How Menswear Is Elevating The L.L.Bean Look

It has been more than four decades since Procter & Gamble introduced the plaid-flannel-clad Brawny man, enough time for us to witness the birth (and eventual death) of the square-shouldered and suited-up Master of the Universe, the gelled metrosexual and the khaki-sporting normcore acolyte. And yet. Somehow the idea of the rugged outdoorsman—in his checked shirt, woolen trousers and hiking boots—still holds cultural sway. A number of designers this season, from Michael Kors to Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier to prince of street wear Alexander Wang, showed clothes that wouldn’t look out of place in an L.L. Bean catalog. Currently, on high-end menswear e-commerce site Mr Porter, you can find a subtly avant-garde loden-hued parka ($2,295) and a sweater that cleverly splices together cable and waffle textures ($730) from Japanese label Sacai. Bottega Veneta offers a supersoft, refined henley ($390) that would pair beautifully with its slim-cut, elastic-waist trousers ($590) that are garment-dyed to achieve a kind of dappled indigo effect. Need a shirt? Add in New York brand Battenwear’s patch-pocketed cotton flannel button-up ($205), woven rather stylishly from a mix of navy and black thread. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.