Saturday, February 25, 2012

The classic L.L Bean initials


This may be a vaguely creepy action shot of a guy walking in front of me..taken without his permission..but the classic monogramed L.L Bean 'Book Pack' is one of my favourite 'campus trends' that I've encountered so far and I wanted to share it. 

What I like about it is that it's really not a 'trend', it's just a classic bag that most people had at one stage as a kid and they're still kicking about. (And so this won't be news to anyAmericans reading, but for me it's a novelty I rather like.) Everybody, absolutely everybody (myself included) wears a rucksack at University and I've seen many a L.L Bean rucksack bob past with with neatly embroidered initials on; I'm always a sucker for a bit of personalisation. Kind of like the name tags we had sewn into the collars of our school jumpers at school, I like that this is a leftover bag, a sort of second nature thing to sling on your shoulder that's been carrying your books for years. 

I have to say, and it pains me to do so, that generally speaking the guys really beat the girls in the style stakes here. The biggest campus trend amongst girls really baffles me and involves wearing a North Face fleece, yoga pants and Ugg boots. I even saw a girl yesterday wearing this combination with Ugg slippers. Backless slippers! In the freezing cold! This was the ultimate nail in the coffin where my British sensibilities are concerned. While on the one hand I like the idea of having a uniform, it's incredible how many people wear this head-to-toe go-to look. I saw four girls sitting together at dinner recently all wearing North Face fleeces, yoga pants and Uggs and it reminded me of The Ashley's from Recess and their matching outfits which acted like a code of membership to the friendship group. Of course not all of the girls dress like this, I'm just finding it interesting that there are very clear codes when it comes to dressing at college here and there is a lot of uniformity amongst students. 

9 comments:

Joy said...

Not terribly surprised to hear how the girls dress terribly in their uniforms (identical to HS most likely) and LLBean is mostly a New England thing. Bet you stand out!

Anonymous said...

everyone had those backpacks in grade school! brings back memories...

i feel like this "campus look" translates throughout all of america. i see it everywhere, everyday. have you encountered the (possibly even worse look) of oversized tee (could be sorority or any basic business tee) worn with short shorts, actually i have no idea what kind they are because the "look" is to have the shirt so big, it looks like you're completely naked underneath. oh and to top it all off they were the look mostly with mountain shoes. like proper hiking shoes. we make fun of them so much down here! haha

i guess americans haven't learned that comfy can be cute too

Ringo, have a banana! said...

LL Bean is pretty big in the PNW where I grew up. I actually couldn't believe just how much of everything my parents wear is from there (all be it often second-hand), I was taking note when I was last at home! And I definitely had one of those back packs when I was a kid, purple with a reflective stripe and my initials haha!

Duck said...

OMG I had one of these bags (in red) when I was a teenager! I loved it so much and it could fit all my books and my lunchbox so nicely... Never wore it in America though, every second kid had one and I liked to stand out :-)

Anonymous said...

What backpacks would you recommend for sixth form/ uni use? I have massive folders to carry for up to four subjects at a time and I'm in desperate need!

Lily said...

So funny to read your take on this. Growing up in MA, this was the basic uniform for most students in middle school/high school. Bet you definitely stand out!

Unknown said...

It's exactly like this in Korea, sans ugg boots! North Face jackets combined with skinny jeans and New Balance trainers rule in the style stakes here, but make me feel very blah when I'm looking around for fresh fashion.

Anonymous said...

I went to a big state university in the Midwest almost 10 years ago. The girls' uniform you've described has not changed one bit!

Anonymous said...

the North Face/Uggs/Leggings uniform is one of the main reasons I didn't go to a state school for college. isn't it terrifying? it gets even worse when they all fake bake and straighten their hair.