The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[Dan Dynamic]

Blackhorse Lane stopped producing Drake's jeans I assume since production moved to Portugal? Who produces them now?

 

[PenryMMJ]

Currently looking for a pair of suede loafers, unfortunately Drakes ones are a little out of my budget. Has anybody got any good alternatives?

So far I’m considering the Astorflex Mokaflex, price is reasonable and I have a pair of Greenflex already which are great. Im not sure if they produce the Drakes Canal loafer Which has a similar shape to the Mokaflex.

Also the Horauto Darmouth loafer has my ideal shape similar to a JM Weston, but I haven’t seen much feedback on the quality of the brand.

 

[henrip]

Once my Canal loafers have reached the retirement age I’m going to give either one of these a try

Velasca | Suede men’s loafers, made with care in Italy

Tobacco-colored handcrafted loafers, with a natural rubber sole. Timeless, country-inspired.

www.velasca.com

Velasca | Handmade suede loafers, designed with Alfa Romeo

Our loafers, born from an encounter with Alfa Romeo. For you, someone who loves to discover something new every day.

www.velasca.com

Or maybe even go completely nuts with these

Velasca | Loafers in beige suede and Jacquard fabric, handmade

Unlined beige Loafers, with fringe, hippy-style: for the man who dresses simply without sacrificing the details.

www.velasca.com

 

[sussi]

Once my Canal loafers have reached the retirement age I’m going to give either one of these a try

Velasca | Suede men’s loafers, made with care in Italy

Tobacco-colored handcrafted loafers, with a natural rubber sole. Timeless, country-inspired.

www.velasca.com

Velasca | Handmade suede loafers, designed with Alfa Romeo

Our loafers, born from an encounter with Alfa Romeo. For you, someone who loves to discover something new every day.

www.velasca.com

Or maybe even go completely nuts with these

Velasca | Loafers in beige suede and Jacquard fabric, handmade

Unlined beige Loafers, with fringe, hippy-style: for the man who dresses simply without sacrificing the details.

www.velasca.com

I really like the Piugiatt but I did not try anytthing from Velasca yet. I only remember hey increased prices by a lot over last couple of years. I really want a new pair of Alden LHS Loafers in snuff suede but they almost impossible to get in EU at this point, because old stock is mostly gone and this season EU retailers only got machine sewn loafers with weird toebox.

 

[C_kimlin920]

Currently looking for a pair of suede loafers, unfortunately Drakes ones are a little out of my budget. Has anybody got any good alternatives?

So far I’m considering the Astorflex Mokaflex, price is reasonable and I have a pair of Greenflex already which are great. Im not sure if they produce the Drakes Canal loafer Which has a similar shape to the Mokaflex.

Also the Horauto Darmouth loafer has my ideal shape similar to a JM Weston, but I haven’t seen much feedback on the quality of the brand.

I have a pair of the Horatio bit loafers and I can say the overall shape /quality is real nice.

 

[Jt131]

Currently looking for a pair of suede loafers, unfortunately Drakes ones are a little out of my budget. Has anybody got any good alternatives?

So far I’m considering the Astorflex Mokaflex, price is reasonable and I have a pair of Greenflex already which are great. Im not sure if they produce the Drakes Canal loafer Which has a similar shape to the Mokaflex.

Also the Horauto Darmouth loafer has my ideal shape similar to a JM Weston, but I haven’t seen much feedback on the quality of the brand.

I have the canal loafers and the mokaflex. I find the shape of the canal much more versatile and can be worn with many outfits. The mokaflex are chunkier and I struggle to find the opportunity to wear them - I actually bought the mokaflex originally as a ‘cheaper’ canal but it turned out to be false economy.

I would keep an eye on Mr Porter sales as I bought another pair of canal from there recently which ended up costing about £180 from memory.

 

[LKittelb]

I have a question for the forum regulars around here: I purchased a polo secondhand from a SF user a while back and really love it, and cannot for the life of me find others like it. its a linen/silk mix, and has quite a bit of weight to it, so great drape. really similar to some linen knitwear I have from inis meain, but a bit more wearable as the finishing is way tidier. made in Italy. does anyone know who does drakes Italian knitwear, and where I might find similar pieces (with the linen silk mix), maybe from the same factory from other brands?

I know that they have a linen cotton mix polo available right now, and have not tried it (mostly because of the $500 price tag), but would really have a preference for the linen/silk.

below is SC wearing the one that I own, if I could find it used in different colors I would be interested in purchasing, but as far as I know they only ran it in that indigo color. any feedback helpful, thanks!

 

[AriGold]

Am I the only one that finds drakes overpriced for the quality?

having said that their OCBDs’s may be great value

 

[Wim]

Am I the only one that finds drakes overpriced for the quality?

having said that their OCBDs’s may be great value

That would depend on how you define quality. Pre-covid - before I added some pounds I don't seem to be able to/care to shed - I "invested" in Tom Ford, Thom Browne, The Row clothes (I'm an ex-fashion design student, forgive for spending outrageous amounts on clothes). Although not scoring high on classic proportions, they all share superb fabrics, lots of handwork, traditional construction techniques - hallmarks of quality. So what are the qualities of Drake's I value? The clothes are well-nigh indestructible; whatever else people might say about Michael Hill, he definitely knows how to pick a nice fabric; the clothes provide shape to the man who is losing some; on average, the proportions are fairly classic and flattering regardless of the fashion cycle; the palette includes colours that return season after season, year after year, which makes it easy to combine old and new pieces; the scope of the collection covers most of life's occasions (at least for the non-Succession class) and many pieces are easy to dress up or down; and most importantly, I find myself wearing them most of the time. Of course you can find most of the items - although usually to some slightly different specs - more affordably somewhere else - and hunting those down is exciting too. But for me, yes, the qualities Drake's offers is worth paying their price for.

 

[Dan Dynamic]

Am I the only one that finds drakes overpriced for the quality?

having said that their OCBDs’s may be great value

Do I think it is overpriced? Yes
Will I keep buying from Drake's? Yes

I think some stuff like the scarves, rugby shirts and chore jackets are difficult to find elsewhere with the exact same details.

 

[sydneycider]

Am I the only one that finds drakes overpriced for the quality?

having said that their OCBDs’s may be great value

There is definitely a significant "premium" charged by Drake's, but clothing made entirely in high-wage European countries will never be cheap.

I think Drake's pricing is erring into the absurd for some products, but they are investment pieces with outstanding design and construction.

I actually only own two Drake's pieces, an OCBD and a shetland, which I bought because they were so beautiful and unique. Basically, I buy Drake's when they make something I can't find anywhere else (and during sales).

 

[niddes]

Am I the only one that finds drakes overpriced for the quality?

having said that their OCBDs’s may be great value

All the shirts I wear regularly are Drake's OCBDs. I think I have about 10. The first one that I bought in 2017 just got an unrepairable hole and I wore the hell out of that shirt. The fabric quality is definitely great and the only time buttons came undone was because I got caught on a door or something like that. "Worth" is also always a factor of your budget. For me, it's not worth 235€ and I bought all my shirts on sale, ranging from about 60 to 100€. I'll still buy them if they are significantly reduced.

 

[nachobarro]

How do you size on the chore jackets? True to size? do they allow some kind of layering?

That heavy twill cotton in navy is very tempting...

 

[AriGold]

I tried their tailoring and it is more expensive than their sister company the Armoury now and it’s only half canvassed. Compared to Ring Jacket by the Armoury which is full canvassed and priced lower. That combined with the common ownership suggested to me it wasn’t just about quality/style but rather drake’s cachet allowing them to charge what they can.

 

[jeremygo]

I tried their tailoring and it is more expensive than their sister company the Armoury now and it’s only half canvassed. Compared to Ring Jacket by the Armoury which is full canvassed and priced lower. That combined with the common ownership suggested to me it wasn’t just about quality/style but rather drake’s cachet allowing them to charge what they can.

Worth noting that some of the Armoury x Ring Jacket models are actually half canvassed (Model 11, Model 12, some of the "casual" models). That said - I've tended to like the fit of the Armoury models more than Drake's tailoring which basically solves the question for me personally.

(Note: edited above to be more accurate)

In terms of OCBD's - I absolutely love my Drake's shirts and wear the hell out of them. Definitely the best fitting shirt for me outside of going custom. I'm not so patiently waiting for the next archive sale to stock up on some more.