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Who Does Preppy Classics Best? Lands’ End Canvas vs. L.L. Bean Signature
By Lauren Sherman
I’m a long time fan of both L.L. Bean and Lands’ End. I’ve been wearing Bean’s Breton stripe sweaters for years, and I’ve dipped into Lands’ End’s kids uniform collection more than once to add some of the “shrunken schoolboy look” to my wardrobe.
This season, both of these classic American labels decided to up the design ante with more fashion forward capsule collections. Lands’ End’s is called Canvas, while L.L. Bean chose the name Signature.
Both offer some great pieces, but which comes out on top? We decided to pit them against each other in a three-round battle:
Designer
Lands’ End Canvas: Lisa Fitzgerald, executive vice president, Lands’ End merchandising, creative and design
L.L. Bean Signature: Alex Carleton, creative director
Winner: L.L. Bean. Carleton’s hipster t-shirt and menswear brand, Rogues Gallery, gives him a one-up in terms of fashion cred.
Price
Lands’ End Canvas: A pair of stretch denim jeans is $50. Canvas riding boots are $350.
L.L. Bean Signature: Stretch denim jeans are $65. Leather stacked heels are $99.
Winner: Tie. The clothes are a bit less pricey on Lands’ End, but the shoes are more expensive.
Style
Lands’ End Canvas: The shoes–particularly the riding boots and the high-heeled sandals–are standouts, as is the women’s boat neck shell and the trench coats. The bathing suits are boring, very run-of-the mill and could never compete with J.Crew in terms of styling.
L.L. Bean Signature: The sweaters–particularly the textured pullover and the piped sweater jacket–are must-haves. The plaid dress and bird-print skirt are lovely as well.
Winner: L.L. Bean, by a hair. While Lands’ End’s shoes are impressive, the clothes at L.L. Bean are more unique.
Winner of the Most-Promising Preppy Classics Brand Prize: L.L. Bean Signature. Bravo to Alex Carleton and his team, you nailed it!
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I've been looking at both those web sites recently and they both warm my preppy little heart. I do think that the LL Bean stuff is better, but I like the Canvas blouses more. I think both will make it into my closet.
I'm glad to see that both are doing well in updating their assortment w/o loosing sight of their core customer base. Specially, it is good to hear that Land's End's swimswear CANNOT compete with J.Crew as they should not – their customers are not as fashion forward or young as J.Crew's. It shows good business sense & integrity that both didn't loose sight of their brand identity in the pursuit of profit.
But is LL Bean guaranteed for life? Because Lands End is. I grew up in Lands End clothing because my mom could send it back for an exchange no matter what my reason for destroying it was.
Yes it is! my Dad's been wearing the same uppers for like 40 years he just keeps sending them back to get resoled. L.L Bean customer service is stellar. I didn't know that Land's End had that policy too…http://loublog.tumblr.com/
There is a famous LL Bean return story: an elderly gentleman walked into the Freeport store with an LL Bean hammer which had split from the handle after years of use. None of the associates at the store could recall that LL Bean at one point made carpenter's tools (which it had stopped making before the 1920s), but the handle bore the company logo at the time of manufacture. The store manager apologized to the gentleman and offered to reimburse him for the cost of a new hammer of his choice. The gentleman eventually took him up on the offer, although he really wanted a hammer just like his old LL Bean.
The land's end canvas riding boots look EXACTLY like a pair of fryes I bought three years ago
LLBean has missed the mark if you ask me. I think their new brand has a few items but the Canvas collection is more hip. I could only find one or two items in the Bean collection worth buying but wanted everything in the Canvas collection. No comparison!!!!
Lands End has a similar story where they took a return in 2005 of a CAR they sold in 1984. Pretty crazy stuff.http://www.landsend.com/aboutus/guaranteed/inde...
I put itching powder in my brothers bed one night when I was a kid, he tossed and turned so much he split the Lands End sheets. My mom called Lands End about it and they shipped a new set out the same day. My mom used to boast to use about how we had 400 count sheets as children.
I vote Land's End, just for the Canvas collection alone. :o) Absolutely amazing, and not too outrageously priced.