If this page of L.L. Bean’s 1939 catalog doesn’t inspire someone (hopefully Bean itself) to remake at least two of the three pairs of footwear pictured, I am going to be very disappointed. Requirements: 1. shoes must be made from Horween (Elk) leather (though I don’t think such a thing exists. Nick if you are out there chime in) and 2. must be handsewn in Maine. Anyone that does this, let me know and I will personally flog said boots until you sell at least 100 pairs.
Another round of Kodachrome photos from the ACL collection. More fishing and lots of posing in this set. Fishing seems to have been a huge pastime, or it just was with people that shot Kodachrome. I should also point out that the husky gent with all of the camera equipment around his neck in the third photo is one of the people that took a lot of these pictures.
First things first, lets be happy that it is still cold outside and we can take full advantage of wearing all of our favorite winter goods. This catalog from 1969 is the convergence of two of my favorite things: nostalgic ephemera and L.L. Bean. This booklet features some choice goods, along with a cover shot of a hunter about strike down Bambi. Safe to say that 2010 Bean is not going to be using cover art like this — but some of these goods are a bit less controversial and have been much more long lasting. That Flotation Jacket sure does look familiar.
Well, it is actually Take Ivy meets Field & Stream magazine. This 1951 film on the Dartmouth Outing Club could be the ultimate ACL video (thanks to Beau for sending it my way). Camping, Hiking, Hunting, Fishing, Skiing and don’t forget the Winter Carnival. The Winter Carnival is a big party! — hundreds of girls, two dozen or more dances, Christmas lights on Main Street — it’s the social event of the year. The 11 minute Dartmouth recruiting film takes you on a journey of what it is like to be an Ivy League man, learning the ways of the outdoors. This video could be the purest manifestation of 1950s privileged Ivy League Americana meets Norman Rockwell. Enjoy!
With the first Barbour Beacon fall collection just hitting stores, Japanese designer Tokihito Yoshida rolls on with another fantastically designed collection of outerwear from the venerable English brand. The new offerings compliment the main Barbour line perfectly, but the Beacon coats are just unique enough to be really desirable without taking anything away from the core collection. That is the tough part of collaborating with such a well known and revered brand like Barbour, making the collaboration product unique but not too too crazy. Mr. Yoshida walks that line wonderfully and every piece of both the AW09 and SS10 Beacon lines are worthy of my closet. I’ll be bold and say that this is the best designer-brand collaboration going right now — well played by all involved. Wondering what you should be wearing next spring? See below.
Wax Bicycle Jacket | $749
Northern Minnesota’s Bemidji Woolen Mills is one of America’s last functioning woolen mills. There used to be hundreds of mills like Bemidji, Pendelton and Woolrich scattered throughout the U.S., but these days companies making fabric of any sort in this country are few and far between. The town of Bemidji — who claims the title of “first city on the Mississippi River” — seems like it is the perfect place to wear BWM’s seriously classic woodsman gear. Good to see a company like Bemidji Woolen Mills still doing its thing, making nice looking and rugged clothing all in the United States.
Anyone that follows along with my (mostly) nonsensical twitter updates knows that I was lucky enough to head up the Taconic State Parkway to the Orvis Sandanona shooting grounds this past weekend to shoot some clays and learn how to fly fish. The day was hosted by the good folks at Barbour and couldn’t have been more fun. You can read all about it over at Men.Style.com. While you are there, check out their great hunting gear story.
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The Trad in his infinite knowledge of interesting things points us to one of the most entertaining reads the Sunday Book Review has ever offered up. The gem of an essay is on Minnesota native and epic hook and bullet purveyor George Herter. The titles of Herter’s books alone make me love the guy. The archive includes: “How to Get Out of the Rat Race and Live on $10 a Month,” the popular “Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices” and my personal favorite “How to Live With a Bitch.”
An ACL reader named Joakim Simonsson wrote me a while back and included in the email a few shots of his beautiful log cabin. My interest piqued, I wrote back asking to see if he could send more. It turns out the photos came from his 1940s cabin located about five hours northwest of Stockholm, or as he put it “just where the woodlands turn into the mountains.” I’d describe it as heaven on earth. Eventually, Mr. Simonsson put all of the photos together and started a blog — appropriately called Log Cabineer — to share his picturesque adventures. Check out some of the photos below and visit Log Cabineer for more.
