In a recent post, I said some things about Bean that later appeared to me as intemperate. Like others who posted, I've been a customer for a long time -- almost thirty years -- and my comments were made in the context of one who has watched the company and its products change over time, not always for the better.
As I said earlier, I have been disappointed with many things I have purchased or received as gifts from Bean in the last several years. However, I should clarify by saying that none of these things have been terribly expensive, and it would be patently unfair to compare, say, Bean's chinos against a pair of Bills costing three times as much, or their OCBD against Mercer's. Always, you get what you pay for.
Moreover, Bean does some things very well. Their children's clothes, for example, are a bit more expensive than at other places, but are of considerably better quality than most -- the majority of my daughters' winter coats, snow boots, and "good" clothes have come from Bean, and they are always outgrown before they've worn out (and are then handed down, often multiple times). Similarly, certain staples like "Scotch Plaid" flannel and heavyweight chamois-cloth shirts, all-cotton turtlenecks, and Duofold underwear are of good quality, reasonably priced, and readily available at Bean. And the Maine Hunting Boot -- an absolute trad classic -- appears to be the same as it ever was.
One of the essential features of the trad style, if not the trad psyche, is the belief that things were generally better in the past. We wear sportcoats that went out of fashion decades ago, hunt for dress shoes that haven't changed since the Eisenhower administration, and eschew new-fangled and ephemeral trends, like boxers with elastic waistbands. The rest of the world moves on, however, and while it's a blessing that venerable shops like Andover and O'Connells still exist to cater to our whims and needs, ultimately, I don't suppose I can blame Bean for following the money.
Still cursing the dark,
-- Egadlfy
As I said earlier, I have been disappointed with many things I have purchased or received as gifts from Bean in the last several years. However, I should clarify by saying that none of these things have been terribly expensive, and it would be patently unfair to compare, say, Bean's chinos against a pair of Bills costing three times as much, or their OCBD against Mercer's. Always, you get what you pay for.
Moreover, Bean does some things very well. Their children's clothes, for example, are a bit more expensive than at other places, but are of considerably better quality than most -- the majority of my daughters' winter coats, snow boots, and "good" clothes have come from Bean, and they are always outgrown before they've worn out (and are then handed down, often multiple times). Similarly, certain staples like "Scotch Plaid" flannel and heavyweight chamois-cloth shirts, all-cotton turtlenecks, and Duofold underwear are of good quality, reasonably priced, and readily available at Bean. And the Maine Hunting Boot -- an absolute trad classic -- appears to be the same as it ever was.
One of the essential features of the trad style, if not the trad psyche, is the belief that things were generally better in the past. We wear sportcoats that went out of fashion decades ago, hunt for dress shoes that haven't changed since the Eisenhower administration, and eschew new-fangled and ephemeral trends, like boxers with elastic waistbands. The rest of the world moves on, however, and while it's a blessing that venerable shops like Andover and O'Connells still exist to cater to our whims and needs, ultimately, I don't suppose I can blame Bean for following the money.
Still cursing the dark,
-- Egadlfy
