L.L.Bean Women’s Handsewn Camp Mocs
Link: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/5858149
Price: $110.00

One of my automatic choices of footwear over the years has been the camp moc/driving moc/loafer category. Easy to wear, generally foot flattering, and a bit snappier than a boat shoe or blucher moc.

L.L. Bean has offered their Men’s Camp Moc version fairly consistently over the years, but their Camp Moc for Women has come and gone. When I saw that they recently were offering them again, I was eager to try them. (Of course, as with so many of what I call the “hardcore preppy” staples, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to discern between the Men’s version and the Women’s version.)

These are classic L.L. Bean Camp Mocs. I have had multiple pairs over the years and they are viscerally familiar to me, and the current versions haven’t deviated from the template. Though I am not a fan of their mule version for Women, nor the Venetians for Men. (They call them “Casco Bay” shoes but visually they are versions of the Camp Mocs.)

Made in El Salvador, they seem sturdy. I am certainly not waiting for the stitching to come apart as I always do with the Bean Boots.

The leather is thick, possibly leaving some to possibly think they are too heavy a shoe, though I would not be one of those people.

The Women’s Camp Mocs could use a bit more cushioning. And they could definitely use arch support. This is a bit of an odd call from Beans because the Men’s version does indeed have arch support.

Even from a sheer vanity perspective, it doesn’t overly make sense, as arch support shapes a foot far more attractively than no arch support. (Say what you will about Birkenstocks, but I have long thought that their extreme arch support is one reason why they are flattering to virtually all. Of course, any aesthetic boost in that regard is balanced by the concomitant view of other peoples’ feet, so net negative, and perhaps a conversation for another day.)

These L.L. Bean Camp Mocs take a bit of time to break in, but not too much. Mostly around the toe box. They do stretch out a bit over time and as I said with their Boat Shoes/Mocs, they don’t run small. I still wonder if I could have gone a half size smaller, but then any sort of sock wearing would definitely be out.

They come in a Dark Brown or Khaki Suede, and I chose the Dark Brown, which is the classic Bean Camp Moc color. While I like the Khaki Suede color, I didn’t love the color they chose for the sole — otherwise I might have (read that, would have) bought them both.

Ironically, when they offered the Khaki Suede color for the Men’s version a few years back, they did indeed pair it with a white sole. Those I bought. I did have go to down a half size, as these are definitely a “no sock wear” more summer-like shoe. But I have nothing but good things to say about them, and in fact, they fit almost better than the Women’s I just bought.

And – as is the brilliance with most androgynous preppy outfits or wardrobes – it is easy to girl it up by adding one, maybe two, feminine things. And sometimes it is that very tension between the masculine and feminine that can give an outfit that energy.

Below, they are shown with my very high quality Dubarry Alpaca Socks, which are also available in a shorter mid-calf style. Both with the requisite ribbing all the way down to the toes.

With socks or sockless?

While there is a carefree, nonchalant charm to the sockless wearing with any kind of loafer or moc, the reality (often a harsh reality) is that New England autumns (sometimes), and New England winters (always), are cold. And frankly, the going of sockless in the freezing weather or snow looks, well, affected. Trying too hard is never a good look.

But… regardless, the Bean Camp Moc can go either way. Having said that, I have found personally, that in order to do so, I need two pairs in different sizes. One for sockless and one for socks. Not unlike with my Barbours – one size for over a shirt, a larger size(s) for over sweaters.

I have been banging around in these Bean Camp Mocs sockless this summer, pairing them with my new J. Crew Factory chinos for Women, which I wrote about earlier. And for better or for worse the features that annoyed me at first about these khakis still annoy me, and the features that I liked at first, I still like. I wish they were all cotton. I wish they had a proper hem, not a jeans hem. But they are still comfortable to wear and I still like the color.

To Buy or Not?

Women’s Handsewn Camp Mocs are very decent shoes, and I would recommend them. As with their totes and pouches, these are classic L.L. Bean. One can buy more precious, and more expensive, Camp Mocs. (And we have many of those.) But then you have precious Camp Mocs. But these I can wear and scuff up without a worry. Like an old Land Rover.

With Beans, for Women, there is the bigger question of is it better to get a Men’s version? For me, the fit was a bit better, with the arch support having significant appeal. So it might be worth it to try both the Women’s and the Men’s. But probably not for a woman with a petite shoe size.

Out of five stars, I would give these four (★★★★).

L.L.Bean Women’s Handsewn Camp Mocs
Link: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/5858149
Price: $110.00

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See also where I recently compared their Casco Bay Boat Shoes to Sperry Originals (Men’s and Women’s).

A Boat Shoe Comparison: Sperry Topsider Originals vs L.L. Bean Casco Bay Mocs

As an aside, a little chart I made earlier in the summer.

All Photos by/of Muffy Aldrich

All photos by/of Muffy Aldrich

They launched this summer their new Icon collection, celebrating our country’s 250th anniversary, and did it brilliantly. It is made of an especially good shade of Navy, and of the tough all cotton canvas for which they are known. I honestly cannot imagine a tougher canvas duffle bag, with a big rugged zipper, a duffle that will indeed last decades.

• Medium Canvas Tote Bag, 250th Anniversary Edition

• Canvas Duffle Bag, 250th Anniversary Edition

And utilizing the brilliance of Navy, it is a bag that is as well suited for summer excursions as it is for year round use, including being urban compatible. Also ideal for back to college, as it can take the abuse, and still look good.

• Full Icon Collection

Last summer they launched their equally good looking, and equally tough, Nantucket Red Collection, which they have happily brought back this summer.

• Nantucket Red Collection

• Nantucket Red Canvas Duffle Bag

• Nantucket Red Island Tote

They make such a vast range of products that it can be overwhelming to navigate at first.

So here are a few more of their products that I have used and can heartily recommend, starting with some of their tote bags. Durable and tasteful, these are generously sized bags.

• Lime Green Steeletex Beach Tote

• Light Blue Steeletex Beach Tote

• Natural Canvas Tote Bag

Also new this year are their Mini Totes. As I mentioned earlier in the spring, these are just the right size “mini”, i.e., not too small.

• Mini Tote

And honestly, I could use a houseful of their trucks. Made for commercial use, they translate seamlessly throughout the house. We have several and the only problem is that they are good for so many uses. Big solid wheels smoothly move about. Optional wooden lids and shelves are quite useful.

• Canvas Elevated Truck, 250th Anniversary Edition

• Canvas Elevated Truck, 4 Bu

• Wood Lids, Shelves & Liners

And some of my favorite towels from Amazon.

• Turkish Cabana Thick Stripe Pool Beach Towels 4-Pack (Light Blue)

• Turkish Cabana Thick Stripe Pool Beach Towels 4-Pack (Yellow)

If you are going to buy a log carrier and stand, you want them to be this good.

• Steele Log Carrier

• Steele Log Frame

• Steele Log Carrier & Frame Bundle

Their Waxed Canvas Duffle Bag is large and substantial with well-placed interior and exterior pockets, great stitching, heavy canvas handles with leather grips, and sturdy hardware. It is not fussy; you don’t have to baby it when travelling. While Steel accurately calls this color Brown, I think of it more as a lighter and lovely Cocoa.

• Waxed Canvas Duffle Bag

Tough, in good taste, and non-fussy, the Steele Weekender Bag will fit in anywhere, from visiting friends’ summer houses to overnight business trips to the gym.

• Weekender Bag

Both have that “I got kicked out of two Prep schools” vibe, without the paperwork .

Shown with:

• L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Zip Pouch

This was brought home last week when we watched the highly acclaimed Japanese film Perfect Days. I had never heard of it, but when my husband suggested it and put it forth as “a Tokyo based film, where nothing happens, which follows around a public toilet cleaner through his days,” I thought – I’m in!

Firstly, it makes the Danish movie Babette’s Feast seem like a summer action film, and secondly, my bathrooms will never be the same again. Especially once I saw our protagonist bathroom cleaner, Hirayama, pull out his little mirror to inspect the underside of the toilets. Premiering at Cannes on May 25, 2023, its prescience only grows.

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And as I often show (read that rhapsodize about) my favorite past seasons L.L. Bean Boat and Tote colors, I thought it would be fun to whip up a post on my favorite Bean tote bag colors/monogram styles/thread colors that are available today.

Links:

• Zip-Top

• Open-Top

As an aside, I use their totes everywhere for all kinds of things – around the house, in the cars, as tool bags, the classic “bags to store bags”, and even for storing sheets. I have taken to storing my L.L. Bean flannel sheets (in White only and which have been great) in a Large or Extra-Large Zip-Top tote. For whatever reason, the clean sheets stay completely odor free, even for long periods of time. (If I simply wash and dry them and put them in the linen closet, they quickly develop “that” smell. And I really hate non-intentional smells. Every product I use is fragrance free, so this has been a life saver.)

Seaboard Blue

Starting with their newest, and one of their best colors, Seaboard Blue. Very fresh and pretty, and ideal for summer. And the only monogram color I use with it is Navy.

Blue/Navy

Probably my number one color is what they call Blue and I call Navy. This is the classic and if you could only buy one color, it would be this. I have long lamented that fact that they do not offer a good Kelly Green monogram thread color, as it would be my “go to” monogram choice. Having said that, their Dark Pink is awfully good, and it has become my default. Also good is the Mimosa Yellow for that nautical vibe, and occasionally when I am feeling in a more low-key mode, I opt for the Navy on Navy. Never wrong.

In the photo is also their Pink thread color. A bit pale for my taste, but not bad.

Natural

With the Natural trim I usually go for the Navy monogram, classic and simple, and on occasion, the Dark Pink.

When it comes to monogram styles in general, I use Times Bold, sometimes Block, and on also on occasion, Insignia. I used to go for their Diamond monogram style which they unfortunately discontinued.

And if it seems like Beans is always raising their prices on their Boat and Totes, they are. This tag on the Large Open-Top was from only a few years back. It now costs $49.95. Still though, not too bad for what you get and when compared to their competition.

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And after that, next in line…

Regatta Blue

While I don’t love the Regatta Blue trim I also don’t hate it, and have found that really only the Navy and the Mimosa Yellow monogram colors work on it.

Dark Green

The Dark Green frustrates me. Beans used to have a better dark green back in the day, so I am forever comparing it to their old Hunter Green. (Their short-lived Lawn Green from a few years back was fantastic.) However, the Navy monogram thread color works on the Dark Green, but also surprisingly, so does the Dark Pink.

Orange

Despite not overly being an Orange person, theirs is a particularly good shade of Orange. The only problem for me is that I couldn’t find one good color for the monogram. It really needs several colors. So I designed my own through their L.L. Bean for Business department. If I hadn’t done this I probably would have left it blank. (And I do have an Extra-Large Open-Top sans monogram.)

Take the Fork

There are so many permutations of colors and designs.

I have long had the L.L. Bean credit card which gives me free shipping, free monogramming, and Bean Bucks. Utilizing this trifecta has allowed me to play around far more than I could ever justify with the various trim colors and monogram colors and styles.

Links:

• Zip-Top

• Open-Top

So, when it comes to Boat and Totes, I have taken the advice of Yogi Berra. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

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All my own photos.

There are very few places left these days like London’s Cordings of Piccadilly. For over 185 years, they have been offering “Brilliantly British Style”, and I have been so very fortunate to be collaborating so closely with them for almost a decade now.

Here is where you find incredibly decent and lovely people running the show. (And of course it is famously co-owned by musician Eric Clapton.)

And here is where you will find some of the absolute best in high quality British made clothing. Beautifully made and at surprisingly fair prices.

Just touching so many of these pure fabrics makes one realize just how much we have given up in our current U.S. big box approach to clothes. Cordings is the exception to the increasingly universal observation that today, we are not making the next generation’s vintage clothing.

Their big twice a year sales can offer a very good time to dip one’s toes in the buying from London’s waters. And nothing says “I need a thick wool sweater and some tweed” like a heat dome. Sale percentages can vary widely from item to item, but one can find a handful of deep discounts on some superb end of season items.

Their knitwear is outstanding, surprisingly substantial, especially when compared to what is on the market today, and with the vast majority Made in Britain.

Yes, that is a Men’s Pink Cricket Jumper. A hefty garment made of 90% wool and 10% cashmere, with cables and a V-neck. Made in Scotland.

• Men’s Rose Pink Cable Cricket Jumper https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/rose-pink-cable-wool-and-cashmere-cricket-jumper.html

And also for Men (shown above), the equally luxurious Navy Cable Crew Neck, and also Made in Scotland of 90% wool and 10% cashmere.

• Men’s Navy Cashmere/wool Cable Crew https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/navy-cashmere-cable-crew-neck.html

For the Ladies - these awfully comfortable Blue Suede Deck Loafers, made from 100% British suede leather and crafted in Britain. They also come in Taupe. I am wearing them with the Ladies Cordings Lily Jeans.

• Ladies’ Blue Suede Deck Loafers https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/blue-suede-deck-loafers.html

• Ladies’ Taupe Suede Deck Loafers https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/taupe-suede-deck-loafers.html

And their Ladies Teal Merino Wool/Cashmere Roll Neck pullover is dressier and soft. I also have this one in a Navy and one in a bright Orange from previous seasons.

• Ladies’ Teal Merino and Cashmere Roll Neck https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/teal-merino-cashmere-roll-neck.html#

• Beige Cotton Stretch Lily Jeans https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/beige-cotton-stretch-lily-jeans.html

The pocketbook, the Kimbolton, (shown above) is from Tustings, and also Made in England. Their updated Kimbolton can be seen here: https://www.tusting.co.uk/products/kimbolton?utm_source=muffyaldrich

And Cordings is known for their always beautiful selection of Liberty print shirts, both in Tana Lawn or in Silk. They are an easy cut to wear, extremely comfortable, I love to pair them with my Fair Isles.

• Blue Lodden Liberty Shirt made with Tana Lawn Cotton https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/blue-lodden-liberty-shirt-made-with-tana-lawntm-cotton.html

• Meadow Muse Shirt made with Liberty Tana Lawn Cotton https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/meadow-muse-cotton-liberty-shirt.html

• Mitsi Valeria Liberty Shirt Made with Tana Lawn Cotton <https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/mitsi-valeria-liberty-shirt-made-with-tana-lawntm-cotton.html>

• Emma Victoria Liberty Shirt Made with Tana Lawn Cotton <https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/emma-victoria-liberty-shirt-made-with-tana-lawntm-cotton.html>

And shown:

• Ladies’ Blue Stripe Seersucker Shirt https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/blue-striped-seersucker-shirt.html

Cordings are also known for having a wide selection of Men’s shirts, linen shirts and cotton shirts for the summer, and cotton or cotton/wool tattersalls for the autumn.

• Men’s Sky Blue Caister Linen Shirt https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/sky-blue-caister-stripe-linen-shirt.html

• Men’s Glue Glaven Stripe Linen Shirt https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/blue-glaven-stripe-linen-shirt.html

• Men’s Lilac Caister stripe Linen shirt https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/lilac-caister-stripe-linen-shirt.html

They also have an extensive collection of tweed caps. Made in England of Scottish Tweed.

• Light Green Islay Check Garforth Cap https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/light-green-islay-check-garforth-cap.html

The thick shawl collar cardigan, 4-ply 100% Lambswool, with leather football buttons. Made in Scotland. It is a Men’s, but I wear them often.

• Berry Pink Men’s 4 Ply Lambswool Cardigan https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/berry-pink-4-ply-lambswool-cardigan.html

Another good deal right now is their stunning Men’s Conrad Coats. Both are Made in England of Scottish tweed, one a Brown Herringbone, and the other a Navy Keepers Tweed.

• Conrad Herringbone Tweed Car Coat https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/conrad-herringbone-tweed-car-coat.html

• Navy Conrad Keepers Tweed Car Coat https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/navy-conrad-keepers-tweed-car-coat.html

And then there are their silk scarves.

These are not normal scarves. A description for the Green Medieval Hunting Silk Scarf, show above with the Navy Conrad, is (from the Cordings site):

The result of a 13 individually cut silk printing screens, this new madder silk scarf is nothing short of a masterpiece. Made in Macclesfield using traditional, environmentally friendly hand-printing methods, the enchanting design is inspired by medieval drawings featured in Gaston Phoebus’s book, Medieval Hunting Scenes. Both delicate and characterful, it promises to be a constant source of outfit inspiration. With each colour requiring a separate screen, the perfectly aligned pattern is only possible thanks to artisans who have perfected this skill for decades. A skill now in scarce supply, this scarf will become even more precious over time, as it continues to delight the senses with its intricate scenes and madder finish.

• Green Medieval Hunting Silk Scarf https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/green-medieval-hunting-silk-scarf.html

  Also available in Navy:

• Navy Medieval Hunting Silk Scarf https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/navy-medieval-hunting-silk-scarf.html

And shown below, made of 36oz silk, is also screen-printed in England:

• Hunter Green and Gold Madder Silk Scarf https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/hunter-green-and-gold-madder-silk-scarf.html

This pullover is currently a great deal. Made in Britain of extraordinarily thick and densely woven 100% lambswool. I also have it in Navy. No wind chill here.

• Men’s Light Beige Douglas Rollneck https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/light-beige-douglas-rollneck.html

• Navy Douglas Rollneck https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/navy-douglas-rollneck.html

Moleskin Jeans for Ladies, Made in Portugal.

• Ladies’ Chocolate Brown Moleskin Jeans https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/chocolate-brown-stretch-moleskin-jeans.html

• Ladies’ Green Stretch Moleskin Jeans https://www.cordings.co.uk/us/green-stretch-moleskin-jeans.html

In fact the New England WASP Fourth of July experience has its own feel, tangential to the nation’s as a whole.

The arbitrariness of “The Fourth of July” certainly stands out. When did this country start? What is the single defining event over all others that should be celebrated?

There is the Pilgrim landing at Plymouth, which of course, no.

How about the Winthrop fleet landing in June of 1630? Yes, to a point. It was a Puritan beachhead. But just getting across the Atlantic was no big deal. Even Pilgrims could do that.

The establishment of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 could be a satisfying place to start. The Puritans love order. It reflects the victory of control over chaos, so, well, a contender.

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J. Crew Factory Khakis/Chinos - ★★½ (out of five).

• Link

Here’s a fun game. Pick up an item in any of the clothing store chains. Don’t look at th…

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This is also true when watching TV. I need to see competence, integrity, decency, wanting the right outcome. Now is definitely not the time for viewing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

I have long watched British shows for warmth and soul, extraordinary landscapes, and spectacular architecture. And often, some quite clever writing. So now when I need to escape (and boy do I) that is where I go first. But I am in a holding pattern as I await the next seasons of some of our favorite British shows to come out —Ludwig, Blue Lights, Line of Duty.

When I need a bit of energy, I might even watch some American shows. Although honestly, aside from The Wire, Sopranos, and Breaking Bad, I see very little American TV. Does Ted Lasso count?

But when I want a certain set of standards—restraint, taste, and intelligence (with no obvious plastic surgery or Botox shellacking)—I head for Nordic Noir. Despite it being fiction (and the number of grisly murders), the shows give you a good feel for so many cultural norms.

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Here’s my problem, and I should put problem in quotes. It is that at this time of year, when technically summer has not even begun (although just barely meteorologically speaking) and many schools are still in session, part of me is done with summer clothes.

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All Photos by Muffy Aldrich

One of the most glorious things about the New England coast this time of year is that there are now boats everywhere. And what gives it soul are the wooden boats.

To me, there are no more beautiful wooden boats than the original Herreshoffs that can still be spotted up and down the New England coast. Whether it’s their commanding NY50 SPARTAN, or their comparatively more diminutive 12 1/2(s), to the impressive restoration of their 1902 built NELLIE, under the tutelage of Wayne, of Marblehead’s F.L. Woods. And it is particularly exhilarating to see so many clustered, whether at the Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, or Maine’s Camden Classics, or Marblehead’s Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta.

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Suddenly the downtown and beach parking areas are packed with out-of-town license plates. Some residents bemoan having to share their streets and beaches, but, as I have said before, I find it all rather jolly. For one thing, they are happy, on vacation. Where smiles—replacing those every day furrowed brows—accompany those brisk clips when walking down sidewalks.

And—as when a prospective house buyer makes snap decisions almost immediately when driving into a driveway—we are also hit by a shedload of information when observing people in just seconds. This provides endless amounts of entertainment, at least for me. I can’t help myself but try to match the people to their particular regions, with license plates providing a cheat sheet (or reinforcement learning, as the AI people say). This is an admittedly parochial version of the Eurail pastime of trying to identify the nationalities of the people around you.

There are all kinds of clues, from hair colors and styles, to clothing choices, to gait, to overall health focus, to general bearing. Some of this is made easier, as so many these days want to signal. And my hit-rate is not bad. Helped, no doubt, by all those years of sitting in the Stop and Shop or Hannaford’s parking lots in the summer months waiting for my groceries to be brought out, matching up people with their cars and license plates.

And I can glean even more when waiting in line. Whether its in the grocery store, hardware store, a bakery, the post office, or the Farmers’ Market.

There are clear tells of regionalization, recalling the models of Joel Garreau back when he wrote The Nine Nations of North America. For me, regions seen through a wash of people who choose summering (or at least summering’s less-heeled relative weekending) on the Maine coast.

A big giveaway is often attitude. Do they make eye contact? And if they do, is it to smile and say hello, or just to give you the up-down, sizing up their competition. And while I’ll chat with just about anyone, I seldom make the first move. I find people love to talk about themselves and I am often a willing listener. Far better than talking about myself. I find I can ask just one not-too-probing, but genuine, question and off they go. Most people are far more interesting than they might appear, if asked the right questions. Everyone has their story. As with all of life, the only boring people are the dishonest people.

So, embracing the reductionism this format requires, here are some of the tribes I meet.

The Midwest

When I encounter the friendliest and most open visitors, they invariably hail from the Midwest. Open, smiling, gracious. And very chatty. With that “clean clothes and appropriately dressed” vibe. This is where you are most likely to have a genuine conversation. After which they part with a gentle touch to your arm accompanied by a “God Bless”.

Not a whiff of sharp elbowing. (They leave the social climbing, and I will take a stab at my own tribe here, to the Connecticut people, who have been honed by generations of social strata fine-tuning.) And as I left this particular bakery, I spot an impeccably clean four door pick-up truck with Ohio plates parked just outside. Bingo.

Mid-Atlantic

The preppiest bunch, or as I call them “our friends to the south” seem to hail from the mid-Atlantic region—Maryland, Virginia, and the general D.C. area. These license plates are scattered everywhere on Audis, Volvos, Mercedes and BMWs. Some with Annapolis Yacht Club and Washington and Lee stickers.

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All color photos by/of Muffy Aldrich

The dreaminess of Maine lobster has been around seemingly forever, and shows no sign of abating today. Glance at social media and the lobster icon is ubiquitous—on sweaters, hats, belts, Monopoly sets, etc.

(And as an aside, I do have mixed feelings about the overuse of icons and motifs—”Ceci n’est pas une pipe,” and all.)

But there is good reason for that—Maine lobster truly is magnificent. It’s not just that the lobster tastes good. It does. (But you dip anything in a your personal reservoir of melted butter, and you’re off to a good culinary start.)

It is more because it is an all-inclusive package, which includes the geography and the culture around it.

At its heart, the fierce independence that drives someone to wake up, every day, in the wee hours of the very dark mornings to head to a tucked away harbor, which at the beginning and the end of the season is, well, not warm. To head out, often alone, with only a bright spotlight leading the way to start pulling traps. (This is not the time for celestial navigation.)

It is a way of life, where nepotism is a mark of culture and continuity, not incompetence and line cutting. Where there is a code of trust amongst lobstermen. (And yes, there are more women these days, but they are still called lobstermen.)

Up and down the Maine coast are countless yards scattered with lobster boats. And traps. And buoys.

Obviously, lobstering can be found all over. But in Maine it is different. Growing up on the Connecticut shore it was unthinkable that my parents would allow me to eat the lobster from Long Island Sound. We had to wait for Maine. The waters of Long Island Sound are much cleaner these days, but still, I wait for Maine.

When in Maine, as a child, I dearly loved the lobstering culture. I would hear the aforementioned lone passing of a pick-up truck heading down to the harbor at around four in the morning. A few minutes later, another one. Then the silence again. (The Maine coast is incredibly silent at night.)

This would be followed shortly after by the not so silent sounds of the boat engines on the water, heading out. Jumping out of bed, I could see that lone light on the lobster boats, sometimes paralleling the single star-like glow of Mercury or Venus.

The boat engines would throttle down and up, down and up, as they went from trap to trap—pulling, emptying, pulling, emptying. Then the rhythm would be be broken by a stronger engine sound as it headed out to the next cluster of traps. Every lobsterman has his own traps clearly marked with his own buoys, and nobody else messes with them. Ever.

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Now say it got damaged.

Would you rather it was repaired or replaced?

When buying clothes, there is one thing that gives me confidence in the vendor. And that is the small sign tucked away in a corner that reads some variation of, “Wear and tear repaired at a reasonable cost.”

This tells me everything that is important.

This tells me that the company expects what I buy to be around for a while. And that the company is interested in a fair relationship with their customers.

It also tells me that the company has the ability to improve what they sell. They have a built-in feedback loop. When they see, for example, that the same seam is giving out, they know what needs to be improved.

And perhaps this point is more saliently made by considering the opposite. How do companies without this feedback know how to improve what they sell? How can there be institutional knowledge in an organization without knowing how customers are faring? (Sales and surveys fall well short.)

So, returning to the original question, what are the use cases when repairing wins versus replacing?

Famously, Elizabeth II wanted her Barbour repaired, not replaced. In some cases—and I learned when talking to the manager of the US Barbour repair facility—owners will pay as much as the cost of a new jacket to keep it wearable.

That is partly because Barbours get broken in. They mold to the shape of the wearer. There is also some evidence that in different locations, waxed jackets develop different colors over time. The patina changes. And even the traditional WASP advice of “tears are fine, stains are not,” breaks down when talking about Barbours. The whisky, gun powder, animal remnants, and so on get subsumed with every new waxing.

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So despite this, or perhaps because of this, and with apologies to George Orwell, if there is hope for character building in the next generation, it lies in summer jobs.

And while more important than ever, this is not a new thought. Decades ago, our great friend Harwood Ellis left his career as a teacher at a prestigious Boston area prep school (where his father was headmaster) to take over a Maine coast camp (which admittedly was equally prestigious), because he believed he could better build boys’ character in the two months during the summer than he could the rest of the year.

Whether organically or deliberately, one can see snippets of this ethos playing out, summer after summer, where the next generations are:

• Experiencing responsibility by being responsible for the lives of kids out on a mountaintop or sailing trip during a lightning storm

• Being the first to get out of a tent on the seventh consecutive rainy day when leading a canoe trip.

• Making a very, very expensive rookie mistake at the boatyard.

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I live in boat shoes in the warmer weather. We all do. And we always have. They are, in many regards, a perfect shoe.

In the beginning it was always the (Paul) Sperry Topsider because pretty much that was all there was. And it was all we needed. As I have mentioned ad nauseum, the Topsider factory was about an hour’s drive from where we lived on the Connecticut shore growing up, and we made regular treks to buy for the whole family. That segued over time to buying them from local boat yard stores, or upscale island shops.

And over time as manufacturing shifted from the US to lower cost countries, other companies jumped in and made their own version, mostly produced overseas (such as Dubarry), while a couple (like Quoddy and Rancourt) were still made in Maine.

For the record, we have had countless pairs of the more expensive and handmade Quoddys, as they were an advertiser on my blog and sent a large number of pairs our way. But in the end, the quality varied too widely, and I concluded that style just wasn’t worth it anymore. And I didn’t think the Quoddys Men’s Boat Shoe—a bit unstructured—shaped the foot in a flattering way. Their Camp Mocs and Bluchers (Quoddy calls them something else) are far better and worth buying.

I still favor the look and feel of the Sperrys, Men’s and Women’s. Despite everything. Despite their country of origin. Despite their ownership (Authentic Brands Group).

They have done a decent job of preserving that original vibe. They fill that non-precious, look smart, on-tap category. As with regatta/racing swag, the look is good enough that it is a place where you can skimp a bit on provenance. And Sperrys, as with a Barbour Beaufort, look good on everyone, a sine que non of an essential uniform piece.

The Men’s Sperrys are four stars (out of five). When for men. The style is unisex, but both Original or Billfish tend to run wide for Women.

The Women’s Sperrys are where I have a bit more of a problem. They often enough make the Women’s boat shoe on a more petite scale, with a very small toe box. If I was 5’3”, this wouldn’t be a problem, but as a 5’8” female, it takes more foot to hold me up. They are 3.5 stars (out of five).

When I mentioned this to the Sperry salesman in one of their stores, he gave me a knowing look. I don’t think I was the first. Despite the width challenges presented when women buy the Men’s boat shoes, they are doing in great numbers.

Which is why I was intrigued when I saw that L.L. Bean was now offering a Women’s version of their boat shoes.

L.L. Bean has long offered the Casco Bay Boat Shoe for Men (offshored, natch) which have been decent enough, but this season they have introduced a version for Women. While we haven’t ever worn the L.L. Bean Men’s version, I have been well acquainted with them over the years.

So I was very eager to try the new Women’s.

This season L.L. Bean is offering their Casco Bay Boat Mocs for Women in two materials—a nubuck and a suede—and four colors—Bone Nubuck, Light Pink Nubuck, Brown Seude, and Faded Sage Seude.

To some degree, I wanted them all. But I started with the Faded Sage Seude as the color sort of intrigued me, and I needed to get my size right before I ordered more. They arrived quickly and I was underwhelmed with the color, and they were a bit tight. So back they went. While I wouldn’t say that they run small, they certainly do not run large. And there is only one width offered (unlike the L.L. Bean Men’s) so one cannot adjust sizing in that manner.

Next I ordered the remaining three, all in a half size larger. I was even more underwhelmed by the Light Pink Nubuck. The colors appeared brighter online, as is often the case with L.L. Bean. (Case in point, Boat and Tote Trim colors.) The Light Pink is not a bad color, but I would be hard pressed to even call it pink. So I think they missed the boat (ha ha) on those two colors. I would have gone for a more pinky pink and a more vibrant green. And a Bright Navy, while we’re at it. There are no half-measures in classic prep.

The White Nubuck is completely fine and I will keep those, as are the Brown Suede. The Brown Suede is arguably the best looking of the bunch. Except that they are brown, and I already have so many boat shoes in brown, and I was looking for something with a little more zhuzh. But they are good looking and the suede is very soft and easy to wear.

The soles on the Bean mocs are not as siped as the Topsiders, but given most won’t ever seen the teak decking on a boat, it probably doesn’t really matter too much.

The Men’s Casco Bay Boat Moc IIs are offered in three colors, including a handsome new color, Carbon Navy, which looks nice. But I would have preferred a white rawhide lace like the Sperrys instead of the brown rawhide on the Bean version. And for the life of me, with regards to the two other colors, Canyon and Light Brown, why on earth would anyone put any other color sole on a boat shoe but white? These two other brown colors have dark soles. It just ain’t right.

But when all is said and done, the Sperrys aren’t really that much different from the Bean version. Which is a good thing.

And the cost for each are about a hundred dollars a pair. Sperry can go slightly higher, but often have discounts or sales. Beans stays the same, with the exception of past-season discontinued colors.

Overall the L.L. Bean Casco Bay Boat Shoe is a comfortable enough (with the suede being a wee bit more comfortable as it is softer) and just as flattering as the Sperrys. And it solves the problem of the (sometimes) toe box issue of the Women’s Sperrys.

So I would give L.L. Bean Casco Bay Boat Moc’s three and three quarters stars (our of five), subtracting for ho-hum colors and outsourcing, for both Men’s and Women’s.

Dipping their Toe Back In the Salt Water

I hope they continue to offer them, introducing more colors. And frankly, this is a very good direction for L.L. Bean, who have lost their way aesthetically over the last decade or two.

With the new management, they have an opportunity for change. I hope they are finding their way back to where they started.

All photos by Muffy Aldrich

There are so many summer towns that dot the New England coast. Summer towns, or villages, or neighborhoods. Or enclaves1. Or islands.

In some cases, these communities’ summer populations are twice or more their winter population. In other cases, that ratio is a bit less, tamped down by a gentrification of sorts, as more people move in year-round.

What is Critical to a Summer Town?

So what makes for a perfect summer town?

Sometimes there is just a feel and it is hard to pinpoint exactly what gives one that feel. We’ll call it charm.

But this is the result of a combination of factors. And even as so much about them changes and evolves over the generations, as most things do, at varying rates, some factors mostly stay the same.

And sometimes knowing the specifics can help a community to protect and preserve mightily certain touch points, while gently improving and growing others.

My Town

I was organizing these photos that I took not too long ago in town, the same town in which I have lived for nearly all of my life. It is a lovely summer town on the Connecticut shore. My town is large enough (just under 20,000) to not be too small, it is upscale and incredibly well managed, clean and safe. And I have watched shift to ever more appearing to be a legitimate year-round town. But in its DNA, it is still a summer town.

For me, these photos summarizes a lot of what makes a summer town a summer town.

The Beaches are the Heart

The sine qua non that most defines a New England summer town is that the beaches are the thrumming heart of the community.

Yes, there are town greens with white congregational churches. There are downtowns with stores (even if too few hardware stores and too many liquor stores), and school campuses (private and the others). In most cases this list would include golf courses, but in my town, the golf course is barely a stone’s throw from the water.

But the real action is, especially in the summer, where the lands meets the sea.

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Photos by/of Muffy Aldrich

I will never forget when I first saw the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Zip Pouch on their website a handful of years back. I was sitting in on one of my husband’s conference calls, and in its deadly dullness, I was scrolling the L.L. Bean website.

Click here: L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Zip Pouch

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I find some items of clothing perfect. These include pure cotton khakis. Baggy oxford shirts in a handful of certain colors. Boat shoes, Scottish Fair Isles, British made trench coats and tweeds, D-ring motif belts, and Maine made bluchers and boat shoes, English toggle coats, tartan cashmere scarves made in Scotland and Aran sweaters hand knitted in Ireland.

Perhaps it is because these clothes blend into the New England coast. They are ideal for getting in and out of boats, for prep school students to throw on as they run across the quad - hair wet - on the way to class. Or for casual business meetings that turn into hikes across Cambridge to find some obscure used bookstore.

The bright pinks and greens match the beach roses along the New England coast, the deep blues feel like the Atlantic Ocean, and the Donegal sweater I am wearing right now has the rugged complexion of the rocky Maine coast.

These clothes also fit my highest compliment, which is ‘class-feral’. They are the Herreshoff yachts or Sarouk carpets of clothes; they are good looking and they last. Rather than drawing attention to the wearer, these clothes blend in and improve the scene.

They overlap with ‘preppy’ clothes, but only somewhat. Less twee, of course. More subtle. Less “look at me!” Less working the room. Not exuding over-confidence but readiness.

To describe this aesthetic to myself and others, I had to come up with a new term, “The Thing Before Preppy.”

The Thing Before Preppy

For me, the origin of “The Thing Before Preppy” style started back in the 50s and 60s, maybe earlier, around the shoreline of Connecticut. A specific culture was codifying, influenced by the wealth and access of New York; strong schools of New England; and the culture of so many early settled New England towns with their deep British roots.

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Despite the fact that I woke up to snow yesterday morning, and the concomitant below zero temperatures, t…

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