The L. L. Bean Boat and Tote Bag

A few of the L. L. Bean boat and tote bags from my collection.

I have always had a sort of obsession with the L.L. Bean boat and tote bag. I love its sturdy construction, its adaptability, its classic style, and the fact that it can be monogrammed/personalized. I seem to never have enough of them. I even gave a boat and tote bag to each of my bridesmaids - monogrammed with their nicknames.

L.L. Bean catalog page from 1965 when the boat and tote was featured for the first time in its current form.

Originally designed as an ice carrier, the bag was bought and used by people to carry other things as well. It really took off in the 1960s when the tote was made smaller and red and blue trim was added.

Page from an L. L. Bean catalog from 1978

 The L. L. Bean boat and tote has become a beloved classic, a part of the lexicon of classic design and copied by many. 

Some of Michael Kors' favorite things from Harper's Bazaar 2012

 Michael Kors is a fan of the L. L. Bean camouflage tote. He has mentioned that it is one of his favorite things in articles in several magazines including Elle Decor and Harper's Bazaar where the image above came from. 

Photo of Gilles DuFour's collection of boat and totes from Beyond Chic, by Ivan Terestchenko, Vendome.

 Imagine how thrilled I was the other day when I was flipping through a book that a friend gave me called, Beyond Chic and saw the photo above of French stylist/designer Gilles Dufour’s Paris apartment and his collection of boat and tote bags! It made me feel much better about my obsession - so much so that I may have to peruse the Spring L. L. Bean catalog to see if there are any new styles that I should add to my collection....