The Lands' End Hyde Park was everywhere in the late 1980s and early '90s Chicago world of business. Made in the US, they were good looking, had starch endurance and were $20 a pop. Perfect for the guy with a mortgage on the north shore, a case of Old Style in the garage and a 9-5 in the loop. $20 in 1988 works out to $36.86 today on the CPI calculator.
The Brooks Brothers OCBD sold for $42 in 1988 and that works out to $77.40 today on the CPI. This guy might have Special Export in his garage. It amazes me how 22 years later the price points on these two shirts are so close. I wonder if beer prices have done as well?
The LL Bean OCBD seen here also sold for $20 in the late '80s. I found this in a thrift shop so there's no way of knowing exactly when it was made. An RN query tells me it was made by LL Bean so no help there. The Vendor number might be the key to the mystery but who cares.
It's a beautiful oxford cloth with a perfect collar roll. I give it my award for Best Overall. Actually, that's a French award for pigeons hanging on a trash bag pull but I think it works. Stay tuned next week for a detailed report on beer prices.
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19 comments:
I have a that shirt in blue. At the risk of being pelted with tomatoes ,in my opinion it is better than a similar shirt from the same era by Brooks Brothers that I have.
With 32 inch sleeves you should avoid fistfights.
Nice find! I had the same LL Bean OCBD 20 years ago. Anyone make a yellow with blue stripes in an OCBD these days? I miss that shirt.
James- I hear you.
Lwing- You have no idea.
Bill- There's a 15-32 NOS Brooks in this same oxford at O'Connells. Ethan probably has one.
I think I mentioned in my earlier comment that I gave the nod to Bean's shirts...and stiil do. So I concur with your award presentation!
Pity, I'm a 16 1/2 neck 34 sleeve.
I had that exact shirt and color/pattern, except in 15.5/33. Bought it new in '86 along with a white turtleneck and pair of ragg wool socks I lost (guaranteed my roommate stole them).
Funny - my very favorite LLBean ladies oxford was also unearthed in a thrift shop. Pink and white stripes and a perfect fit.
Have enjoyed your oxford taste testing this week. My husband is slender and likes Lands End shirts for their "tailored fit" feature.
@longwing. best comment on the internet today. thanks.
I had that exact shirt (in 16 1/2 - 34). Bought new in December, 1991. WONDERFUL shirt that I wore for a good ten years before it was victimized by a tree branch.
I was one of those Chicago business guys and I have no idea how many LE Hyde Parks i owned in the 80's and 90's but I loved them all.
Damn1 That was a tough shirt.
Glad you covered this shirt. Certainly one of the better OCBD's I have owned. Great roll and weight.
You're right. Going by the photographs there's something very pleasing about the generous proportions of the collar stand and collar - flattering to neck and face.
I also have (present tense) that shirt. In those colors. It's probably my favorite shirt.
I'm the second owner -- got it from my grandfather-in-law when he had to clear out his wardrobe for a move into a nursing home. The man has taste.
I can't believe no one has commented on that award. It's the most hilarious thing. It's just SO Tintin to cobble it together like that as a shirt award. I actually think it's cool enough to stand alone, maybe propped on the back-splash of your kitchen counter, while you prepare a game hen for dinner...
-DB
The current LL Bean Wrinkle-Resistant Classic Oxford Cloth Shirt is torturous to wear. I refer to it as the hair shirt. Mr. Main Line Sportsman must be literally more thick skinned than I am.
Their Pinpoint Oxford version is much more tolerable. It is a pity that they do not make a must iron version anymore.
Nice shirt--that is, for a 20+ year old garment. Hey fuckwit, can't you afford any new LL Bean shirts?
Longwing-
http://shortshrifted.com/?p=1630
Have you ever had an original comment?
The length of the LL Bean collar points is all wrong. Lands' End's collar points are millimetrically shorter tha Brooks', but LL Bean is unacceptable.
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