Drake's Shirts - Cleeve in Twain

Old Shirts, New Reader

I shouldn't be surprised when I receive an email related to a post that was published years back. After all, what happens on the internet stays on the internet. A newly-acquired American reader got in touch to say he had been reading a post about Cleeve shirts being bought by Drake's and wondered if their current crop of shirts were also Cleeve. The shirts are still being made in Chard, Somerset, so in essence I'd say yes, though Drake's have now dropped Cleeve from the label.

Standard Details

The reader also wanted to know what to expect if he took the plunge. He's been loyal to a US shirt maker until now, but is attracted to Drake's button-down shirts.

I don't know about the button-downs, but I have a couple of the cut away collared shirts in stripes, which you can have a stickybeak at here. Standard details to note are the soft, un-fused collar and the mother of pearl buttons. The cotton is of the highest standard and the finish is excellent.

Tosh About Menswear Influencer and Style Authority

The bow tie is a bit skew-whiff in the photos, as I kept fiddling with it. I'm a terrible model, far too stiff, but at least we do it all ourselves here at Tweed Towers. We don't pay for subscribers or give ourselves silly titles like 'menswear influencer' or 'style authority'. Nor do we throw the term 'luxury' at everything. I have never, ever used the term luxury, because it is confused with indulgence; and seeking out quality and craftsmanship, and things that are made to last, should never infer extravagance.

Sweet Inverted Pleat

Some shirts have a rather terrific inverted pleat on the back. I really like this detail on the ones I have.

Let's bring in Daphne du Maurier to help out.

I realise that the photos don't provide a great deal of detail on the shirts, but I hope they give a flavour of what to expect should our reader take the plunge.