Back in January at the Drake’s booth at Pitti, there was one coat that caught my eye in particular, and it’s now for sale on their site.
Cut like their Loden coat, which is a somewhat oversized A-shape silhouette with a deep pleat that goes all the way to the upper back, this one stands out for two reasons. First is the cloth. I’m a sucker for gray large herringbone topcoats. It’s one of the most versatile cloths for outerwear in my mind—being gray, it dresses up fairly well with a suit; being a large-scale pattern, it can dress down easily with jeans. The best herringbones are softer, lower-contrast—like a pale gray against a mid-dark gray—rather than high-contrast of white/black (which creates a moire pattern).
Second are the pockets. They’re decidedly and intentionally out-of-place on a Loden coat. Flapped patch pockets are typically found on double-breasted Polo coats, while raglan sleeve coats usually have hand warmers. And for good measure, they threw in a ticket pocket, too. It’s an extra little turn on an already fun twist.
To be fair, from the front it resembles another well-loved coat, the Kaptain Sunshine Traveler coat, which No Man Walks Alone sells regularly in different makeups for their fall/winter seasons. What makes the Drake’s different, of course, is that deep Loden-style reverse pleat in the back.
The second really cool piece that caught my eye is this gray flannel suit. Sold as separates for an admittedly astronomical price (Drake’s jackets are half canvas, same as Spier & Mackay), the cloth is what makes it special and worth holding out for on sale. Jacket is linked here | trousers are linked here.
Glen plaid with a dark gray (or is it navy? hard to tell from the photos) windowpane overcheck, it’s the kind of urbane, just-subtle-enough pattern that makes one dream of evenings out with friends getting cocktails at overpriced speakeasy joints. Styled as they have it with dark brown suede chukka boots is exactly the way I’d wear it (or maybe with chelsea boots)—these Beckett Simonon boots would do the trick nicely.
(Help support this site! If you buy stuff through my links, your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit ;-) Thanks!)
If you’re just getting into tailored menswear and want a single helpful guide to building a trend-proof wardrobe, buy my eBook. It covers wardrobe essentials for any guy who wants to look cool, feel cool and make a good impression. Formatted for your phone or computer/iPad so it’s not annoying to read, and it’s full of pretty pictures, not just boring prose. Buy it here.
