Drift Denim Essentials Boutique

It’s a crying shame that this wonderful place was forced to close. Oakland isn’t ready for a high end denim boutique; plain & simple.
August – another great Oakland denim boutique – is at an advantage location-​wise in that it gets trendy shoppers who trickle down from the Berkeley hills. Drift was simply too far inside Oakland to survive.
But the owners are young, energetic and enterprising – they’ll be OK.
R.I.P. Drift Denim Essentials.

I’m in tears over here.
What a bloody shame that Oakland’s finest denim shop, and possibly the east bay’s, has closed its doors.
Quite simply, I don’t think enough of us supported it, even when the economy was in better condition.
Check ‘em out at Tamarindo… or check ‘em out at Fiveten. Or get ready for Era Bar and Lounge and «be cool.»
Respect…

i bought a cute pair of pricey Cheap Monday jeans here, and while they were ‘spensive, it was very worth it.
when i went in, there wasn’t much merchandise on display, which probably pushed me to buy the pants.
it’s a bit pricey, but if you look enough you can find a decent deal.
i’d go back, but i think that i would want to wait for a sale, perhaps…

If you’re looking for good quality denim this is the place. I was a little shy at first but knew what I wanted. I spent more than I intended to but it was well worth it.

Two hundred and fifty bucks for a pair of jeans, I almost plotzed! However, the threads are hip and the space has good ambience. I’m just going to have to hold out for either an unexpected windfall or a sale.

Love it! I have walked by many times after having brunch nearby but finally had a chance to stop in. The selection is small but very well chosen, the service was great and I love the space– very nicely done.
As a b-​day present from my husband I got to pick out some new jeans (you see why I married him!). I found 2 pairs of jeans I loved, a cute vintage top for only $ 12, and an oaklandish tee. Not to mention there was a sale happening so the jeans were 20% off. There were lots of other cute tops & dresses so I will definitely be back (not to mention the beautiful wood framed sunglasses– I am saving up for them so please don’t buy them).
As an Oakland small business owner myself– there is nothing better than spending money at another Oakland based business that sells lots of local goods.
By the way, I didn’t see any jeans for $ 300…

Drift represents everything I love about local business: a small store with a small selection of locally-​made fashion, using high-​quality fabrics and craftsmanship. Unfortunately for men, their selection is a little TOO small, but I am behind this store 100%. If you need to buy a nice shirt, jeans or a cool jacket to go out on the town in — try this place. It beats ROSS in Emeryville hands-​down! LOL

Employees didn’t know what they were talking about. They are trying to bring LA prices to Oakland, and it doesn’t work.
…Basically a poor knockoff of August on College Ave.

There are various clothing items available here in this small boutique, but one thing is noticeably missing…
Straitjackets.
Because anyone willing to fork down $ 300+ for a pair of «designer» jeans really ought to sport one to go along with them.

I’m not the type to shop at little boutiques, yet I found myself buying my second pair of jeans at Drift this weekend. A friend wanted premium jeans, and I’m not sure why you would go anywhere else. She also walked out with a great Oaklandish t shirt, work shirt, and a pair of jeans for myself. We walked in, I said to the guy in the front that we needed jeans for her, he sized her up, and she bought the first pair of jeans that he handed her. On the other hand, I fell in love with a style this round and he patiently brought me three sizes, because I apparently have no idea what fits me. On one other visit, the woman working was equally helpful, on another-​not so much, so I will acknowledge that it can be hit or miss. Their return policies also leave a lot to be desired, but I’m generally too charmed by the merchandising, which is set to look like a dining room table of jeans.
I even went so far as to hand over all the personal details so they can keep me updated on future sales-​this was after discovering they had a 50−70% off trunk show that I missed in January. Where else will I be able to support local Oakland designers like Proposition Blue?
If I look good, it’s not my fault. Blame Drift.
PS. 6÷2÷08. The buttons fell off the back of my jeans the first and second times that I wore them. When I called them about it, the customer service was less than what I would have expected. While still enthusiastic about the merchandise, my overall opinion has been slighly tarnished.

I’ve been hearing of this great Denim Boutique, and so checked it out this weekend after I had brunch with a friend, and was very pleasantly surprised.
The store is small and there’s not reallly that much fancy décor but the wave wall is coooool! They have a good selection of designers mostly non-​popular brands, but I’m guessing equal quality. From Cheap Mondays to 18^th Amendment, from skinny to wide leg… they have a great selection! The prices run from about $ 65-​$ 200 but be careful since the prices aren’t really marked on the jeans. The pair I liked turned out to be REALLY expensive! :(
The owner has a disgustingly cute shih-​tzu puppy named Chachi roaming his store, and the SA was totally nice and friendly. I didn’t buy anything, but I will be coming back here possibly to purchase when my bank accounts grows enough!
Four stars for a nice little boutique that looks like it belongs in the Haight!

After spilling chicken grease down the leg of one of my few pairs of comfortable skinny jeans, I needed to restock. Unilocal to the rescue: I found a few local places that should have what I need.
Drift was the first place I tried, and I walked in and out in about 15 minutes. I told Jessica (the salesperson) that I wanted skinny black jeans, and the first pair she picked up not only were exactly the right size and a great price for designer jeans, but felt awesome. Small stock, yes, but that they had something for me made me really happy. I’ll be going back.

I went to Old Oakland for the first time ever today hunting down sneakers (Verse) and happened in on this darling boutique. The selection was small but what they did have, mostly denim, was nice. I bought a really great House of Hengst dress (yay for local designers) and covet a bunch of other things. The salesgirl, Jessica, was super helpful and sweet. And whoever built that radical wall behind the register to cordon off the dressing rooms gets an A in my book. I’ll go back again when my pocketbook is fat.

If your not into the whole mall experience and you’d rather boutique shop, then you will love DRIFT for there super trendy denim and cool purses and accesseries. The one thing better than the merchandise is the Owners Johnelle (whom also owns a cute, quaint french boutique called MIGNONNE) and Alphonzo her fiancé’ (whom just last month Grand Opened his furniture gallery (on Broadway & 9^th called 510) watch out Oakland…

Very cute boutique in Oakland. I like their presentation of the jeans on the dining room table. very cute! plus they sell my friends earrings!

Owned by the nicest people ever, Drift has he East Bay’s best selection of high-​end denim. Need jeans? Go there.
+Great jeans
+cute accessories
+fantastic people

This is a great little store. The owner Alfonso is really helpful and knows exactly what jeans will make you look bootylicious. He knows his product through and through and is NICE. A lot of stores that carry this type of high-​end brands are pretentious, but not this one. Also, while this store not only has an awesome selection of jeans for the ladies, they hook the guys up too. That’s right ! Designer MEN’s jeans, many brands, many styles. This is by far the best place to buy jeans in the east bay.

Not only do they have all the best denim, but they have a really nice selection of Oaklandish gear, and the place is beautiful.
It was a pleasure to walk into a place that felt comfortable to shop.
I also complained about LUKA’s bad service to the owner, and he suggested his restaraunt, Tamarindo
we went, and it was delicious.
I woud trust his advice on jeans as well.

This week old premium denim boutique in oldtown Oakland is a nice addition to the city. When I walked into the store, I felt like I was in a cool boutique in New York, Europe, or Japan. The store layout and architectural design is amazing! They also carry some brand jeans that I haven’t seen in any other store, such as Kasil. I love that brand and have been looking for those jeans all over the place, and I finally found them at Drift. They also carry Proportion of Blue which I haven’t seen in any stores yet. These brand are hot right now and all the movie stars are wearing them. I will definitely shop at this boutique again. They just opened up and said that they are waiting on more inventory to arrived, I will have to go back soon and see what new jeans they have in the store. They also sell t-​shirs, hats, cool vintage handbags, and accessories for both women and men.

Much Needed in Oakland!
I recently walked in to this store called Drift, It totally caught me off guard, it is such a breath of fresh air. I’ve been waiting for a place like this where I can find high end jeans as well as cute tops and bags!!! and the best part is I don’t have to go to San Francisco to find it. Also they were very attentive in helping me find the right pair of jeans, they weren’t snobby like other high end boutiques I’ve been to in the past. Needless to say I’ll definitely go back :)
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I stopped by drift after a LONG morning in traffic court! In need of some thing nice to lighten up my mood and to my surprise i found a ton of vintage pieces at drift!!! I was so excited to find such great clothes and it was a total deal i walked out with 2 cute vintage shirts and a beautiful scarf! I so happy to see that drift is reinventing itself, i mean i’ve always been a loyal customer but it was so nice to see 3 different racks of cute vintage clothes i’m so excited to see what else will pop up at Drift