You are not logged in.
#1 2021-10-02 02:35:13
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Jake's: The English Mercer?
Well... a website even I can navigate. It stands still and communicates. After all the faffing about I had yesterday trying to order a secondhand Brooks shirt in my preferred blue (managed it in the end) from an American seller, Jake's looks as if it'll soon pick up a ton of business. Which may present difficulties. One hopes not but... well, let others look and comment.
#2 2021-10-02 09:41:55
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
As per Yuca's earlier suggestion. Jake already has his admirers.
#4 2021-10-04 14:18:31
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
I just checked the website. I didn't realise how good these are. The green Oxford and the bleeding madras really caught my eye. Not cheap but still, at least us Brits don't have to worry about customs charges.
https://www.jakesldn.com/
some sort of banal legitimacy
#5 2021-10-04 14:21:57
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
For all the criticisms of Chens we used to make, if he were still running IS he would definitely have done a post about this company. With photos and very probably an interview with Jake. Yet - nada. The cost of having someone at the helm with next to no knowledge of ivy clothing and, more significantly, no awareness of his lack of knowledge or desire to rectify it.
Pathetic.
Last edited by Yuca (2021-10-04 14:23:01)
some sort of banal legitimacy
#6 2021-10-04 15:15:59
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Will the Madras bleed? There was a Ralph Lauren on Ebay a few days ago which I flagged up here. I thought - possibly mistakenly - that the process was no longer used, hence the rather uninteresting so-called Madras shirts I see on my travels every now and then. Today, in fact.
#7 2021-10-04 15:30:09
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Apparently yes it's bleeding bleeding madras. At that price it should be ha.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#9 2021-10-04 15:37:58
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Full details on the site.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#10 2021-10-04 15:38:57
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
I should like to know Gibson's opinion of a shirt at that price. Not for me, I'm afraid.
#11 2021-10-04 15:45:22
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Me neither, but if my shirt collection were a lot smaller and I lived and worked in the UK, who knows. It's the only new shirt other than Mercer that I'd consider buying.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#12 2021-10-04 15:48:13
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Good point. It's becoming exceedingly difficult - so much so I'm considering going back onto Ebay a couple of times a year to trawl for Makers. One should be turning up in the next week or so. £45 with shipping. Just hope I don't get stuck with customs charges.
#13 2021-10-04 15:59:46
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
I read recently that 'bleeding' Madras was the unintended consequence of a misunderstood instruction. I quite liked the two I had, might still buy one if reasonably priced.
#14 2021-10-04 16:58:12
- Tworussellstreet
- Member
- Posts: 599
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
£175 does stick in the craw somewhat, a rather decadent outlay for a shirt. The madras is more expensive as he's taken the fancy super authentic fabric that ex-JS super-Ivyist Guy had made up for another fledgling vintage-oriented set-up, sadly now toast. That might be the clumsiest sentence I've ever strung together. But Jake's standard offerings, at a slightly less eye-watering £145 are certainly the closest to 1960s Brooks Brothers Makers shirts I've seen. Almost as voluminous with the perfect collar length, softness and roll. He has kind of nailed it. His fabrics I thought were pretty good, not the best, but functional in the proper Ivy sense. Golden era Ivy was rarely luxurious, more honest and robust, and Jake's fulfil that brief. They're made in London by a couple of young blokes, to your spec, in 3 weeks. He is courteous to deal with. I feel we should support him. As much as I love the whole John Simons operation I have to say I don't feel their own label stuff is up to much. For shirts, choose Jakes!
#15 2021-10-05 01:16:26
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
I agree whole-heartedly that we should support and even promote him. I appreciate the effort, the commitment, the entire package. But I'll be very interested to know who - on this forum or elsewhere - will be eager to fork out that kind of money for what is supposed to be a 'light-hearted' (if I can put it that way) shirt. Of course, you can do a Chris_H and wear it under your Shetland during the winter: a touch of colour behind the neutral wool - why not?
The young man modelling might consider getting himself a JFK haircut and a cup of coffee.
Whatever the outcome, here we are again, talking Ivy, and on an exceptionally worthwhile subject.
#17 2021-10-05 07:06:32
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
Trousers are apparently in the offing. Cords? Chinos? Khakis?
#18 2021-10-18 16:15:33
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
There seems to be a firm consensus that Jake and his company are well worth supporting. There are also some satisfied customers, I believe.
#19 2021-10-20 00:45:45
- woofboxer
- Devil's Ivy Advocate
- From: The Lost County of Middlesex
- Posts: 7959
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
I’ve had one shirt from Jake, a pink OCBD that I bought to replace an old J Press one that finally gave up the ghost. I was very pleased with the outcome and as I need to replace key shirts I would certainly go to him. £145 is a significant outlay for a shirt, but when you start to weigh up the import and shipping costs of buying from the US it starts to make more sense and of course you can specify little details to your own preference. But it lacks the utilitarian feel of a factory made Brooks Makers, but then it’s a different thing.
'I'm not that keen on the Average Look .......ever'.
John Simons
Achievements: banned from the Ivy Style FB Group
#20 2021-10-20 01:17:23
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: Jake's: The English Mercer?
The idea of MTM shirts is highly appealing, I have to agree. Not sure whether it's already been discussed here - if it has please forgive me - but how do they compare with the John Simons label shirts? It's just that I had thought of mentioning the latter to Skipper, our poster with the gorgeous dog.