you gotta fight for your rights....

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....

White people are funny but I love my jeans....

Trad style, heritage brands, Ivy League style, Preppy....it's coming back around.
I don't think this time the ascendancy of "rich boy" sartorialism has to do with the adulation of The Rich, like it was in the 80s...
And we know how trying to act like we was Rich has ended....Now we're all poor. But when I say...We, I mean, Not me. I don't act rich ...I abhor logo anything, unless that logo is on a pair of worker jeans, or a classic American style.
This time, like the first time when these clothes began, this quality, the traditional brands and the understated style, are meant to last a long time....They are dependable. And that is a conservative value everyone agrees on, I'm sure.

And ...trad style looks cool because it doesn't have to try hard ;-)
Like Cool Ray sunglasses...cool.

Since white people with money are funniest when they pretend to be down with the 'hood....I gift you this video.....





 Finally tired of cheap Fast Fashion, perhaps Americans are ready for clothes that are classic, always look good, are made of quality fabrics that are sturdy, zippers and buttons that work well over the long haul.

The classics never go out of style.....So making them the basics of your wardrobe is an idea that is back in style!  They're not boring...and most of their charm comes from the fabric that good quality clothes are made from....Excellent fabric looks better and is simply all-around a choice you'll never regret.......
And rotten clothes...bad fit, cheap lack of quality...trendy goofiness....Our closets tell the tales.
The first clothes I remember are jeans, and the second I remember is a sailor shirt in big red gingham. Then there was the black and white saddle shoes...the plaid skirts and Peter Pan blouses my mom bought for me as a little girl. I loved them, but I adorned them with lace tablecloths, gaudy rhinestone jewelry and velvet curtains. Why clothes are so important to me, I don't really know.....Maybe it's that I'm extremely sensitive to touch, sound, smell and feel...not to mention...mood.

The most important thing in my wardrobe always has been and probably always will be... is Levis. The best. And originated in San Francisco.


So, denim. The kids today are calling it Double Denim, which is incredibly stupid. Don't try to fancy me up..It's a Canadian Tuxedo, or a Texan Tuxedo if you're Canadian, G.W. Bush. It's kinda silly unless you are actually working. I love denim as an accent or base for any kind of ensemble.

Classic denim wrap skirt by that American prep/sportswear designer Calvin Klein......we all remember the Brooke Shields kiddie p0rn commercials......."Nothing comes between me and my Calvins"   ....and of course...in Back To The Future, Marty's mom thinks Marty's name is Calvin Klein because it's written on his underwear.....And the Kermit the Frog parody of a Calvin Klein ad.

Coming to my etsy shop...very very soon, like tomorrow (If not already there.....)
 Ralph Lauren linen skirt.....he deserves at least a whole post just for his design credo....always a personal fave...

Fun fab 80s Chestnut brown leather boots...back when even middle-brow stores carried a good quality leather boot....Don't even think about getting something like this at Payless or WalMart......though this pair has no brand stamp anymore, they are a really nice pair of boots.

Penny Loafers ! always nifty, and never worn with socks...Ha. just saying...
These are by Bass, the style is Weejuns. Someone needs to stick a penny in those coin holders!!
I remember when I was handed 2 pennies as a kid and told to put them in my shoes....so..........
I put them inside my penny loafers where my feet went. The old folks got a good laugh at an earnest little kid that day!
Bass is another late 1800's American company that was old East Coast...in the same n'hood as LLBean (the East Coast was a shoe makin' American powerhouse)...tho these are made somewhere...the quality is super and the leather is sooooo soft.

bean me up Scotty

If it has leather and a buckle I'm
probably wearing it......
I have worn out a few pairs of LLBean 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.....I adore these:
But these are really my LLBean Boot heartthrobs........




So can you imagine my delight when I found these a few days ago?
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.......

Maine Hunting Shoe
L.L.Bean Inc.
Freeport,ME.
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.



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........
The Pacific Northwest, the West Coast has its own style......
Oh sure these are from Maine...a shoe factory in PNW? Quite a few along the West Coast tho.......Magdesians, Kimel, Fleuvog.......West Coast Shoe Company, Nike...er not.

But Danner in Portland will recraft their fine boots just like LLBean.......



These LLBean shoes are so darn cute.....they have everything I love in sweeeet footwear....quality name and materials....cute cute cute overload style....
rubber and leather......just what a gal needs for a rainy Pacific Northwest day..

and bonus...pick your favorite colorway....here's just 3 choices......


These Coffee and Chocolate are my faves.........