Off My Back: LL Bean

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.

Blind Oxford Tasting: No. 3

$35.50 Hyde Park available from Lands' End - Shirt #3

Collar: Lined 3 1/8" collar with slight roll and narrow tie space with double needle stitching.
Body: Single needle with split yoke and hanger loop. 21 1/2" wide x 28 1/2" long on 15-4.
Sleeves/ Cuffs: Single needle cuff with 9" wide sleeve and one cuff button.
Pocket: 4 5/8" with 'V' stitch.

G. Bruce Boyer (15 1/2 - 2)
"Mediocre, ordinary cloth, average quality."

The Goods-
Color: B
Weave: B
Hand: C
Weight: C
Quality: C

Robert Bryan (15-4)
"No complaints. Love the back loop. Nice cuff treatment. Nice extra buttons. Like slimmer body."

Color: B
Weave: B
Hand: B
Weight: B
Quality: B

Robert Bryan awards the new Hyde Park Most Traditional and Best Overall. Upon discovering the price he added Best Value. Made in Malaysia, the Hyde Park is an attractive shirt with detailed button hole stitching and a trimmer fit than the other four. It is the only shirt with a locker loop (can be added on Mercer) and double needle stitching (-) on the collar.

Off My Back: The Shirt With Everything But The Girl

It's not Ralph Lauren

It's not LL Bean.

It's vintage 80's Lands' End - Made in USA

"They're such beautiful shirts." Daisy

The Great Gatsby

At 80% wool 15% nylon 5% corduroy, I doubt Daisy Buchanan would give this shirt a second glance but it has enjoyed more female compliments in midtown Manhattan than any suit, Hermes tie or Turnbull & Asser shirt I own. It's beautiful, comfortable, humble and perfect for eating Herring.

I loved Land's End. In college they made the Cacafuego shirts for my dorm boat. I also owned their wet weather gear. Amazing quality for the price. Lands' End was the poor man's LL Bean in 1984 and I was a very poor man.

In the 90's, I was working in Chicago and was a fan of the Lands' End Hyde Park shirt. A heavy oxford that after a few washings starched up thick like card board. As I made a little more money the idea of spending $20 for a dress shirt seemed unwise. Probably because I didn't have children.

I tried Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Britches of Georgetown and Polo. Then a steep climb to the ampersands on Jermyn Street, Turnbull & Asser - Harvie & Hudson - Hilditch & Key. Stripes, gingham, brushed twill, broadcloth and candy stripe batiste.

Casual Fridays in the late 90's turned into casual everyday by 2002 and those ampersands didn't cut the sartorial mustard with chinos. They were Grey Poupon and I needed French's. I ventured into Sears to look at the Land's End department for my old friend, the Hyde Park. Good looking from a distance but not so much up close. Paper thin and a plastic feel to the cotton. Had Hyde turned into Jekyll or had I been in the tall cotton for too long?

But I have this simple Lands' End shirt from the mid-80's. Something special and today - very unique. Over the years the wool has turned as soft as Tracy Thorn's voice and I like to eat Herring when I wear it.

Next week's, Off My Back: The Mercer & Son's Oxford Shirt.