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Sunday, October 10, 2010

LL Bean Hunter's Tote Bag: On Sale, as toted by Andre Leon Talley

Far be it from me to encourage unnecessary shopping. But LL Bean is having a Friends and Family Sale. 20% off if you have their Visa (I do); 10% off and free shipping if you want to use any old credit card. Code is LLBFRIENDS10. Good though Tuesday.

Normally, I scoff at a mere 10% or even 20% off. But LL has some items that NEVER go on sale. Like their Hunter's tote. I wrote about my tote search a while back; you can see my deliberations, plus a pic of the LL tote here.

I ALMOST got the camo tote (and was going to get orange monogramming, as suggested by Duchesse), but chickened out, and got plain old olive drab with black initials. I got the one with the zipper. It IS a great tote, except that the handles are a little short; I'd like the option of using it as a shoulder tote while traveling.

Embarrassing confession: I have become fascinated by the review sections on many websites. The customers definitely have distinct personalities, depending on the store. LLB customers are generally pleased, but very crabby about any perceived lapse in quality, as indeed they should be.

In the reviews for the tote (the non zipper version), there is a one that divulges the following W magazine-worthy tidbit:

A magazine-editor-friend-of-mine has this tote, and one day saw Vogue's Andre Leon Talley carrying the exact same bag in the elevator!

I wonder if ALT went for the camo, the black, or the olive?

I never heard of LL Bean till I went to college. I didn't understand why everyone had the same sweater and nightgown. But now their fame has spread far and wide, beyond the sphere of preppydom, to the point that every 3rd grader in my little town insists on one of their backpacks.

I resisted for a while, and finally bought one (navy) for Frugal Son. He uttered a sentence that has since become part of the Frugal Family lore: "I have reached a level of normality I never dreamed possible." Even then he knew I was pathologically frugal.

Meanwhile, 14 years later, he has his second backpack, which was replaced as per LL's guarantee about 7 years ago.

So, use the code if you see something you desire. Do you buy anything form the famous purveyor of preppy classic and not so classic?

7 comments:

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

LL Bean totes never wear out...I have 3 boat totes which I use for the boat and they are strong and sturdy you'll be very happy with your purchase and even better that you saved some money!

Meredith said...

Thank you FS! I just ordered one for a Christmas gift for a very Southern hunting mama. Even if she doesn't use it for gear, she'll definitely use it for something. I appreciate the recommendation!

Duchesse said...

The whole family wears the "Wicked Good" sheepskin slippers- mine red, could not live without. I wear the flannel nightgown in the depths of winter. My sons love the flannel lined jeans, which are about 40% cheaper than J. Crew's.

Shelley said...

Must admit I get LLBean and LandsEnd confused. I think it was the LLBean place I bought my monogrammed canvas briefcases from for quite a few years. I still use them for storage, but stopped carrying them when I realised it was too easy to injure my back carrying all the stuff they would hold. I agree that having the shoulder option is useful and I wouldn't like a tote that didn't permit that. I think I might have a lifetime supply of tote bags by now, thanks to magazines, family, friends and work conferences...

Frugal Scholar said...

@hostess--I agree. Love all y LL totes.

@Meredith--It IS a good gift. I wish someone had given it to me. Thanks for the compliment.

@Duchesse--I used to have the flannel-lined jeans--wish I still had them, actually. I think LL is having a free shipping to Canada special, btw.

@Shelley--Lands End is more of a newbie and is mostly clothing and linens. No "gear" for hunting, camping, etc. One of my colleagues had the XL LL tote and I honestly don't see how she can carry it without killing herself.

Revanche said...

Well drat, I'm sorry that I managed to miss this. (It's still Tuesday but it's bedtime and getting sucked into a sale is a surefire way to make Wednesday unbearable.)

Next time!

Frugal Scholar said...

@Revanche--It wasn't an incredible bargain anyway. I'll post if they do it again.