Bean Boot Revisted
It’s no secret I love L.L. Bean’s Duck Boot. I’ve guest-blogged about the boot for Sartorially Inclined, and it’s something I wear on a near-daily basis. As the L.L. Bean brand nears its centennial anniversary, the boot becomes relic of cultural connectivity between past and present. It is a design so innately pragmatic and pleasing that it supersedes the shifts of fashion over time, proving itself a paradigm of American heritage.
As many readers probably already know, L.L. Bean Signature, Alex Carleton’s new heritage-inspired line for L.L. Bean is reinventing the iconic Bean boot with a waxed-canvas upper (as seen in GQ’s new spread). This brings to mind the phrase“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I obviously have no qualms with the original Bean boot and Maine Hunting shoe, which subjectively might be the most perfect boot ever designed. Waxed-canvas, while pretty cool as a fabric, doesn’t necessarily improve upon the full-grained leather uppers of the traditional Bean boots. That being said, I guess I have no real problems with Carleton’s take on a classic. In fact, I may even bite the bullet and get a pair.
