Americana Woman

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, two iconic Wasp brands, L.L. Bean and Land's End, are trying to make their clothes and their catalogs more appealing to younger customers, who tend to shop online or in person.  These same consumers started the recent 'Americana' trend; the term used to mean historical documents and artifacts, but apparently now means classic clothes worn with a twist of irony.

Of course, there was no Internet when I was growing up, so catalogs were a big deal.  We kept a large basket full of them near the fireplace in the family room, and I idled away many a winter night flipping through pretty much the entire list from the iconic Preppy Handbook: Bean's, Eddie Bauer, Carroll Reed, Lilly Pulitzer, Gokeys.  But my favorite was the splended Miller riding catalog.  I wanted everything in it.  (An Hermes saddle, which even then cost over $1,000?  Yes, please!  Alas, Santa didn't comply.)  Now catalogs irritate me--such a waste of paper--and I've turned into one of those cranks who calls the company and asks to be removed from the mailing list.

I am going to give Bean's a try again, however.  I've decided that Hunter Wellie boots have become too common a sight on the streets of Chicago, whereas they used to be reserved only for gardening and mucking out stalls.  And they offer little warmth unless paired with very thick socks.  So I'm going to go back to what I grew up wearing in cold, snowy Midwest winters: the classic Maine hunting shoe. A piece of 'Americana' I'm happy to support.