Wednesday, May 13, 2009

LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters Back for Fall/Winter '10


Yesterday via Twitter, I sent the comments from my post about two LL Bean Norwegian Goodwill finds to Laurie Brooks and Mary Rose MacKinnon at LL Bean. Much to my surprise, Laurie quickly replied with a DM Tweet informing me LL Bean will resurrect the classic sweater for F/W ‘10. It will reappear in its original, 80% wool, 20% rayon, and, like the original, it will be made in Norway. Check out this photo from the F/W '10 look book.

They’re offering two versions of the Norwegian sweater: the Classic Norwegian Sweater (pictured here) available online, in the catalog, and in LL Bean retail locations across the country, and a three-quarter zip available exclusively in-store.

Brilliant move on LL Bean's part. These photos of my friend Edge do a good job of displaying the modern preppy appeal of the sweater and how its easily incorporated into contemporary outfits. Head to toe: Moscot Glasses, Vintage LL Bean Norwegian Sweater, Tom Brown Button Down, RRL Khakis, JCrew Wool Socks, and Common Projects Desert Boots.

Many thanks to Mary Rose MacKinnon and Laurie Brooks (AKA the twitter account LLBeanPR) at LL Bean for giving me the heads up about these sweaters and being loyal followers of A.R.T.

Update 5-15-09: The Norwegian Sweater will be made in the same exact vendor as the original. Advances in wool technology since the sweaters origins in the 70s allow the sweater to be made entirely out of wool, with no addition of Rayon.

16 comments:

brandon sargent said...

its on my list!

heavy tweed jacket said...

Great news! Glad I kept mine.

Foster Huntington said...

HTJ,
if you notice the knits in the new Norwegian go the opposite way as the vintage one. so the die hard bean fans will always know that you have the original.
Foster

greenjeans said...

Very cool. Now the only problem is waiting until it's cold enough.

NSW said...

I think edge looks better than the model, IMHO.

Foster Huntington said...

Just talked Got an Email from Mary Rose, The sweaters are going to be 129.
Foster

Memphis88 said...

Made my day! Also, what model Moscots is your buddy wearing?

Shaun said...

Looks like he is wearing the Lemtosh to me. I have pair myself. But is that really the reason they made the pattern the opposite way, to differentiate from the originals?

Foster Huntington said...

Memphis,
like Shaun said, they are lemtoshes in dark tortoise shell. I dont know why they changed the directions of the knits. i assume its because they want to differentiate between the old and new. any ideas?
Foster

Lesli Larson said...

I wish Filson were as responsive to my design/product suggestions as Bean is/was to your sweater tweets.

Good work. I sold my Bean Norwegian sweater on ebay (my first ebay sale) due to some unfortunate "monkey fit" shrinkage. Wonder if the new version of the Norwegian sweater will have an updated fit??

Anonymous said...

They should use your photos for the look book instead.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Even if it's not intentional, the pattern reversal is pretty great. You should help LL Bean bring the look book up to speed with your photography skills, but it may upset the senior citizen customers...

Unknown said...

I'm so excited...just ordered mine today.

LL Bean's response when I asked about its availability:

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for contacting L.L.Bean.

I was able to locate a Norwegian Crewneck Sweater for Men for $129.00. It is available by phone order only in colors Navy/White in sizes S through XXL. Please refer to item number 59266 if you wish to purchase. This sweater is 100% wool and created in Norway. I hope this information is helpful!

We look forward to hearing from you, Mr. Miller. You are a valued customer at L.L.Bean.

Sincerely,
Pamela H.
L.L.Bean Customer Service
800-441-5713

TK said...

Just found your blog through StreetEtiquette. Love the blog, but please update when you can! Looking forward to your next post!

-TK

ForGentlemen.blogspot.com

Smathers said...

A note about the sweater. Buy small. I'm 5' 11" and wear a size 40 sport coat and a size 39 shirt and after reading all the negative comments on the Bean catalog page about this sweater, I bought a small. Thank God. It billows oddly at the bottom, but is tolerable. A medium would be sized only for an aging baby boomer pushing 200 pounds and hoping to recapture his youth. Also, it's a little itchy so it's definitely a good sweater to wear with a collared shirt.