I went to Wheaton College, a rather preppy place. Being a prep of the 80s myself, this was not a problem and I fit in pretty well. I didn’t have the money to back up my style, but I had the obligatory Tretorn sneakers and patent leather flats.
What I did not have was a pair of L.L. Bean boots. Man alive, did I covet those boots. I can’t remember how much they cost back in 1983 but it was more than I could afford on my meager wages as an assistant at the college library. And I wouldn’t ask my parents for the money to buy a pair as they were broke just paying their portion of my tuition. In a truly uncharacteristic manner for me, I went without the boots. Four years of college and I never pulled the money together to justify buying a pair.
I got my first full time job in January of 1988 and technically I could have bought the boots then. But I was living at home and saving for a wedding. Plus, I wasn’t surrounded by them anymore, the way I had been while at Wheaton. And then came the very snowy winter of 1989. My boss at the time, who was also a very good friend, suggested we order boots from Bean. I was married by then and, while money was tight, at least it was my own. So Diane and I each ordered a pair of L.L. Bean boots. We had them shipped to the library and I still remember the day they arrived. I was so excited to finally have them, after having wanted for them for such a long time, that I put them on and wore them around the library for the rest of the day. With a dress. I looked like a fool but I didn’t care, I was just so happy to finally have these boots.
And you know what? They were worth every penny because 18 years later I still have them. They are in fabulous condition, practically like new despite the fact that I’ve worn them a lot. I wear them every time it snows but this year I haven’t had the opportunity much. Paired up with hand knit socks they keep my feet warm and dry – I even wore them to New Hampshire Sheep and Wool last year in the pouring rain. The rest of me was soaked but my feet? Dry, dry, dry. Warm, warm, warm.
When I wear them to work I still leave them on all day. But at least now I wear them with jeans and not a dress.
I coveted a pair of those myself and also finally got a pair after I had a steady paying job. I really wanted to love those boots, but when I slipped them on they hurt. It turns out the seam where the rubber and leather meets digs horribly into my foot. I tried a different size, but still the same issue. Maybe they’ve changed the fit a little over the years or maybe my foot will not hurt now if I too wore hand knit socks with them- I should perhaps give them another try.
I remember those and sadly didn’t have them. I had knock-offs that just weren’t as good.
Wow. I reade “Tretorn sneakers” and was immediately transported back to my own college days. That’s it — I’m gonna be useless for the rest of the day.
Ah, memories!
Nice to arrive huh? They look good on your little tootsies 🙂
Never mind the bean boots…….aahhh…the Tretorns! I lived in mine. Every year I bought a new pair until I couldn’t find them any longer.
Brings me right back to days on the beach….sigh :-). Thanks for the memory.
Never mind the bean boots…….aahhh…the Tretorns! I lived in mine. Every year I bought a new pair until I couldn’t find them any longer.
Brings me right back to days on the beach….sigh :-). Thanks for the memory.
Holy cow – Tretorns! Those bring back memories. I also coveted the Bean boots in my youth.
I’m a Westerner and I have no idea what you’re talking about. But the boots look good for an Easterner and I’m hoping you have hand knit socks on under them.
Wheaton is such a beautiful campus. My husband proposed to me in the rotunda near the duck pond, so it’s a favourite in my world.
Those boots are in fantastic shape, obviously a good buy!
Bean boots…..aren’t they great? I’m kinda partial to my Sorels, but I love my Beans, too.
Fun story! The boots look so warm and toasty – and like Margene said, hope you are wearing some handknits underneath 😉
Oh, how I love L.L. Bean. I grew up not very far from the original store in Maine, and we wore lots of Bean gear growing up. As a matter of fact, my husband and I still order from them regularly. Their stuff lasts forever!
You know I am a big Bean fan from way back, wearing my double-layer long johns as I type, and even I am nice and comfy. I never had a pair of those boots, though. Temptation comes in various guises… first roving and yarn over at Margene’s, and now boots.
Oh, Carole, what a hoot. Put me down as someone who owned both the Bean boots and the Tretorns. In fact, I bought the boots on a midnight road trip up to Bean from MA while I was in college. Are they still open 24/7?
LL Bean should link to you on their site… are you sure you aren’t getting paid for that fabulous post on their reputation?
I, like Rachael, grew up near Beans and was always outfitted in Beans gear. Love that place!
Ahh…bean’s boots. I had the little shoe-version of those as a kid… and then as student. I loved them. I could slosh through so much with them on! I grew up wearing Beans’ flannel lined jeans (for the walk to school… then you roasted all day!) and wool sweaters. I love Beans. You KNOW there is a store in Burlington now, right? Not anywhere near as good as the Freeport store, but closer. I *heart* beans. I carried an LL Bean backpack all the way through college, every May, i would ship it back to them, torn, ripped and they would send it back fixed. Dan and I bought a tent from them and they shipped us a replacement one next day to a campground! when ours started to LEAK on the first day of a 10 day trip— talk about great customer service!
18 years is a long time to have the same boots. They still look brand new. And btw…I loved my patent leather flats!!
I have Bean boots too! Never go out of style.
My dad clobbers a pair every year!! Not the boots though…the shoes.
I love my boots…though they are not LL Bean…they are warm!
You know my great love for LL Bean totes — the boots, not so much. They hurt my feet. Now, my bluchers — that’s another story — I wore them out in college.
Now you’re making me even more jealous that I didn’t go to college since I have no clue what Tretorns are. But the Beans, yeah. I’ve always coveted those too. What a great testimony for the company – you should email them a link to your blog post! 🙂
Duck boots! Oh, how very much I wanted the shoe version of those back in school when all the cool kids had them. Never got ’em. Sigh. I did manage to get my Mum out of Kmart long enough for one pair of Tretorns during my high school career though.
OMG those boots! Not to play the age game or anything but those boots were the shizznit at my high school. I never owned a pair myself, but I do remember it was very much the fashion to wear them with long, wool skirts.
18 years is a long time to have a pair of boots! Someone gave me a pair of them a few years ago, but I only really get to wear them once every couple of years.
If I’m not mistaken, Wheaton went co-ed right after you graduated, right? Was there uproar among your classmates and other alumni? It must have been odd to leave your alma mater and have it change so drastically all of a sudden.
I have some similar L.L. Bean boots that I bought at least 10 years ago. They are in pristine condition. That’s true for almost every single L.L.Bean product I’ve ever purchased, and for the one thing that ever fell apart (a backpack, about 8 years later), I sent it to them and they repaired it. FOR FREE. There just aren’t that many companies of that caliber around.
makes me want to order a pair right now
i coveted those but growing up in NM i didn’t need them. my big covet now is the equestrian boots, you know: black, high, totally unnecessary…but calling my name.
Wonderful story! The things we treasure most are those that were the hardest to acquire. I feel the same way about a mega-old purse.
I still have my Bean boots from high school. So comfy, and there is no better footwear for mud season. I do need to send them to Bean’s for some restiching.
God bless Bean’s. Honestly, at least 85% of my wardrobe comes directly from Freeport. The stuff lasts forever, and it FITS.
Partially laced Bean boots worn with a skirt was practically a dinner-time uniform at the prep school I went to (because we were required to wear skirts to dinner, and the way to show disdain for that rule was to make it clear that all you had done was pull your rattiest skirt on, sometimes over jeans). I have to admit I always kind of hated my Bean boots, thought they were cold and clammy. Now that you can get them with Thinsulate, I’d re-consider.
Ah, Wheaton College…………..you were pretty preppy, I’d say.
I had a great pair of LL Bean Boots, but a dog ate the toe…………(may he rest in peace)
18 years! Now that’s a pair of boots. If I ever live in a wet or snowy climate again, I am going to order those right away! So glad you finally got your Bean’s!
When I was in college my mom sent me a surprise Valentine’s Day gift of some boots from LL Bean (not your particular style). It had been a particularly snowy year in Grand Forks and she knew I did a lot of walking between my on campus job and classes. Thanks for sharing your story of boots and reminding me of mine! 🙂
Funny you should bring up LL Bean. I’m currently trying to sew together a soft-sided instrument bag for my daughter’s mellophone. I wanted to use a heavy duty zipper so I turned to my son’s old, no-longer-used LL Bean backpack for the LL Bean zipper. Wow, you don’t know how well-made something is until you try to rip it apart. I broke two seam-rippers just trying to take the zipper seam out. DD will be sporting a instrument bag with the LL Bean logo on the zippers – I think it adds a little panache to the bag, myself.
I remember not being able to afford them either so I got a pair of knock-offs. Obviously I don’t have those anymore! Lucky you!!
I have this strange desire to log on to LLBean.com right now…
I remember my sister wanting a pair of those boots but my dad couldn’t afford them so she ended up with whatever knock offs they could find at local discount department store!
Never craved those, but I did not grow up in an area where they were not required or needed. But boy did I want a pair of red Capezio cowboy boots I ran into one day in a mall window. Geeze I still dream of those boots every once in awhile. The big prep shoes in CA were penny loafers and topsiders of freaky colors.
I do now have a pair of your LLB boots – I don’t know how old they are because my mother-in-law gave me her old pair. I’ve had them for the last seven years though 🙂
I do love pictures of you at work…lol.
Ayup. As a Vermonter I know those shoes well!
A Wheatie!!!
I didn’t have the Tretorns (I was a Converse Chuck punk-prep), but I did have the LLBean boots. Which no longer fit because my foot grew. Not that I need them much in Texas.
I had the low ones and we called them “duck shoes” but I guess preppy at UVA is different from preppy at Wheaton!
I think you should send a pic to LL Bean and become their spokesperson cause there is pretty much nothing around here that’s lasted 18 years and looks that good!
We called the low ones “Duck shoes”, too … maybe that’s a midwestern thing. And I saved and scraped so I could buy a pair.
Perhaps I’ll wander over to LL Bean and see what’s on sale ….
Love my Sorels, so I know how you feel. Nothing beats great New England use-boots.
nice boots, quality shows!
many many years ago, my family had dinner with a girl who had gone to wheaton college. she told us stories of going to classes in pjs, and having james taylor come over from his psych hospital to sing for them.
i never forgot it, her college experience sounded magical!
I never had Bean boots…I had purple high-top Reeboks ;o) I was ‘too cool’ to wear boots ’til I hit my rebel phase and lived in a pair of Timberlands and a jean jacket…ahhhh those were the days ;o)
I did get my first pair of Bean boots in college, needing them at the boathouse for crew practice. They were lace ups and have been resoled twice since 1982. After one of my sisters kidnapped that pair I got the Loungers, you know with the buckle now they need new bottoms. They are permanent residents in my mudroom. Enjoy!
i had some of those boots! i bought ’em from my first teaching job too—probably around 1979. but unfortunately, they neve fit right and rubbed my feet the wrong way. so i got me a pair of herman “survivors” that i’m still wearing after, er, well, more than 20 years.