The weather is still pretty nice, so I almost hate to think about wool and goose down. But as you all know, if you wait too late in the season to find that perfect coat, you end up with some puffy jacket in mustard yellow with green trim. Don't ask, darlings, it was a horrible outerwear nightmare.
I now know better. Much better. But I still find myself dithering between the stadium coat at
Lands End and the faux shearling at
LL Bean. Over the years, I've ordered more stuff from LE than LL, so I guess it's my favorite by default. LL Bean has more online traffic and is probably better known, according to this
analysis. But I figured in the interest of fairness, I would do my own side-by-side comparison. So here goes:
Catalog: √ Lands End has great scenery and smiley people plus hot models
LL Bean has great scenery and smiley people, but the models seem older
Web site: √ Lands End's site is updated frequently with a rotating lineup of hot models and cute kids
LL Bean has a slide show, but the photos are small; the kids
are still cute - and the dogs, too
Service: Lands End orders can be returned at Sears stores, but otherwise you pay return postage
√ LL Bean orders can be returned at their stores, plus you can ship it back for free; they also have free shipping for the holidays
Products: √ Lands End has more trendy clothes plus a virtual model you can dress up
LL Bean has great staples and reliable clothing you can wear for years, but who wants to wear fleece forever?