LL Bean Hunter's Tote Bag: On Sale, as toted by Andre Leon Talley

Far be it from me to encourage unnecessary shopping. But LL Bean is having a Friends and Family Sale. 20% off if you have their Visa (I do); 10% off and free shipping if you want to use any old credit card. Code is LLBFRIENDS10. Good though Tuesday.

Normally, I scoff at a mere 10% or even 20% off. But LL has some items that NEVER go on sale. Like their Hunter's tote. I wrote about my tote search a while back; you can see my deliberations, plus a pic of the LL tote here.

I ALMOST got the camo tote (and was going to get orange monogramming, as suggested by Duchesse), but chickened out, and got plain old olive drab with black initials. I got the one with the zipper. It IS a great tote, except that the handles are a little short; I'd like the option of using it as a shoulder tote while traveling.

Embarrassing confession: I have become fascinated by the review sections on many websites. The customers definitely have distinct personalities, depending on the store. LLB customers are generally pleased, but very crabby about any perceived lapse in quality, as indeed they should be.

In the reviews for the tote (the non zipper version), there is a one that divulges the following W magazine-worthy tidbit:

A magazine-editor-friend-of-mine has this tote, and one day saw Vogue's Andre Leon Talley carrying the exact same bag in the elevator!

I wonder if ALT went for the camo, the black, or the olive?

I never heard of LL Bean till I went to college. I didn't understand why everyone had the same sweater and nightgown. But now their fame has spread far and wide, beyond the sphere of preppydom, to the point that every 3rd grader in my little town insists on one of their backpacks.

I resisted for a while, and finally bought one (navy) for Frugal Son. He uttered a sentence that has since become part of the Frugal Family lore: "I have reached a level of normality I never dreamed possible." Even then he knew I was pathologically frugal.

Meanwhile, 14 years later, he has his second backpack, which was replaced as per LL's guarantee about 7 years ago.

So, use the code if you see something you desire. Do you buy anything form the famous purveyor of preppy classic and not so classic?