PONY'TUDE Approved: L.L. Bean
Yes, I know what you're thinking, L.L. Bean is not an equestrian company.
But they do happen to make The Best Barn Jacket In The Universe:
The L.L. Bean Men's Warm-Up Jacket is quite possibly the best piece of outerwear I've ever owned. It's the perfect weight - I can wear it over a single layer when the temperatures are more mild, or add several layers underneath when the mercury starts to drop. The nylon shell is water & abrasion resistant, and stands up to the daily grind of riding and barnwork. However, it isn't "crinkly" or "swishy" like other nylon jackets, and the cuffs and banded bottom are soft stretchy cotton. I love the boxier, longer fit of this men's jacket because it's so comfortable and versatile. The body is lined with soft fleece, and it's basically the world's most perfect barn coat.
You can imagine my great sadness when the zipper on my L.L. Bean Warm-Up Jacket busted a few weeks ago.
I was all set to take the coat down to my local tailor shop to have the zipper replaced when my friend mentioned to me that L.L. Bean guarantees all their products 100%, and would probably replace the jacket for me.
FOR REAL?
I contacted customer service, and lo and behold, they were more than happy to replace my beloved barn coat. PRAISE THE LORD. All I had to do was put it in a box, slap on a (pre-paid!) shipping label, and send it on back to Maine. Within a couple weeks, I had a brand new, absolutely perfect Warm-Up Jacket in my mailbox!
I am a very, VERY happy customer, and will certainly be buying from L.L. Bean in the future!
But they do happen to make The Best Barn Jacket In The Universe:
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| What was I thinking with that weird pointy hat?! |
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| Perfect for throwing on over your show clothes on chilly schooling mornings |
I was all set to take the coat down to my local tailor shop to have the zipper replaced when my friend mentioned to me that L.L. Bean guarantees all their products 100%, and would probably replace the jacket for me.
FOR REAL?
I contacted customer service, and lo and behold, they were more than happy to replace my beloved barn coat. PRAISE THE LORD. All I had to do was put it in a box, slap on a (pre-paid!) shipping label, and send it on back to Maine. Within a couple weeks, I had a brand new, absolutely perfect Warm-Up Jacket in my mailbox!
I am a very, VERY happy customer, and will certainly be buying from L.L. Bean in the future!
L.L. Bean FTW! You have some pretty smart friends ;)
ReplyDeleteI had one of those for years, that had been my mom's for years, in an epic kelly green, they are freaking indestructible. Yay L.L. Bean!
ReplyDeleteWhat?! Awesome!! Do they make it in a women's cut? I love everything you described, except a boxy men's cut.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they don't, BUT they do have a lot of great women's outerwear! And they guarantee EVERYTHING, so I'd give their website a look to see if there's anything that might work for you.
DeleteOh nice!
ReplyDeleteI have a down winter jacket from LL Bean that's AMAZING. Their stuff holds up so, so well.
ReplyDeletewow that's awesome- definitely great to keep a solid coat in rotation for as long as possible!
ReplyDeleteDude -- I can't believe someone else has finally discovered this magic. My barn jacket is the 1996 version (no, I'm so not kidding) in bright yellow (everything in my closet was dark blue or black & I wanted variety...I certainly achieved...um, something). That thing WILL NOT DIE. It is now old enough to vote & not a stitch is out of place. It has been dedicated barn/hiking jacket for 19 years. LL Bean is generally out of my price range (they were crazy expensive even back then, it was a gift from my mom), but they are not kidding when they say it's clothing for a lifetime. I've begged for it to die just because it's so...yellow. But it is insanely warm & even after two decades of machine washing, still largely waterproof. It was even mottled with various shades of creosote/mud/ground-in horse stains...but a recent experimental splash of Clorox 2 & OMG, it doesn't look like I found it in a dumpster anymore!! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/shadowfx01/Solaris/IMG_5432.jpg
ReplyDeletethis is my favorite barn jacket ever!!! have had mine for ages and my mom has had a couple in her history too :)
ReplyDelete