The unofficial Drake's London Appreciation Thread

[Treble]

Dieworkwear isn't coming back, more sample sales chat please

 

[Faroe65]

Dieworkwear isn't coming back, more sample sales chat please

I am going this Friday and here quietly scouting for some tips to avoid queues.

 

[nprose]

^That's interesting. The past few years, I've been thinking the opposite, namely that Drakes lookbooks seem modeled on J. Crew catalogues.

And that isn't a criticism of Drakes. Since I first discovered J. Crew around 1990, I've thought of them as the hipper, happier version of BB, RL, LL Bean, or Land's End. So their preppy roots go pretty deep imo. In 1992-6, I went to a very preppy East Coast college, and J Crew may have been the most commonly worn brand among students. For more basic items, people went to the Gap, and for nicer ones to RL, BB, or local stores like Britches, J. Press, the Andover Shop, etc.

I do think the quality of J. Crew's designs and materials has fallen in the past 15 yrs or so -- I don't think I've bought anything from them in that time -- but this lookbook seemed pretty standard prep to me, with just one thing that seemed contemporary/trendy (wide pants) and one thing that wasn't classic preppy (the paisley shirt with corduroy Harrington). The lighting also seemed a bit dark/moody for J Crew. Re. monk straps. I think they were pretty standard in the 80s but haven't been common since then, at least single ones. Double ones were trendy 10, 15 yrs ago.

Imo, the achievement of Drakes has been twofold: (1) taking the best of classic designs from places like RL and J Crew but more so from vintage BB, LL Bean, Land's End, Eddie Bauer, and then making them out of high quality materials, and (2) borrowing from non-English/New England sources to create interesting interpretations, like the casentino fleeces, Mughal archer logo, etc.

While Drakes may have borrowed from BB, J. Crew, etc. I do think Drakes has influenced those brands in recent years. And I hope that influence will continue, as I think Drakes is doing a kind of a kind of contemporary, global prep better than anyone else.

Thanks for sharing this timeline and perspective. The materials pov, and I think Drake's fans/influencers are definitely informing J Crew, which is a good thing overall because its clothes are more affordable.

A lot of what I've read, in terms of the new lookbook, draws comparisons from the time of their famous liquor store or whatever it was. There seems to be a lot menswear cognoscenti that harkens back to that time as the golden years. Halcyon days if you will...As someone who has never lived in Brooklyn, and is (maybe) too young to have cared in the early 2000s, it's a bit exhausting. In turn, what you've written here feels at least open-minded.

I think I understand that was a formative time for a lot of menswear fans, and so I'm not trying to be negative. It can be hard to relate to though as someone behind that curve, but interested in clothes and how to dress oneself. I used to buy quite a bit at J Crew although in recent years that really tapered off. I learned about Drake's in 2018, and my favorite handful of items are from the brand (namely, overshirts and suede boots). The new J Crew looks are a mixed bag for me. A couple I really liked — the pink Oxford with the paisley tie is nice. I get it's not ground-breaking stuff, and possibly I could find it at J Press. I also live nowhere near a J Press, can't try on their clothes, and although I like the idea of the brand, it doesn't seem to occupy much space in my brain.

 

[emptym]

The decline of J. Crew and how much it and Drakes have influenced each other are things DWW would really know more about the I would.

I was just searching the history of J. Crew's designers and found this GQ article about Brendon Babenzien (which also goes into J. Crew's history). I'd forgotten that he recently took over. If anyone doesn't know him, he was the guy who built Supreme into maybe the world's most influential brand as J. Crew declined and then devoted his time to Noah, which many think has produced an important, fresh take on preppy clothes and has almost certainly also influenced Drakes. So it'll be very interesting to see what he comes up with.

 

[takashi78]

Dieworkwear isn't coming back, more sample sales chat please

Seriously? What happened?
Did Foo finally pissed him off?

It's always amazing to me that he seems to be on this forum 24/7 and being able to reply to so many threads any time of the day.

 

[Texasmade]

Seriously? What happened?
Did Foo finally pissed him off?

Nothing really. He said he wasn't getting as much enjoyment here as he used to since all of the threads were rehashing the same stuff over and over or shoe related. He decided to take a step back from SF.

 

[billbar]

Just got to the Sample Sale and already a healthy looking queue…

 

[GabrielJF]

Hey! any one able to pick up a couple of things for me from the sale? I'll be back in london next week and could come by and grab them very easily. It would be immensely appreciated

 

[doomy]

What’s the pricing this time? Here is a photo of what it was last time (I think April)

 

[Mr Tickle]

If espadrilles are still that price and someone can pick me up a pair in size 8 I will chuck then £20 for their trouble buying and posting to me (I'm in the UK).

 

[billbar]

It’s all more expensive now.
Chores were £125, 3 shirts for £195 (75 each) ties were £45 each…
I’m sure someone will post a picture of the new price list.
Didn’t see any espadrilles…

 

[cristofromkensington]

All really expensive. Not far off the archive prices.

 

[Treble]

About 30 in queue, 20 min wait or so

 

[henrip]

Has anyone spotted a suede chore or one of the wool fleeces?

 

[billbar]

Has anyone spotted a suede chore or one of the wool fleeces?

I saw a few suede chores when I was there this morning, but the chore jackets were shifting quick. There were loads of the yellow ones.