While this picture has fired up the righteous outrage over US police brutality....and rightly so...I confess that I was also quite transfixed by the poor protesting girl wearing Levi's and LL Bean Boots.... and now, maybe it will be the Go-To wardrobe choice for protesting in America when one is expecting rough anti-Constitution conditions, or hunting in the woods....or anywhere the words "Don't worry, I'm going to spray these kids down." may be spoken with a lackadasial air....this combo is a standard in my wardrobe.
infamous/famous photo credit: Brian Nguyen/The Aggie.
"Introduced in 1912 for navigating the wet, muddy Maine woods, these boots have been appreciated for over 99 years." So says the most current catalog of LL Bean, and shipping is free!
Made in America, In Maine, the Maine Hunting Shoe by L.L.Bean Inc. of Freeport,ME.
LLBean is one of the many labels I always buy......because I'm trying to raise the level of usability and do it with style........
You can change the world if you refuse to buy CRAP. If you buy things that are quality to begin with, you tred lighter on the earth. Quality will last. And refusing to fall for every stupid fast-fashion 3rd world manufactured crap....you can create a serious style, based in ethics and smartness.....
The Pacific Northwest, the West Coast has its own style....mostly rugged, but not afraid to be stylish and fun....
Oh sure these boots are from Maine...but Levi's are San Francisco, California, USA. Born, bred, designed, invented, and until 2002, sewn there too..... I only deal in the Made in USA Levi's...because I only deal in quality.
The back pockets of Levi's have the trademarked arcurate stitching...which looks like the pocket stitching (I think) on the butt of the poor unfortunate protester girl.
...and to show that indeed I do have a Sense of Humor....here's a great little article about the history of Levis in San Francisco, otherwise and sometimes knows as Baghdad By The Bay....(I ooze irony and satire)... in the Wall Street Journal.....the Wall Street, those kids are all kinds of pissed off about...a little movement we revolutionaries like to call OWS. The kids in the UCDavis protest had more to do with a crazy tuition increase, but it is all connected...the destruction of the American economy trashed the budget of California....leading to, (maybe) a huge tuition increase at public universities....or they could have taxed rich people more....
The beloved Levi's jeans....and a staple of covering my butt sartorially since the 50s....
"Levi Strauss & Co. has been innovating since 1873, the year we created and patented the world’s first blue jeans. And while that patent has long since expired, our commitment to innovation continues. Throughout our long history we’ve inspired change in the marketplace, the workplace and the world. We invite you to take a look at our proud heritage."
Why LL Bean? Why Levis? Quality. Longevity. No Fads. No Trends.
If it has leather and a buckle I'm
probably wearing it......
I have worn out a few pairs of LL Bean boots...a few pair of lace-up calf high boots, and most recently ..a pair of LLBean mocs that I wore for the few years I gardened pro-style on the water for the Rich People.
I just passed them on to a thrift, so the next person could buy them for a couple of dollars and have the rubber replaced for about 25 bucks. Yes, these are items that are Fixed. Repaired. To wear again.
This is a weird concept in the throw-away culture that has boomed in the last 25 years. I'm glad I'm old enough to know what life used to be like...and I'm thrilled to see the very beginning of a turn-back to the ways of buying quality and not spending every penny on crap clothing.
Of course, giving you excellent quality things is what funkoma vintage is all about. I don't deal in the stupid fast fashion......Every item I deal in ...has to be something good.
I'm a classic-sturdy-quality-tomboy clothes nerd.
I love rubber, and stitching and leather, and canvas, and rawhide, and denim and wool, and tweed and corduroy....
So can you imagine my delight when I found these last year?
a LLBean boot with a belted buckle across the vamp.
I love them better than the lace up kind or the mocs...and I lurve them....
I don't know exactly how old this style is...that resembles an Engineer or motorcycle boot....I'm gonna guess 80s or 90s tho.
And that's the deal with The Classics.
Because the style changes very little over time, it can be hard to date.
At the very bottom of this post is a little video to watch of the real LLBean factory right here in the USA.
Here's more more more on the Pepper Spraying Cop and the 'shopped photos that ruled the internetz for a few days, and has its own tumbler....
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