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Globe Editorial
Over the years L.L. Bean has adapted to changing fashion, but you’d almost need time-lapse photography to see the changes. By and large, the legendary Maine-based clothier has specialized in well-made items that won’t go out of style quickly - or ever - because they weren’t exactly in style in the first place. But in the age of “Project Runway,’’ even L.L. Bean is scrambling for more fashion cachet. The retailer is launching a “signature’’ clothing line, created by designer Alex Carleton, that replaces understated practicality with bolder designs and slimmer cuts.
Carleton’s other work offers some reassurance for the trend-averse: His own Rogues Gallery line is based in Portland, Maine. And while it offers more form-fitting options than the typical L.L. Bean catalog, it also abounds with navy blues and nautical motifs. Still, L.L. Bean should be wary of messing too much with its own time-tested formula. What people wear in New England has always been influenced less by Paris or Milan than by a changeable, often demanding climate. Fashion fads get old quickly, but pea coat season comes every year.
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