LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters

On a 75° afternoon this weekend I was perusing the sweater rack at my local Goodwill and stumbled across two LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters from the 1980's. I first spotted the classic LL Bean Norwegian Sweater in navy and white, made famous during the 1980's as preppy staple and immortalized in the Official Preppy Hand Book. The sweater was next to a Champion Waterville High crew sweatshirt. I grabbed it like a fat kid taking candy from a "Take One" bowl on Halloween.

These sweaters were made in Norway with a blend of 80% Wool and 20% Rayon, a synthetic material usually produced from cellulose derived from wood.

For decades this classic weave identified college students with the LL Bean brand. However, LL Bean discontinued the sweater in the late 90's. Today these sweaters are delegated to eBay, vintage stores and flea markets in Williamsburg for around $40 a pop. Not to brag, but these were just $9 a piece.

Where I come from, Goodwills and other thrift stores are as picked over for vintage clothes as thoroughly as garbage heaps in Bangladesh are for food scraps. Central Maine is hundreds of miles away from savvy vintage shoppers and has no shortage of quality clothes.

Farther down the rack, the thick sleeve of a wool sweater stood out from the cheap fleece and cotton weaves and much to my surprise I pulled out another, less known LL Bean Norwegian sweater.

The Goodwills in Maine put X's on LL Bean labels to avoid potential abuses of Bean's rock solid customer service. I love these buttons, very Sun Valley Idaho circa 1965.

The Classic Norwegian sweater is already spoken for by a friend and loyal blog reader. I plan to wear the other for decades to come. I hope that someday LL Bean resurrects these once great sweaters. Without a doubt, LL Bean fans old and new would buy them. If this resonates with you, leave a comment and I will forward it along to my friends at LL Bean.

Here are some more links,
LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters (Picasa),
Askaboutclothes.com forum discussion,

My Vans Eras

My Vans Eras are versatile.

She laces by Paul Smith.

Here are some more links,
Vans Era white,
My Vans (Picasa).

One More Year Left

Today at 3:30 PM, I relinquish my title as Foster Huntington, Junior at Colby College and assume a more daunting one, Foster Huntington, Senior at Colby College. I have never liked school. In elementary school, I struggled with dyslexia and showed little promise as a student, finally learning to read and write at my grade level in the fifth grade. In order to make it, I learned to focus on the subjects where I had the potential to do well and avoid the subjects, such as spelling (I am 20th percentile speller), where my dyslexia prohibited me from succeeding. Instead of writing out homework assignments by hand, I learned to type and use a computer to spell check my work in middle school. Why fight losing battles when I can fight other battles as a favorite? My sheer lack of proficiency at some tasks and ability at others gave me a lifelong sense of humility and confidence to realize that it's okay to be different.

For the longest time, I resented going to Colby. I don't identify with many of the students blindly pursuing careers as doctors, lawyers, or investment bankers. I was frustrated by getting C-'s in my math classes despite getting an 800 on my Math SAT. I missed the Northwest's progressive attitude and recognition of passions other than the Red Sox and Patriots. However, recent conversation with my roommate Nick (follow him on twitter!), made me realize that going to a highly competitive, homogeneous school like Colby has accentuated my unique traits and forced me to pursue interests specific to my skill set.

A very smart man and mentor to me once said, "College is effectively four years of excused unemployment, so take chances and try things while you have a safety net." Taking this concept to heart, I have led an atypical college experience, pursuing many interests outside of school with the hope of finding something that I enjoy and excel at. I have sold hundreds of shoes, run a laundry business into the ground, started a website that allows snowboarders, skateboarders and surfers to define lingo, and was a signature away from dropping out of college to start a tech company with a few friends. None of them were home runs and I doubt that in my one year left on Mayflower Hill I will find my calling, but I think I am finally pointed in the right direction.

Here are some more links,
75 in Maine and a Concert at Bowdoin (Picasa),
12 PM Walk Out (Picasa).

Marlboro Miles and the Marlboro Country Store

While many people talk about how they are going to spend their AMEX points or Delta Sky Miles, more daring individuals debate the use of their Marlboro Miles. From 1994 to September 30th 2006, Philip Morris, Marlboro Cigarette's parent company, had a merchandising promotion program whereby a satisfied costumer could mail in their proof of purchase coupons (5 "Marlboro Miles" per cigarette pack), and buy various products ranging from licensed Marlboro Zippos to denim jackets and sleeping bags from the catalog or the Marlboro Country Store.

The products in the Marlboro store are an extension of "The Cowboy Code: A cowboy is courageous. Keeps his word. Pulls his own weight. Returns what he barrows. Closes gates behind him. Is always on time. Minds his own business. Sometimes exaggerates, but never lies. Doesn't cuss another man's dog." The archetypal American Man.

Everything a cowboy or cowgirl needs put in cigarette pack denomination. I would go with the Stetson, the Time Track by Swiss Army, the Canvas Coat and the Blues Harp with my stockpile of 2000 packs of cigs. I also find the satirical allusions to jail culture where people use cigarettes as currency amusing, but that's a different matter all together.

Few ideas are more American than buying products, often made in China, created as extensions of a marketing campaign with proof of purchase coupons for an expensive, carcinogenic, addictive product.

Here are some of my favorite finds from ebay,
Marlboro Swiss Army Knife (Ebay),
Marlboro Brass Belt Buckle (Ebay),
Marlboro Swiss Army Pocket Watch (Ebay),
Marlboro Duster (Ebay),
Marlboro Country Zippo (Ebay),
Marlboro Miles Poker Set (Ebay),
Marlboro Country Store BBQ Set (Ebay)
Marlboro Country Denim Shirt (Ebay),
Marlboro Country Denim Jacket (Ebay).
Marlboro Country Cook Book (Ebay),
Marlboro Stetson Hat (Ebay).

I guess a Marlboro Denim jacket purchased with six hundred packs of cigarettes is icing on the cake for a dedicated smoker.

Here are some more links,
Explanation of Marlboro Miles System,
Marlboro Country Store Goods,