What do you guys think about the "iconic" cashmere cardigan?

My personal opinion is it is quite expensive for a ready-made, machine-knit sweater, and for a sweater that most likely won't be layered under a coat i'd prefer something more rugged and with more character. E.g. a bespoke Shetland wool, hand knit cable cardigan dyed with real indigo can be had for a lot less.

Last edited by Cruz Diez (2010-10-02 14:38:45)

Last edited by Grossgrain Silk (2010-10-03 08:06:08)

Groosgrain,

You write well and bring up some interesting points. Thank you for your support.

"... although I do wonder whether the fabric is from the same source. However, I find Hober's range is better and the lining seems just that bit more springy...."

In the past Drake's used Fermo Fossati for their silks as we do. They probably still do but I can't say for sure.

"In terms of the classic design woven patterns I think Drakes have an edge. Their Churchill spots, diamond pattern and small discrete teardrops are wonderful and they have chosen the right backgrounds..."

Drakes has some great classic designs and I would not hesitate to wear many of their ties. We have a slightly more eclectic interest in fabrics than does Drakes. Noina my wife is from a Thai silk weaving family and I grew up in a family fashion business in New York.

We also tend to create new designs and have woven classic designs and then keep them in stock forever, our grenadines are an example. I am not sure but Drakes seems to create new patterns and move on not always keeping the same classics in stock. I could be wrong about this.

We move into new designs based on a combination of what I like and suggestions from gentlemen both our clients and friends from Internet forums.

Currently we have many new silks in the works including quite a few classic British regimentals.

"I am not terribly interested in printed ties because I find that however good the silk, the tie looks tired fast."

A very interesting point and I wonder if newer printing in England might work better for you in terms of color fastness? We are currently spending time thinking about the direction that we want to move in for our prints. We could use modern chemical dyes which are more colorfast than natural dyes or so modern industry says or we could go back to natural dyes which if done correctly could last thousands of years.

"For the UK buyer, Drake's are very good value in the sale and not such good value at full price. Hober's prices are reasonable (pretty well dollars for pounds) but the value depends on the relative strengths of the dollar and sterling."

I think that you are comparing apples to oranges our ties take hours to make while a Drakes tie is made very quickly relatively speaking the small details are very time consuming and expensive.

"Both ties last well and recover well from wearing. I don't think there is much in it except for the grenadines where I think Hober is a better product."

Again this is due to the small details in construction.

JDelage,
".... The Hober site is less buyer friendly because it's harder to figure what's available.  Their range of classic English patterns is less extensive (e.g., POW range).  Also, some patterns are ... weird and other classic (obvious?) schemes are missing."

Very good points - Being user friendly is a big challenge for us as traditionally I have always communicated with clients via email or the phone which solves the user friendly issue as actually talking to a tie maker is the best way to order a tie - at least I like to think so.

With that said I am working on having our website be more user friendly on an ongoing basis and I appreciate all suggestions and comments.

Currently we plan to greatly increase our range of classics over the next two years so lets see how we are doing later in the year. Around 100 "new" classic designs will soon be released.

Grossgrain Silk is an anagram of Gross Is Larking.