To all our dads out there. . .

Thanks for teaching us to respect others, turn the other cheek, not talk about a perfect game, balance a checkbook, understand the difference between want and need, ride a bike, drive a stick, throw a curveball and grill the perfect burger.

But most of all, for just being you – the best dad we’ve ever had.

Love,
All the sons and daughters of Lands’ End

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post Thanks Dad! appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

The Canvas Tote.

An iconic piece that has been a part of Lands’ End for over 40 years. Some have spent more time at the beach than David Hasselhoff. Others have been loaded with everything from kids’ toys to small dogs. One has even been used as a sea anchor to save a ship in distress from disaster. (True story – come read about it.)

And now that we make a wine tote for carrying one, two or even six bottles (sometimes it’s just one of those weeks), customers have been inspired to embroider some pretty witty messages that we’re sure have turned heads and gotten laughs.

Well done all you oenophiles.
Cheers to your originality.

How many mulligans do I get?
Front 9
Back 9

An ode to the grape. . .
Ferment
Me Not

I know that’s what my mom called it…
Mommy’s
Juice

And so did dad. . .
Papa’s
Punch

She knows what she wants. . .
Hers
Hers

Forget the cookies and milk. . .
Naughty
Nice

It’s good to have a routine. . .
Rinse
Repeat

We’ll clink our glasses to this. . .
Bride
Groom

The second one is for singing. . .
Wine
Wine-O

Guess it depends on the vintage. . .
Swigs
Sips

Six Bottle Canvas Wine Tote

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post Customer Creativity By The Glass appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

“Gabby sporting her Lands’ End Squall Jacket while walking to the beach in Norway.”

Not long ago we received an email from a Lands’ End fan named Jack Viorel. He wanted to share some pictures of his daughter loving her Lands’ End Squall jacket. In his email, Jack also mentioned he runs a small surf school called Indo Jax Surf School.

As big fans of all things aquatic, we wanted to see what Jack was up to. While “surfing” around his website, we were inspired on many levels. And especially at Jack’s motto.

“We are nothing if we don’t give back!”

Well said.

“Jack and Gabby enjoying a balmy Northern Norway afternoon on the Arctic Ocean.”

Last year, Jack and his daughter, Gabby, traveled the world (all 4 oceans!) providing free surf camps for children in need (or with special needs). They worked with orphaned children in India, blind children in Wrightsville, NC., autistic children in Northern Cali, and refugees in Northern Norway – to name a few.

And yesterday we received another email from Jack and Gabby. They recently returned from their 4^th trip to India.

“We surfed with nearly 100 orphan girls this year from 4 orphanages on both the west and east coasts of India.”

It sounds like the 2013 surf season is officially here for Jack and Gabby and we look forward to hearing more about their coastal endeavors throughout the next few months.

Here’s to a long, fun, beach season for everyone, everywhere in the creative, generous, inspired, endlessly fascinating Lands’ End family.

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post Surf’s Up For Kids Around The World appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

Dear Lands’ End,

I recently bought my two grandsons each a pair of white Canvas Slip-ons and bought myself a pair of your Mainstay Canvas Oxford shoes. I haven’t had a pair of what I call “plain ole sneakers” in years. All 3 pairs were just what I had been looking for.

One of the boys is a 7-year-old amazing hockey player; the other one is simply an adorable 4 year old who loves his dog Ranger more than he loves his toys!

Being an artistic “Nana” (I teach art in my home studio) the 3 pairs of shoes were just nagging at me (almost like a chant) to “paint me, paint me, paint me.” So I probably don’t have to tell you what happened after that.

The boys just love their fun, new sneakers. I haven’t even worn mine yet but just from the pictures, I’ve already gotten orders for them.

All I can say is, “Thanks Lands’ End!”

Oh, and when you have a moment take a quick look on the internet and see what hand painted shoes can cost. Now imagine what these are worth because of their quality!

Artfully,
Susan D.
Auburn, NY

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post “Paint Me, Paint Me!” appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

Tyler & Derek’s pre-workout ride on the Lands’ End bikes.

The Comer Center on our Lands’ End campus is home to much more than dumbbells and treadmills. There’s a cafeteria, an Olympic sized swimming pool, indoor track, racquetball courts, a Lands’ End employee store and two of the best (and funniest) trainers who have decided to make a run for a spot on The Amazing Race.

Come meet Tyler and Derek and see if they “got it.”

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post Tyler & Derek “Got It” appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post Style From Coast To Coast appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

The Lands’ End lighthouse has been intricately stitched on all Lighthouse Collection styles to symbolize our promise to be a beacon for what’s real.

Logo Evolution

Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
Email it to us at MyStory@landsend.com
(Please keep any images under 12 Mb.)

The post The Lighthouse Collection – A Beacon For What’s Real appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

When he was 10.

Three years ago when my wife and I moved here the first thing we did was introduce ourselves to the neighbors – so they could get to know us, and so we could pick their brains. Standard operating procedure for us since we’ve moved around a bit – plus it’s just good manners.

What are the best restaurants? Who’s the most reliable car mechanic? What the heck is a cheese curd? Where’s the best shopping? What’s winter like up here? Is there a good tailor in town?

We soon discovered that Wisconsinites (or Sconnies as I was told) are world-class chitchatters. I’d go as far as honoring them with the rank of “Black Belt in the Verbal Arts.”

During these lengthy Q&A sessions we received wide-ranging endorsements and recommendations. But one answer was consistent. If you need anything altered (from a wedding gown to an old Oxford shirt), you go see Gino at Monetti’s Tailoring.

Turns out I needed a suit altered for a wedding. So I visited Gino. While he measured and chalked, I practiced my chitchat skills, sharing with him that my first job was working weekends as an alterations boy at a men’s clothier. He smiled and said everything would be ready in a week.

The next Saturday I stopped by his shop to grab my suit and see if his skills lived up to the hype.
Gino had transformed my off-the-rack suit into something that fit like it was custom made on Savile Road. I became a believer.

Recently, I contacted Gino to see if he’d be interested in helping Lands’ End compare our Men’s No-Iron Pinpoint Oxford Shirt to a well-known competitor’s version. He was happy to help.

Prior to the video shoot, Gino and I sat down and chitchatted.

Randy: You definitely don’t have a Wisconsin accent. Where are you from and how did you end up in Madison?

Gino: I was born and raised in Italy – a little south of Naples. In 1986, I moved to New Jersey and worked in a few tailor shops before I opened my own. Then almost 11 years ago we moved to Madison. My wife is from here and we wanted to raise our kids in Madison. I’m very happy in Wisconsin but it’s quite a bit colder than southern Italy. I love the atmosphere, the people, making friends with my customers. . .

Randy: When did you start working in a tailor shop?

Gino: Oh, maybe when I was around 10. I don’t want to say my parents forced me to work but they didn’t want me hanging out on the streets with friends after school getting in trouble. So they got me a job at a tailor shop.  There were about 7 other kids in the shop helping out. Doing mostly hand sewing and taking seams apart. Basically getting to know garments inside and out. After finishing high school I started working full time in a few tailor shops to learn different skills – from making bridal gowns to custom shirts.

Randy: When did you recognize your talent for tailoring garments?

Gino: In my late teens – maybe 17 or 18.
I realized I could take a garment that was totally unfitted and alter it so the person would say, “Wow, this looks incredible.” That’s also when I started exploring different areas – working on leather and fur and wedding gowns to get the full experience.
But I prefer working on menswear and custom shirts and suits.

Randy: You’ve been a tailor for almost 40 years. Any interesting stories?

Gino: (Laughing) There’s some I can talk about and some I can’t. Working in a small town in Italy we had some “very formal customers” who were quite picky about what they wanted and how they wanted it. We made them some of the finest custom suits. . .suits that are probably still around today.

Randy: Mr. Monetti, I can’t thank you enough for taking time to talk with me. Feel like looking at a few shirts we brought with us?

Gino: My pleasure. Let’s see what we’ve got…

The post Stitching A Career Path From Italy To Madison appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

In early February of this year, the Lands’ End Shop at Sears in Burlington, Massachusetts (a bit northwest of Boston), took on a completely new look and feel.

Although we titled this post as a “rebirth,” some may call it a “facelift.” Others may consider it to be more like a “full body massage” or a “makeover.”

You get the point.

What the shop looks like now is like nothing you’ve seen from us before.

Why?

Because to be quite honest we’ve never taken on such an enormous redesign.

In mid-December of 2012, a small recon team of Lands’ End creative folks took a 24-hour trip to Burlington to scout the location. They took notes, pictures, dimensions, brainstormed ideas and then hopped a plane back to Dodgeville to get down to business.

Utilizing a large space in one of our distribution centers, Lands’ End’s in-house artists, store designers and craftsmen spend the next 45 days building a replica of what they wanted the Burlington Lands’ End shop to look like. Once the finishing touches were complete, everything was boxed up and packed onto a few 18-wheelers for a journey towards Plymouth Rock.

It took just over a week to reconstruct everything, and now that it’s all said and done, a truly unique Lands’ End store experience has been “reborn.”

The post A Spring Rebirth In Boston appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

While down there we had the opportunity to work with legendary model India Hicks and her daughter – who took quite an interest in setting up her own little photo shoot of her mom.

“Say Cheese”

Like mother, like daughter.

India, and her other half, David, have designed four West Indian style houses on the island, which have become hugely popular with fashion crews.  She owns The Sugar Mill Boutique (a treasure trove of eclectic finds), wrote a book called Island Life, has a fine jewelry line and oh yeah – she’s also raising four kids.

We also got to hang out with Ben – one of the coolest locals who had a knack for wrangling up unique props for us to use throughout the shoot. Ben was constantly on-the-go but always found time towards the end of the day to strap on his kiteboard and carve the shallows with his dogs in chase.

“Ben sporting a pair of our Lands’ End Board Shorts”

“Salty dogs”

“Waverunner”

While it may still look and feel like winter outside your window, we promise summer is on its way.

The post On Island Time. . . appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.