School Supplies: Navy Waxed Canvas Bean Boots

-I was ready to post some spring content, but then the weather extinguished my preemptive enthusiasm and dropped some flood-warning inciting rain, forcing me back to my bean boots after a few weeks of Vans and Sperrys.
-When L.L. Bean Signature first launched their waxed-canvas hunting boots, I saw a lot of people talking about wanting them, and I saw a few people who picked up the tan pair, but I hadn't seen many people talking about the navy. To me the navy option jumped out immediately just because it's not in the same brown/tan tonal range that we're used to seeing on beans. Washington is more wet than it is cold, so the waxed canvas has worked fine in place of the heavier versions of the boot.

-Bean boots, and L.L. Bean in general, inspire a sense of nostalgia in a lot of people; but not me. Despite growing up in the perpetually rainy Northwest, I never saw bean boots as a kid, or if I did, I didn't notice them. I think the first time I ever heard of the name L.L. Bean was on one of those bean Subarus they used to have, and even then I probably wasn't aware of what the company actually was until sometime in high school. Despite a lack of history with the product, I've fully embraced this pair. The purchase, and the aesthetic attraction that precluded it, was definitely influenced by things I read and learned on the web. You could call that being "dressed by the Internet." I call it making an informed purchase. Traditions have to start somewhere. 

more

School Supplies: Sorel vs. L.L. Bean

-It looks like Sorel is trying to come up with an answer to the highly anticipated L.L. Bean Signature duck canvas bean boots. I dig Sorel, their Caribou boots are the real deal when it comes to rugged-ass cold-weather boots (check out Grace rocking her pair here.) But at the exact same price point and with very similar materials, this one looks like an attempt to keep up rather than to innovate. more

School Supplies: Vintage L.L. Bean Parka eBay Snag

-I was pretty much mentally prepared to drop some real money on a parka next quarter, but on a whim I searched eBay for some vintage pieces. I grabbed this 80s gem tonight for $15. This will be the first time I've owned a hooded coat since I've been living in one of the country's rainiest non-vampire inhabited areas. I'm happy. More real posting to come late tonight. more

School Supplies: Considering Bomber Hats

-I'm not much of a hat guy, but this year I've opted against my tradition of long hair for winter and my ears have been cold. I'm still deciding whether or not I could actually rock one of these hats and keep a straight face, but I definitely appreciate some of the options there are and I'll give props to anyone who pulls one off. The top left hat is my favorite, the Aviator hat by Canada Goose, $115 from Context. The Canada Goose version is lined with coyote fur which, despite the fact that I'm not to keen on real fur, is pretty badass. The other three hats are all from L.L. Bean. The leather version is priced nicely at $69 and the other versions are only $40. The L.L. Bean bombers are lined with rabbit fur and both the buffalo check and leather versions are boss and assuredly warm enough for some legitimately cold temperatures.

more