drakes doesn't work well in summer, and that their stronghold is fall/winter.

It’s been 25 degrees here all week!