The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[Trevallon]

Games jacket I got at the last sample sale

View attachment 2328905

This is so great!

 

[cedarlake23]

FYI, there's a Drake's look-alike thread if you're interested in less expensive options!

I didn't get anything from this archive sale but may try the whole ordering through Guernsey thing someone brought up before on here.

 

[woO]

Examples, the raglan coats at $2000? Similar coats from Kaptain Sunshine or Valstar about half that price…. Drakes prices in case make zero sense to me.

Madly expensive, yes, but "it's worth it!!" said the seamstress who shortened the sleeve and move up the straps of mine.

 

[SailingIvy]

Examples, the raglan coats at $2000? Similar coats from Kaptain Sunshine or Valstar about half that price…. Drakes prices in case make zero sense to me.

The Raglans are a bad example in my book. Saw the Kaptain Sunshine Coat in Florence last month and it's no comparison in style to the Drake's. Very different. But maybe that is something you can tell as soon as you saw both garments first hand...

 

[Club Soda]

The difference with most Drake’s items, however, is you could argue that Drake’s is copying other brands and using their label to make it seem like they are the original product, i.e. their shawl collar or desert boots.

A lot of brand use some kind of private label arrangement or manufacturing but that doesn't always mean they're just putting their label on an existing garment or in stock style.

The Armory's tailoring is a great example. Ring Jacket obviously makes it but they have a range of styles exclusive to them and St. Andrews makes their 100s series. You go into one of there stores and you have access to exception custom clothing with convenience, and for a cut length enthusiast you can have these garments made up in cloth for merchants and mills that you like and there's no brand veil of there own fabrics like high end labels have.

Drakes is the same with their tailoring, offering full canvassed, Italian made garments shipped in 8 weeks. Most guys around the country are stuck with Samuelson or Canali at the same price point.

For causal clothing, There's a fit story for all of these brands that are adjusted by the manufacturer. I haven't done a comparison myself but it's my understanding that Drake's and The Armoury for example adjust the fit of their knitwear so the sleeves are more tapered and the length works better with higher rise pants.

So there's a curation of a story, fit adjustments, and colors and patterns that the brands want to use to represent them. That's why Ralph Lauren has always been such a strong juggernaut, They don't have an own make presence anymore but they buy exclusive rights to everything made for them, have it made their way, and offer a convient one stop for brand range of wardrobe options.

 

[Club Soda]

Would agree with this. Question for people on the forum. Which brands do you think offer better value for Rugby shirts and the like?

Columbiaknit for basic rugbys. They have solids too.

 

[yungchomsky]

Wallabees?

Yes 🫡

 

[ponderosa]

Wrestling the conversation away from branding and prices for a moment if i may, a couple of interrelated questions regarding the Coverall.
For years i have worn the Barbour Beaufort, but have recently happily made the switch, not least because we don't have the strong wax odour one gets from a Barbour.. which i know some love, but to my mind there's a time and place for that stench, and it's sometimes overpowering, particularly after a downpour. So:
1. How do Drake's do it, without it smelling?
2. How do i rewax it, without it smelling like my old Barbour?

My understanding is that Barbour's wax formula changed at some point, maybe 15+ years ago (and possibly around the initial #menswear skinny Bedale explosion?), to make it less pungent. The Thornproof variety always smell a little more strongly than Sylkoil, with more wax and more processing. And then the more vintage 1980s jackets have a more profound funk that seems to exceed whatever soiling is added over time.

The Coverall's shell is more akin to Barbour's Sylkoil finish than Thornproof. Drier hand and the nap of emerald cotton fibers through the wax when you're in the sun, not shiny. And based on a few ad copy mentions here or there, I think the waxed cotton comes from Halley Stevenson's in Dundee, Scotland (probably same for the anorak they made).

"We sought out the driest wax cloth we could get - a 8.5oz premium waxed cotton from a historic mill in Dundee..."
and
"Our waxed cotton Surf Cagoule is made in from a 8.7oz waxed cotton sourced from the world’s leading manufacturer of weatherproof fabrics..."

HS: "We are the world's leading manufacturers and innovators in waxed cotton and weatherproofed fabrics. All our dyeing and finishing is 'under one roof' based at Baltic Works in Dundee, UK."

You can buy or contact HS for a tin of their wax, just tad more difficult than picking up one from Barbour if you'r outside the UK. I don't know how different the wax is, and I bet a modern tin of Barbour wax might work well and may very well not smell like the old jackets. Sylkoil and Thornproof variants both use the regular Barbour Thornproof dressing, it's just a cotton-finishing difference (Sylkoil is unshorn and one layer of wax less than Thornproof, which is also calendered).

Good luck - would be interested to see your results. I've got some time before I'll be due for a rewax.

 

[hpreston]

Madly expensive, yes, but "it's worth it!!" said the seamstress who shortened the sleeve and move up the straps of mine.

The Raglans are a bad example in my book. Saw the Kaptain Sunshine Coat in Florence last month and it's no comparison in style to the Drake's. Very different. But maybe that is something you can tell as soon as you saw both garments first hand...

I actually own both, so yes, can see that there’s a difference, I said similar coats, not carbon copy coats. But at the end of the day, they fill almost the same niche in my wardrobe, I reach for the Drakes about an often as the KS.

I was lucky to get the Drakes the first year they came out, and were closer to $1200, and not $2K (I don’t recall exact price I paid)

If I were building a wardrobe today, and looking for a similar coat, I’d be hard pressed to justify the drakes over a Valstar raglan or KS raglan, even Private White is $1200, (and a killer coat.)

 

[nachobarro]

I just love to wear the Coverall with this Ecru Carpenter Pants

 

[wahnamhong]

I just love to wear the Coverall with this Ecru Carpenter Pants
View attachment 2329193

Really nice! Could you also please identify the other items? Thanks.

 

[nachobarro]

Really nice! Could you also please identify the other items? Thanks.

Sure!

My chest measures 39", I usually wear sizes 38 or 40 in Drake's, 48-50 in tailoring and M in most brands. The Coverall is a size 38.

The other garments are:

- Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Denim Shirt (thrifted).
- Howlin Birth of the Cool Shetland Wolf colourway from a few seasons ago (mentioning because the sizing has changed recently, the shetlands are much longer).
-Ecru Straight Leg Carpenter Pants from GAP (yes, they are surprisingly nice and I really like how they fit.
- Johnston's of Elgin Cashmere Scarf (bought from eBay from a charity shop for like 20EUR and it was brand new... )
- Clarks Desert Boots (thrifted, 30€).

Speaking about if Drake's is worth the premium price tag, imho for the majority of garments no. That said, I rarely buy clothes for full price or brand new. You can find very cool pieces thrifting, on eBay, Vinted, etc It just takes time and luck to find them. Also, I wait for sales and really try to buy only from Drake's those pieces that they nail (Raglan Coats, Coverall, Chore Jackets, Games Suits...).

The Coverall cost me 550€ on eBay, and for that price it's totally worth it for me.

 

[SailingIvy]

If I were building a wardrobe today, and looking for a similar coat, I’d be hard pressed to justify the drakes over a Valstar raglan or KS raglan, even Private White is $1200, (and a killer coat.)

Yes I see that point. Have been at the same pathway too, bought the Drake's 40% of retail and will never look back. But at retail it would be hard justification, that's true!

 

[Berto1]

Sure!

My chest measures 39", I usually wear sizes 38 or 40 in Drake's, 48-50 in tailoring and M in most brands. The Coverall is a size 38.

The other garments are:

- Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Denim Shirt (thrifted).
- Howlin Birth of the Cool Shetland Wolf colourway from a few seasons ago (mentioning because the sizing has changed recently, the shetlands are much longer).
-Ecru Straight Leg Carpenter Pants from GAP (yes, they are surprisingly nice and I really like how they fit.
- Johnston's of Elgin Cashmere Scarf (bought from eBay from a charity shop for like 20EUR and it was brand new... )
- Clarks Desert Boots (thrifted, 30€).

Speaking about if Drake's is worth the premium price tag, imho for the majority of garments no. That said, I rarely buy clothes for full price or brand new. You can find very cool pieces thrifting, on eBay, Vinted, etc It just takes time and luck to find them. Also, I wait for sales and really try to buy only from Drake's those pieces that they nail (Raglan Coats, Coverall, Chore Jackets, Games Suits...).

The Coverall cost me 550€ on eBay, and for that price it's totally worth it for me.

Hi, my chest is also 39”.

In which Drake’s items do you wear 38” or 40”?

Thanks

 

[woO]

One of the items from the archive that make me say "beautiful! won't buy, no use for it, but beautiful."