What's your opinion of L.L. Bean clothes? Overpriced? Pricey but worth it?

[raccoon]

Other?

[graywarrior]

1. We have an outlet here in North Conway

Even at reduced rates, the clothes are expensive, but well made.

[LynzM]

2. Mostly in the "pricey but worth it" category.

We tend to buy stuff from them or Land's End at end-of-season or during sales, if at all possible. They're some of the only places who carry medium-tall, which is what Z wears. Their "unshrinkable" men's shirts really seem to live up to that.

[malta blue]

3. Worth it

plus, it is all guaranteed for life!

I bought a rain slicker 20 years ago and the zipper broke a couple of years ago. They sent me a brand new one!

[DeepBlueC]

4. well made worth it

mt personal couturier ;)

[tigereye]

5. they make good stuff that lasts, so I'd say worth it...

[Shell Beau]

6. They have some good outdoorsy type stuff.

Not my fave brand though.

[bikebloke]

7. I found some decent jeans with them.

For a few years, I'd been patching up my jeans. The local stores that carried jeans had those that weren't designed for the human form, fitting very uncomfortably. So I waited for their holiday free shipping and stocked up with a couple extra pair.

[MorningGlow]

8. Pricey but worth it

I'm wearing an L.L. Bean sweater right now--it's one of my favorite pieces, as is a fine-wale corduroy button-down shirt. They're very well made and you can tell right away because their sizes are generous--better-made clothing doesn't cheat on the amount of fabric for each size. So I think I should have gotten a size down for each of the pieces I bought at the start of winter--a nice bump to the ego never hurts!

I wish I could buy more Bean clothes, but they tend to be very classic/conservative, which is not really me, so very few items really catch my eye and make me think "must have". Which is probably good for my wallet.

[KamaAina]

9. Heiress Linda Bean is a sick-making anti-choice repuke

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/27/us/heiress-to-ll-bean-champions-conservatism-in-race-for-congress.html

The name is Bean, L. L. Bean. But Linda Lorraine Bean, the granddaughter and an heir of the founder of the outdoor clothing company that is practically synonymous with Maine, is not selling boots or down-filled jackets.

Instead, Ms. Bean is promoting her conservative philosophy, which she hopes will enable her to triumph over Representative Thomas H. Andrews, a liberal Democrat, in the Congressional race this fall for the district here that includes President Bush's summer home in Kennebunkport....

Ms. Bean is an outspoken conservative. She is opposed to abortion rights, gay rights legislation and gun control, and she believes in Ronald Reagan's program that tax cuts will spur economic growth and lower the deficit.

Last spring Ms. Bean referred to military spending as a "native Maine industry" that deserved the same protection as farming and fishing.

Then again, she appears to have moved on to the lobster business, so it may now be okay to wear L.L. Bean clothes to a clambake -- as long as the lobsters are from Massachusetts...

[mitchum]

11. Once again, another "self made" republican piece of shit extolling..

Reagan nonsense.
Fuck her. I want to see a 100% inheritance tax. Then we will have a meritocracy.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Now there's blast from the past.

What a mindless conservative she was.
Tom Andrews on the other hand was a cool guy.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

26. Well, damn!

This set's up a dilemna for me. I like the products but don't like thinking that I ultimately support someone who is the total opposite of me politcally :shrug:

[trof]

10. Overpriced. Period.

I don't care how 'well made' they are.
They're overpriced.
Bean's caters to the yuppie/preppy affluent crowd.
And that ain't me, babe.
;-)

[CrownPrinceBandar]

35. You get what you pay for............

I have a LL Bean windproof fleece jacket that has held up very well over the 16 years I've owned it. I think my parents paid about $60 bucks for it back in Xmas 1992. I've had few pieces of clothing that have gotten so much use, hold up for so long.

And, if I did want to replace it, I priced a suitable LLB replacement at a whopping......... $60.

Not saying you're hating trof, but sometimes you gotta pay to get the good shit. And I certainly ain't no yuppie.

:-)

[peacefreak]

12. Seeing that I live close by....

yes, they are well made. Yes, they are over-priced. The real secret in Maine is that the local thrift stores
get some of their donates. So, my LLJeans cost me $5.00 not $30, my Back saver bag was $10. The best thing I can say about LLBean, Freeport is they put on great ~free~ concerts every Saturday in the summer.

[fight4my3sons]

25. +1

I get my Bean stuff at Goodwill or at the warehouse sale and the free concerts in the summer are really great. Plus when my husband was working in the warehouse and we got to shop in the employee store we got some great deals.

[madrchsod]

13. most of the bean clothes i have seen the the thrift shops ...

still look good. actually i like the well worn look for about 75% off the list price

[bigwillq]

14. Never bought any clothes

but my work bag is from there and I love it. One of the straps broke a few years ago and it was replaced for free.

[Midlodemocrat]

15. Pricey, but worth it and best part? Guaranteed for life.

If you own a pair of jeans for 10 years and they start to come apart at the seams, you send 'em back and they send you a new pair.

[1gobluedem]

17. I love the quality

My LL Bean barn coat is 17 years old and I'm still wearing it; it's in great shape. And LL Bean is a blue company which I also like.

Love the shoes too; they last a long time as well.

[jpak]

18. Finest Kind

:thumbsup:

[femmocrat]

19. LL Bean is better than Lands' End IMO.

I think Lands' End went downhill when they partnered up with Sears. I have older Lands' End clothing that is made from much nicer quality fabric than their current merchandise.

LL Bean has maintained quality, although their items are pricey. Their stuff wears like iron.

[midnight armadillo]

20. I had a backpack from LL Bean

It was 11 years old, a mid-sized day hike-size backpack. The rubber lining inside had been peeling and crumbling off for a while. I brought it to the LL Bean store in Burlington, MA (no receipt, of course). They looked at it, grabbed the closest equivalent off the shelf, which was a $75 backpack with more features but the same size, took the old one, and gave me the new one. Just like that.

LL Bean is pricey but the stuff usually wears very well and I've always found their customer service to be excellent.

[Captain Hilts]

21. The women's clothes are all just glamorized tee shirts on scary-thin models. nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

32. I don't think the models are scary thin at all

They're thin, but in a healthy way.

[Captain Hilts]

36. Some of them have concave upper arms. nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

39. I've never noticed that

They all looked pretty healthy to me.

[PBS Poll-435]

22. They are a great line to wear if you are at Starbucks and you want to walk across the street

to another Starbucks.

[emilyg]

23. Well worth it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

24. Better than the post-Sears Land's End...

...and yes, pricey, but worth it.

[Highway61]

27. Well worth it

Quality...period. Customer service is excellent. I buy when things are on sale or clearence. Plus I have an LL Bean visa and all my shipping AND returns are free. They stand behind their goods 100% and if flawed, will replace for free...no questions asked, no matter how old the item is.

[Deep13]

28. One has to pick and choose.

Some of their stuff is really good. Some of it isn't.

[Bunny]

29. I think their stuff is very good quality, and worth the price if you like that style of dress.

I like that casual sort of look but, unfortunately, I'm what you would call 'plus-sized', and their selection of clothes for larger women is not so great.

[lukasahero]

30. Not sure where people are getting the 'overpriced' bit

Seriously - overpriced compared to what? Walmart?

LLBean Women's basic turtleneck = $15
Women's Polo shirts range from $20 - $25
Women's Jeans $30

Levi's jeans = $40 - 50+
Lee jeans = $30+
Ralph Lauren polo = $40
Walmart turtleneck = $10

My experience is that LLBean quality is very high and everything I've ever bought from them has lasted for years. I just bought a messenger bag from them that is extremely well-designed and well-made for $20. I have another smaller bag from Timbuktu that originally went for $80 and it's not nearly as well-made or well-designed.

As for Walmart being less expensive, sometimes less expensive just means cheaper.

[mainegreen]

31. Their stuff falls apart now, but as long as you keep returning things when they go bad, worth it.

Still, I've been amazed at the massive drop in quality over the last ten years.

Most of my outdoors family back home abandoned Beans clothes about ten years ago totally.
Their stuff just doesn't hold up.

Except for the tote bags. Those still rock.


Even the Bean boots are shit now.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. I have their field coat and some boots

I think it's worth it.

[Rambis]

34. L.L. Bean confession

I found a knife once and took it to the bar and said, "I think, somebody named L.L. Bean lost this"
As everyone can tell I know fuck all about brand names.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

37. My cousin is a bartender (a pretty bad one, actually)

A guy ordered a screwdriver and she started rummaging around trying to find a screwdriver for him.

[Rambis]

38. Good thing they didn't order a pink squirrel

that was my moms drink of choice.