The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[Psyko]

They have some gorgeous stuff. Unfortunately, no factory store. Drakes at full price is slightly outside of my willingness to pay, the factory store on the other hand is very much worth it.

I've only bought Drake's sports jackets on sale. No way I'd pay full price. I would rather go MTM for that kind of money, as I have to do quite a bit of alterations on their RTW jackets..

 

[TweedyProf]

Is my feeling about pretty much all of Drake’s non-accessory offerings. I almost didn’t post at all because people should enjoy what they enjoy, but my reaction to most of what Drake’s does is “it’s fine” so I’m always puzzled by the attention (except the photos of Jules, but he’s just cool).

Agreed: people should enjoy what they enjoy. If a piece moves you and you can afford it, then go for it, at Drake's or elsewhere.

That said, I would make a note on the ties. I love looking at Drake's choices in fabrics for their ties every season, though each season brings less inspiration, probably because my tie collection has grown a bit so things that would make a distinctive splash in that collection are rarer to find. This one jumped out at me this past season
.

Not a first tie by any means and not for everyone, but it has a color that appealed to me, say against a dark brown jacket or a green one. The problem for me is that at $165 dollars, it's a tough sell since I don't think the quality is above the smaller makers I like to support: Cappelli and Vanda. Those (along with Hober) are the makers I steer people to, when I am asked for my opinion on ties.

Cappelli and Vanda prices are more affordable relative to Drake's and the finishing on their ties shows a little bit more attention to detail: lining up the pattern at the tip of the blade and more hand rolling along the length of the tie as well as some ability to modify the specs on the tie, more so at Cappelli but certainly length and width at Vanda (same goes for Hober).

Drake's ties are well constructed and tie very good knots on average, but perhaps due to the volume they now produce, some aspects of their finishing lag behind the smaller makers I just noted. I have received some duds in fact where the construction was surprisingly subpar (mostly the ones made for Barney's). That said, there's at least one person in Drake's East End workshop who always lines up the pattern beautifully at the tips (left is Drake's, right is Cappelli...my Cappelli's are always lined up in the way shown...you can look at your own Drake's and see if the pattern was aligned with the tip):



It's a small thing, and no one else is going to notice it. What it means to me is that someone took an extra step in making that tie when it was cut and sewn, and I appreciate the effort. So, yeah, I still by Drake's ties and hope the one I get is made by the maker of the one above.

 

[othertravel]

I know this is a Drake's thread, but wanted to share this:

Polo Glen Plaid Twill Suit

Ralph Lauren

www.ralphlauren.com

Look at the details on this suit, especially the trousers. Would love Drake's to go in this direction.

 

[gettoasty]

Whyyy whyyy, I hate you all.

Unsubscribed

 

[Loathing]

I like the colour palette too but it is more limited/limiting than Drake’s and it doesn’t tend to go down well with the women in my life.

If you want buttons to blow your socks off, try Borrelli’s royal collection. The buttons are about a metre thick, sparkling pearls with fluted sides and a crow’s foot stitch.

I really enjoy Anglo Italians drab/ muted colour palette with subtle patterns. Both in the sports jackets and ties. That's what makes them stand spart, IMHO. I own a couple of their OCBD's and they're actually a little too formal for me. That's mostly because of their slim cut and high collar. This makes them sit really nice under a sports jacket, both with and without a tie, but look a little off when worn without. They're not casual. I actually prefer the Drake's OCBD's for casual purposes. The collar is high, but not too high, and curved. This makes them more casual.

Regarding buttons: Anglo Italian use the best buttons I've ever felt on their shirts. They're thick with round edges, which results in a hand feel far better than any other shirt buttons I've felt. They feel way more substantial than all the other shirt buttons I felt. So Anglo Italians wins the button game, IMHO.

 

[bry2000]

I can’t stand those ultra thick MOP buttons. Give me the standard ones used by Charvet, etc. any day.

 

[aristoi bcn]

I think you are expecting too much from just a haberdasher. Drake's is not inmune to menswear saturation. I've been browsing their lookbooks from 2012 up today thorough their tumblr and the guys have been consistent over the years, delivering beautiful classic but also original ties, pocket squares and scarfs which is their core product. For a man who is not very into menswear (not talking about me but the average guy with good taste if such a figure exists) Drake's offers probably the best option to acquire a couple or three pieces every season that will pass the test of time. And for an average man, three or so accessories per season is more than enough.

Furthermore, they partner with reliable suppliers to offer a wider range of products if you happen to need a jacket or a pair of new shoes. (Fedeli, Caruso, Alden, etc.)

I don't have many Drake's pieces, from what I recall, three or four ties, a similar number of pocket squares and a couple of pieces of knitwear btw.

 

[smittycl]

A lot of angst here just because a few of us had the temerity to say the F/W non-accessory stuff was uninteresting.

 

[Loathing]

I can’t stand those ultra thick MOP buttons. Give me the standard ones used by Charvet, etc. any day.

Charvet is a joke compared to Italian makers. The finish is abysmal, everything is done by machine, the collars are ugly awkward shards, and the buttons, yes the buttons, are flimsy mean little wafers made of substandard shell.

 

[smittycl]

Charvet is a joke compared to Italian makers. The finish is abysmal, everything is done by machine, the collars are ugly awkward shards, and the buttons, yes the buttons, are flimsy mean little wafers made of substandard shell.

I like their ties, though. Visited their place in Paris and thought it quite nice.

 

[bry2000]

Charvet is a joke compared to Italian makers. The finish is abysmal, everything is done by machine, the collars are ugly awkward shards, and the buttons, yes the buttons, are flimsy mean little wafers made of substandard shell.

Haha, Charvet makes the best shirts.

I place no value on handwork in a shirt. I got a custom collar on my Charvet shirts so if it is ugly, it is my fault as much as the maker’s. Buttons have been perfect every time.

Which Italian makers are you talking about? The only Italian maker I would consider using is Siniscalci, but I don’t get to Italy often enough these days to make it work.

 

[HotToddy]

I think you are expecting too much from just a haberdasher. Drake's is not inmune to menswear saturation. I've been browsing their lookbooks from 2012 up today thorough their tumblr and the guys have been consistent over the years, delivering beautiful classic but also original ties, pocket squares and scarfs which is their core product. For a man who is not very into menswear (not talking about me but the average guy with good taste if such a figure exists) Drake's offers probably the best option to acquire a couple or three pieces every season that will pass the test of time. And for an average man, three or so accessories per season is more than enough.

Furthermore, they partner with reliable suppliers to offer a wider range of products if you happen to need a jacket or a pair of new shoes. (Fedeli, Caruso, Alden, etc.)

I don't have many Drake's pieces, from what I recall, three or four ties, a similar number of pocket squares and a couple of pieces of knitwear btw.

A few years ago Drake’s were offering a full canvas, hand finished jacket. Now it is a half canvas and machine finished and it costs more now.

 

[mattg1027]

This one jumped out at me this past season
. View attachment 1220090

Not a first tie by any means and not for everyone, but it has a color that appealed to me, say against a dark brown jacket or a green one. The problem for me is that at $165 dollars, it's a tough sell since I don't think the quality is above the smaller makers I like to support: Cappelli and Vanda. Those (along with Hober) are the makers I steer people to, when I am asked for my opinion on ties.

I just picked that one up in a different color variant (Navy/Red). Agreed that full price is steep, but half price minus VAT isn’t too shabby. Got a few around $70.

 

[CBrown85]

I get Drake’s at the mall now. Harry Rosen outlet usually has several ties and squares for deep discount.

 

[moncharlemagne]

Don't take it personally. He reacts strongly to differing opinions on Drake's.

Their shirts are very nice quality too, not just the ties. Buttons are great and finish is very fine and sturdy at the same time. OCBDs are one of the best out there. When they were £100 there was nowhere that did better value shirts at that quality. Now they are £155-185 which is quite a jump.

This. Slowly replacing all my old Brooks Brothers Original and deadstock OCBDs with Drake's. Best OCBD there is for me, and I tried quite a few over the last couple of years. Love the collar roll on them as well. Would love to know how they compare to Mercer & Sons, which, during my time in the US, I only tried briefly and couldn't really enjoy because of the generous fit. Thom Browne on the other hand was just too fitted, and sizing a bit on the weird side as well.