Drake's: Perfection for the Modern Gentleman

 

 Deciding the topic of the first post on a new blog is always a tricky and tenuous task. Our minds fluttered between new prints from established fashion houses, to recent collaborations between designers and the high-street; but when we stumbled upon Drake's, we knew it was perfect. The simplistic and authentic nature of Drake's is unique and hard to find these days, which is why we wanted to share it with you. Yes, you.

Founded in 1977,  the brand initially produced scarves but quickly expanded to ties and handkerchiefs - all handmade in England. With a wider selection of products available today ranging from suede shoes to dressing gowns and cashmere jumpers to wallets, Drake's has quietly pioneered classic design with a feel of understated heritage.



 

Glorious in tones and feel

The lightweight cashmere scarves look and feel wonderful - and with a £295 price tag, you'd expect them to. All are woven in Scotland and many are 'oversized' (70x180cm) which is perfect for wrapping round. Classic plaid patterns appear (we especially love the green, purple and camel check - shown left), as well as two rather garish block orange and blue scarves - but overall Drake's uses simple and safe colour schemes for their scarves.  Even more decadent than a lightweight cashmere scarf is one of Drake's Cashmere Silk Reversible scarves. Again, comprising of beautifully woven cashmere, these scarves possess a weighty silk reverse with a wonderful contrasting design. But let's not forget the pièce de résistance of Drake's scarves - the printed wool and silk pocket squares. The colours are rich and the prints are marvellously whimsical - these would most certainly give Hermès a run for it's money. At £215 for 90x90cm, they're steep; but if you're going to indulge in something in the near future, make it one of these delightful pocket squares.

A sharp black suit would set this one off nicely

Although Drake's boasts only a small collection of bow ties, it's a bloody good collection at that. With classic polka-dots and Liberty-esque paisley patterns, the ties have mass appeal whilst still holding onto designs of the past. Each bow tie is made entirely by hand in England - not something every luxury brand can boast. Drake's designs are pragmatic too as the hook-and-eye design enables you to remove without undoing. At £75 a pop, these small beauties aren't cheap, but they've got an abundance of charm and an over-arching notion of elegance that we just love.  

  

Last but most certainly not least, is the leather Document Holder - one of our favourites.

Sublime in colour and feel

This isn't just any other leather by the way - it's Bridle leather. This type of leather has both the flesh and the grain side of the leather stuffed with greases and finished with wax, a labour intensive process which yields a smooth and durable leather. Each document holder comes with a brass lock and key, something we've never seen before and has a soft suede lining. This item also comes in a sublime Conker Brown which we've all fallen madly in love with. Top marks to Drake's for this one!

One might say Drake's should expand, and in some ways it should. A few additions here and there wouldn't go amiss. However, for us the authenticity of Drake's lies within it's small but content product range. Drake's could open the floodgates and stuff themselves with products, but we feel it would lose its uniqueness and become yet another brand playing on heritage.

Check out understated design and essential pieces for yourself at Drake's: http://www.drakes-london.com/