#drakes
FAIR ISLE KNITTING
by David Isle
Since the early 19th century, elegant menswear has based itself around solid colors. Still today, more than 200 years after Beau Brummell’s proclamation that male clothing should be simple and austere, many men wear patterns only with reluctance, and even then only following the lead of some style icon. The Prince of Wales (later, briefly, Edward VIII) was one such style icon.
The Prince of Wales was, in the words of my friend voxsartoria, a man who loved pattern. Perhaps more than any other individual, he launched the complex style of dressing that characterized the 20s and 30s, often considered the Golden Age of menswear. Among his finds was the Fair Isle knit.
Fair Isle is a knitting technique that creates multicolor geometric patterns, knitted in rows. Traditionally, only two colors would be used in each row. The yarn in the color that’s not used for any given stitch is carried through on the reverse side, so that fair isle has effectively two layers, making it very warm. This was particularly well adapted to the Shetland islands in Scotland, including Fair Isle, the tiny island from which the technique takes its name.
Fair Isle sweaters were not well known outside of the immediate surrounds of Fair Isle itself until 1921, when the Prince of Wales, then already an international style icon, began wearing sweaters and vests in the pattern for sporting and other casual events, and even for a famous portrait painted by John St. Helier Lander. Who knows whether this was the young Prince’s early attempt to curry favor with the Scottish on the heels of the British government sending tanks into Glasgow to quell a 1919 socialist uprising. Given the Prince’s later abdication of all governing responsibility, I am inclined to guess that the fashion statement was more important to him than the political one.
In any case, in testament to the fact that “groupthink” is not an invention of the modern Internet clothing forum culture, Fair Isle sweaters quickly became ubiquitous in England. Most Oxford and Cambridge undergrads owned one. Soon all manner of clothing items were being knitted in Fair Isle patterns.
The initial hysteria has now subsided. But Fair Isle patterns remain popular for holiday knitwear in particular, often in the same patterns that were used before their discovery by the Prince of Wales, a bit of Scottish history in a Christmas party full of beglittered jukebox reindeer.
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THE FIVE-TIE WARDROBE
by David Isle
“Wear a tie” is kind of like “start with a joke.” It’s good advice, but you have to know your audience and occasion to execute it properly, and missteps can be disastrous. As with jokes, five is about the bare minimum of ties you should have to be prepared for any situation. But it can’t be just any five. Here’s one suggestion for a versatile five-tie wardrobe.
Ties worn to job interviews should be conservative. They should make you look professional but not draw attention away from you. It should complement the navy or charcoal suit you will likely be wearing. A common mistake is to choose ties that are too bright or too shiny. A simple pattern on a navy ground will always be effective.
Although job interviews and weddings are the two most common tie-wearing occasions, they should call for different neckwear, as a job interview is a professional meetings, while the wedding is a celebratory and social one. Patterns in black and white, or silver, are traditional for weddings.
Not all tie-wearing occasions have to be so formal. But to wear a tie informally, you need an informal tie. The job interview tie and the wedding tie would be out of place worn with a sportcoat (as opposed to a suit), but the knit tie is right at home.
OK, I’m cheating a bit here. Really this should be at least two ties - one for summer, one for winter. But since we’re in the colder months, I’ll suggest a winter tie. Wool ties, cashmere ties, and madder silk ties go particularly well with winter clothes like tweeds. Since the casual tie I chose was cashmere, I picked a madder for my seasonal tie.
Just because you’re not wearing a tuxedo doesn’t mean you can’t borrow from its aesthetic principles. Evenings are for white shirts, dark suits, and even darker ties. For your evening tie you can also choose something with more sheen to it, such as satin, which will look much better under dim artificial light, or even better, moonlight, than the bright sunlight of daytime.
And if necessary: the black tie.
If, however, you are wearing a tuxedo, accept no substitutes. Wear a bowtie. A black one. Tie it yourself.
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Denim, olive, and suede
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- Drake’s (@drakesdiary ) Crosby chukka boot in tobacco suede from Brogue (@broguecalifornia)
- Bryceland’s (@brycelandsco ) sawtooth western denim shirt from Brogue
- Orslow (@orslow ) slim fatigues from Independence (@independencechicago )
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#drakes #brycelandsco #orslow #styleforum #gyw #orslow107 #rawdenim #selvedge #ootdwatch #gatheredstyle #fwis #vscocam #grid #flatlay #outfitgrid #broguecalifornia #drakesdiary
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQiIs6se9E/?igshid=sz8gonr83hfg
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Navy at night.
Drake’s navy grenadine tie, Suitsupply Jort navy jacket, The Armoury lapel chain and Belisario MTM navy and white striped shirt.
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Summer uniform. For a timeless, but seasonal outfit: go for simple colours and seasonal fabrics.
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today’s style
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#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #tokyo #dapper #suitsstyle #bonvieux #oshimabespoketailor #drakes #johncomfort #churchs #mensfashion #mensstyle #東京 #リネンスーツ #ベケット #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeGXjfrBpjJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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today’s style
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@ryotakaji
#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #nagoya #vintage #vintagefashion #dapper #renoma #baracuta #drakes #poloralphlauren #levis #rancourt #huntingworld #mensfashion #mensstyle #名古屋 #バラクータ #ハンティングワールド #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/CddHrp2rRKx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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today’s style
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#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #tokyo #vintage #vintagefashion #casualstyle #bonvieux #payday #lee #drakes #levis #jandmdavidson #alden #mensfashion #mensstyle #東京 #カバーオール #リーバイス517 #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVmyZHLeJM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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today’s style
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#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #tokyo #vintage #vintagefashion #dapper #casualstyle #usarmy #yvessaintlaurent #drakes #montgomeryward #riosofmercedes #mensfashion #mensstyle #bonvieux #東京 #ウエスタンブーツ #ジャングルファティーグ #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGDoCaLct3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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today’s style
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#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #tokyo #vintage #vintagefashion #dapper #casualstyle #bonvieux #hermes #Frencharmy #poloralphlauren #drakes #levis #mensfashion #mensstyle #東京 #m47 #カットオフデニム #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-TZj5Lqdw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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today’s style
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#fashion #styling #outfit #ootd #kobe #vintage #vintagefashion #dapper #jacketstyle #oldengland #drakes #attovannucci #levis #churchs #mensfashion #mensstyle #ブレザー #リーバイス517 #スタイリング #ファッション
https://www.instagram.com/p/CclCZiWhMev/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Magic the Gathering: Blue Creatures (Big Fish, Drakes, Sea Serpents, Vizzerdrix) v1.00. D&D 5e Monster Stats
Yet another MTG set! The blue creatures this time; all about sea monsters, flying monsters, and rampant magic. The sea serpent and drakes were the most iconic of the blue creatures I think, though as the original sea serpent card was never reprinted with new art (limiting the quality of picture I could get for the page) and decided to go with the newer Frilled Sea Serpent for imagery.
In the Ravnica Guide they describe Wind Drakes as being human sized creatures and giving them pteranodon. Look at the art of the Wind Drake, does that creature look medium sized to you? Look how much bigger it is than the humans next to it. It was this weird “Let’s not make new stats for these creatures and just pass it off as another animal in the book” that led me to want to make these stats in the first place (Yes, Wind Drake was technically the first one I made stats for of all these 5-creature sets).
I also included the Ancient Carp because I noticed 5e D&D didn’t really have a good monstrous fish to eat people, and the Vizzerdrix purely because it’s one of my favorites (kinda surprised they didn’t bring it back in any way for the Simic Combine in the Ravnica sets).
Here’s the tokens:
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|| Monster Commissions || Ko-fi Donations || DMs Guild ||
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Aimé Leon Dore x Drake’s Lookbook
What to expect when you pair one of the most exciting labels in recent history with an historical British maker? Nothing short of perfection…
A small capsule collection that merges Leon Dore’s New York aesthetic with Drake’s casual elegance. A contemporary interpretation of Ivy style and casual chic that manages to achieve a perfect balance between both.
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