The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[Kid_Icarus]

Trying to build a solid ivy footwear rotation, but with an emphasis on comfort (I'm a teacher and on my feet all day)

Here's what I have so far:

For my dressier fits

1. Drakes Crosby boot in dark brown
2. Alden 986

For casual wear

1. New Balance 992 (jjjjound grey)
2. New Balance 990v3 (jjjjound olive)
3. Reebok club C in white

Anything you guys recommend I add? Was thinking snuff sueded LHS but out of my budget atm.

I think if I were building an Ivy footwear collection from scratch and wanted to cover all the bases while staying faithful to the style, my choices would be:

1. A burgundy (e.g. color 8) or black penny loafer
2. A burgundy or black tassel loafer (not an absolutely essential style, but I love them)
3. A brown suede penny loafer or tassel loafer
4. A black, brown or burgundy cap toe blucher, NST or long wing
5. A chukka or desert boot
6. A boat shoe or moccasin (I like medium-brown Chromexcel on a brick camp sole)
7. A simple low-top canvas tennis shoe, basketball shoe or deck shoe in white or natural
8. A waterproof winter boot for really foul weather if you live in that kind of climate: a Bean boot is probably the most Ivy option, but I'm not an expert on the style.

NB: I strongly prefer Color 8 to black in almost all situations, but it's nice to have at least one pair of black shoes in shell or calf when required.

 

[Mavidpark]

I think if I were building an Ivy footwear collection from scratch and wanted to cover all the bases while staying faithful to the style, my choices would be:

1. A burgundy (e.g. color 8) or black penny loafer
2. A burgundy or black tassel loafer (not an absolutely essential style, but I love them)
3. A brown suede penny loafer or tassel loafer
4. A black, brown or burgundy cap toe blucher, NST or long wing
5. A chukka or desert boot
6. A boat shoe or moccasin (I like medium-brown Chromexcel on a brick camp sole)
7. A simple low-top canvas tennis shoe, basketball shoe or deck shoe in white or natural
8. A waterproof winter boot for really foul weather if you live in that kind of climate: a Bean boot is probably the most Ivy option, but I'm not an expert on the style.

NB: I strongly prefer Color 8 to black in almost all situations, but it's nice to have at least one pair of black shoes in shell or calf when required.

Thanks for the reccomendations.

Glad to see I have some of the bases covered already with the Alden 986 & drakes crosby. Need to get me a suede penny and some bluchers.

 

[Mavidpark]

Probably a bit more general 60s / daresay alternative than the super-strict Ivy (there are some people that take it all very seriously) but:

Padmore & Barnes wallabee, very comfortable and affordable.
Desert Boot like Astorflex
Hutton Playtime

Vintage Converse Made in USA or Moonstar Hoopmaster hightops

Smart Ivy in a shoe to me is a Long Wing Blucher in Black Shell or maybe #8.

Any recommendations for a comfortable blucher?

 

[Mavidpark]

Yes, I realize you noted that the snuff suede LHS is out of your budget at the moment… but I’d advise you wait until you can make it your next shoe purchase, however long it takes. Hands down the best shoe I own; were I to build my shoe collection from scratch I might just buy three of these.

Yeah I totally get that.

The snuff suede were high on my list when I first started my loafer search. Was waiting for a deal or shoemart to restock some seconds. Before that could happen I stumbled upon a pair of 986 w/ antique edge on pelle line for a great deal and had to pull the trigger. Don't regret the purchase as I had always planned on picking up a color 8 loafer eventually, but do wonder if the snuff suede could have been a better first purchase for the comfort and versatility.

 

[Phillip Dean]

Yeah I totally get that.

The snuff suede were high on my list when I first started my loafer search. Was waiting for a deal or shoemart to restock some seconds. Before that could happen I stumbled upon a pair of 986 w/ antique edge on pelle line for a great deal and had to pull the trigger. Don't regret the purchase as I had always planned on picking up a color 8 loafer eventually, but do wonder if the snuff suede could have been a better first purchase for the comfort and versatility.

The 986 in cordovan is also an excellent shoe. I see and the snuff suede LHS as having very different utilities. Because it is unlined-and that glove-quality suede is so soft-I’ll wear the LHS sockless (or with some thin no-shows) from May until October. When it cools down, I transition to the 986 in shell, as its lined cordovan feels too stiff to go comfortably barefoot in.

 

[Phillip Dean]

Fyi, there's a classic men's store outside of Detroit called the Claymore Shop that's selling some current-season Drake's stock for 25% off in its seasonal sale.

The site does not appear to have a search function, and doesn't have dedicated pages to brands, so it's a little hard to navigate. But there's some really nice stuff—a few Shetlands, workshirts, even a Balmacaan and a donkey chore—that you can see by selecting "Drake's" as a filter in their relevant categories.

To save everyone the work though, I'll just post below. Naturally, I'm doing this after I just scooped up the Norwegian sweater in my size.

Sweaters

claymoreshop

claymoreshop.com

Sport Shirts

claymoreshop

claymoreshop.com

Outerwear

claymoreshop

claymoreshop.com

 

[hpreston]

Was someone looking for polka dot scarf in wool/silk?

Drake’s London Silk and Wool Scarf • Shawl • $365 Made In Italy Polka Dot Revers | eBay

<p>Measures about 18.5” x 72” . Classic menswear. Great quality. In great shape, I only wore it a few times. It reverses from pale blue dots on one side to white dots on the other, background is navy blue. Thanks!</p>

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[ikoiko]

I’ve been looking for a silk knit tie akin to what Drake's offers, but their color selection is very limited. Has anyone had experience with Speciale?

 

[Kid_Icarus]

I’ve been looking for a silk knit tie akin to what Drake's offers, but their color selection is very limited. Has anyone had experience with Speciale?

I haven't tried their ties, but my wife just bought one of their shirts to wear with her new Clementina/J.Mueser jacket. The quality seems very nice.

You might look at Shibumi. Great ties of impressive quality, and very much in the same vein as what Drake's offers — some nearly identical, actually. I have two of their shantung ties and the quality is on par with my Drake's ties in the same material.

Knitted ties by Shibumi Firenze | Shibumi Firenze

Shop elegant Shibumi Firenze's knitted ties. Quality Italian style ✓ Worldwide Shipping ✓ Classic Men's Fashion ► Shop now

shibumi-firenze.com

 

[Tom (10000 jackets)]

I've not tried Shibumi's silk knit ties, but would agree the silk, shantung and grenadine are as good as Drake's

 

[cedarlake23]

Trying to build a solid ivy footwear rotation, but with an emphasis on comfort (I'm a teacher and on my feet all day)

Here's what I have so far:

For my dressier fits

1. Drakes Crosby boot in dark brown
2. Alden 986

For casual wear

1. New Balance 992 (jjjjound grey)
2. New Balance 990v3 (jjjjound olive)
3. Reebok club C in white

Anything you guys recommend I add? Was thinking snuff sueded LHS but out of my budget atm.

Loving the replies to this. Does anyone know of an ivy style Styleforum thread? I couldn't find an active one in my (admittedly cursory) search.

I've realized I'm a size 16 in Drake's shirts and not 15.5.

 

[wahnamhong]

I’ve decided to part ways with my PoW raglan, in favour of something I will wear more often.

Like a grey herringbone raglan. Which can also do double duty for more formal work clothing.

Anyone here with experience of the new double breasted one? Weight of the fabric, true to size? I remember the single breasted grey herringbone to fall a bit larger than the navy raglan, while fitting in NYC a few months ago. I’m a 42, should I size down for the double breasted? Thanks!

 

[NassimBandini]

Loving the replies to this. Does anyone know of an ivy style Styleforum thread? I couldn't find an active one in my (admittedly cursory) search.

I've realized I'm a size 16 in Drake's shirts and not 15.5.

Is 15.5 = 40 ?

 

[Henry S]

Is 15.5 = 40 ?

15.75 = 40.

 

[Rolf]

Long coverall with an older season scarf today in terrible weather.