Capital chum. I remember the ol' catalog covers. Coffee table and all that.
Cheerio,
H
More nice Beanery from HTJ:
http://heavytweedjackets.blogspot.com/2008/07/ll-bean-in-news.html
In my mind, this look is a major presence in the "New England" version of Ivy that is also being discussed. Not so in the Southern version, which seems to incorporate far more the "Bass Pro Shops" version of Preppy attire. Nothing wrong with either one, just different takes on the same influences. Woodsy Ivy?
As I remember the Bean catalogs of 50+ years ago, most of their merchandize was strictly outdoor gear. What clothing they had was strictly and purely outdoor/rural wear. I don't remember any dressy sportswear back then.
A number of companies seem to evolve from purveyors of outdoor wear and sporting goods to primarily merchandizing sportswear: Eddie Bauer, Timberland and Banana Republic all had similar evolutions. Abercrombie didn't so much evolve as it was completely re-invented between its second and third incarnations.
It's hard to overstate what the OPH did to or for LLB in the early 80s. Prior to that time, it was a fairly niche type source for hunters, etc.
After Burnbach came out with OPH in @1980, the following items began to fly out the door, and many remain part of the Ivy scene, today;
Norwegian checked fisherman sweaters ( Tried to bring back one this year, to no avail. Purists have a lively trade on Ebay for the real thing.)
Chamois shirts
Gum sole boots
Blucher mocs
etc.
And a lot of other stuff that I can't remember. All of these items went to people that were defined by the OPH, and were a different crowd from the original LLB customers.
BTW, women give each other books at birthday luncheons, at this point in life. My wife had a birthday luncheon last week. Someone gave her "the official FILTHY RICH H.A.N.D.B.O.O.K (How the Other .0001% Lives)" by Christopher Tennant .
The only relevance to this thread is that he copied the format of the OPH, down to the most minute detail. If you are interested, tintin has a section on it in his blog.
It is amazing that OPH is still a factor a quarter of a century later, and thus back to LLB, in an attempt to veer back to the subject.
A (complete?) scan of the clothing portion from the Fall 1933 catalog:
http://web.mac.com/scotrace/Site_2/LL_Bean.html
Last edited by katon (2008-07-21 23:54:56)
^ Those are great finds Mr. Katon - Thank you.
'Woodsy' I think Mr. Shuman called the Bean look above, which I think is the perfect word for this aspect of the classic American look. I love it.
Here's an offering from our mate Mr. Jesmond on a similar theme:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=DLEG0ZY2KT0N1LAQBBICCOFMCAEFCIWE?id=0058967902960a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_RESULTS_NYR&returnPage=search-results2.jsp&Ne=2510&noImage=0&Ntt=flannel&Ntk=Products&QueryText=flannel&Ntx=matchall&N=2911&trueNum=48&nyr=1&_requestid=30723&_requestid=1209
Rugged. Outdoorsy. Woodsy.
I always have enjoyed a visit to Bean's but I know the story.They could have saved the footwear industry in Maine if they had tried. They could have saved Hathaway shirts. In the last fifteen years they tried to squeeze the last dime. They could have had better made products, made in the USA but their price points would have suffered. They reached for the extra dime. Maybe in the years to come, if they had nurtured the sources, they would be still selling genuine Maine products. They still have the made in Maine boots though. Why didn't they take care of the other Maine makers?
It may well be a different world in the future. maybe the Maine shoe and shirt industries can be revived? who knows? Those people are still there. They would show up for work every day.
Some of their newer stuff is shite - polyester shirts - ugh!
http://atripdownsouth.blogspot.com/2008/09/perfect-fair-isle-sweater.html
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/the-high-low-ll-beans-kingfield-sweater/
A significant amount of old Bean was actually Bean labeled Willis & Geiger, such as khaki colored bush poplin boot trousers with red wool flannel lining and knit cuffs. W&G made similar stuff for the original A&F. This was all pre-Lands' End W&G.
http://heavytweed.blogspot.com/2008/11/25-years-ago-ll-bean-early-fall-1983.html
^^^those shirts, in those patterns, were great. I'm surprised that Bean forsook them.