The trees are in bloom, and lunch is al fresco today.

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“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.

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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

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Wear it, share it. Is there a creative way you like to wear your pareo that isn’t shown here? Post your photos on our Facebook wall. (You never know – you could even be featured on our blog.)

Long or Short Skirt
The quickest and easiest option, it’s ideal for hiding hips while showing as little or as much leg as you want.

Bandeau Dress
Shows off your beautiful neckline, elegantly hides any lower “trouble” zones.

Crossover Halter Dress
Provides more coverage on top while adding drama to your neckline. Keeps your middle under wraps too.

Twist Front Halter Dress
A little more playful, it brings modern style with secret sensibility – balancing a fuller bust, softly shading hips or a little tummy bulge.

One shoulder Dress
It doubles as a dress to instantly transition from pool to party mode.
Note: requires a bit of flexibililty or you may want to ask your BFF to help.

Shrug
Flowy and carefree, it hides those little imperfections gracefully and tastefully.

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The post Pareo Tying 101 appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

First Date
“They work well for taking lunch along…”

The Big Day
“We purchased this one as a bridesmaid gift…”

It’s a Boy
“I give this bag as baby gifts. Pink for girls and blue for boys, monogrammed with the baby’s name.”

Freshman Move-in
“Perfect graduation gift!”

Golden Anniversary
“For the beach we love having pockets for sunglasses, suntan lotion, paperbacks and other doo-dads…”

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The post On Our 50th Anniversary, A Canvas Tote That’ll Be Around For Yours. appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

We learned that in England, a sweater is called a jumper. And that in Japan, customers are crazy for embroidery – over 60% of the polo shirts we send out have a gymnast, dolphin, flag or other insignia on the chest.

But what happened in Germany tops everything. It had to do with our unequivocal guarantee – Guaranteed. Period.® – which is the very foundation of the way we do business.

You see, our founder Gary Comer didn’t believe in fine print. He believed in doing business in a fair and open-handed way, and doing whatever it took to provide 100% satisfaction. Like offering a guarantee with absolutely no limits.

So naturally, when we mailed out our first catalogs in Germany, they contained our Guaranteed. Period promise of satisfaction, inviting our new German customers to return anything at any time, for any reason, if they were not completely satisfied with what they’d ordered from us.

Well, much to our surprise, the bratwurst hit the fan. A group of 1600 German merchants called The Association Against Unfair Competition sued Lands’ End, claiming that our unconditional guarantee violating a German law that banned retailers from offering gifts to lure customers.

It wasn’t just neighborhood merchants fuming and sputtering. “There are a lot of huge companies who are hiding behind this association,” said Frank Kriegl, at the time our marketing director in Germany.

Lands’ End refused to back down. In fact, we launched an advertising campaign to win supporters to our just cause. Ganz Deutschland ist eine Servicewueste? asked one ad. Is all of Germany a service wasteland?
Alas, the merchant association won their suit when the German Supreme Court ruled that our promise was indeed a violation of German law. But still, we wouldn’t back down.

Phil Young, our European managing director, stressed that the ban would not affect how we treated our German customers. “This antiquated law will no longer allow us to communicate our guarantee to our German custom-ers,” said Phil, “but regardless of this, every single product we sell in Germany will be backed by our guarantee.”

We began running cheeky ads elsewhere in Europe, with headlines like:
“Introducing a guarantee so good the Germans banned it.” In Germany, we just blacked out the “guarantee” part of our ads, stirring up even more interest in the whole brouhaha. And in 1999, we launched the German version of our web site, which couldn’t mention the guarantee, but linked to a separate site that did. German customers began rallying to our cause.

The Association Against Unfair Competition was clearly on the wrong side of the fight, especially as the age of internet shopping picked up steam. Eventually, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s government revoked the antiquated 1932 law prohibiting discounts, rebates and lifetime guarantees.

Just like that, the great Guaranteed. Period. controversy in Germany was kaput. We began telling our complete and unexpurgated Lands’ End story again. And our business has been growing in Deutschland ever since.

The customer is always right, as Gary Comer might say.

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In those days, the airlines let you check two bags and carry on one more – no charge. Which is how I ended up with one (large) suitcase filled with nothing but shoes. And received a hard lesson in why they call it “luggage.”

Thirty years later, one of my favorite games is to see how minimally I can pack, so the airlines don’t get any more of my money than is absolutely necessary. I call it the “Check-free Challenge.” The goal is simple: to pack everything I need for a long weekend (or even a week) in a rolling carry-on that fits in the overhead, and a shoulder bag that goes under the seat. Sound impossible? Not if you follow a few simple guidelines:

1. Pick one color. Neutral is best (black and navy are personal faves), but if you have a particular color that comprises a lot of your wardrobe, go with that. The key is to make it a color you can coordinate. Establishing a base color simplifies everything – right down to your accessories.

2. Keep the coordinates simple, too. If you have navy pants and a navy skirt, you can mix in tops in lots of other colors: white, red, turquoise, hot pink. Pick one or two and go with them. Stripes or prints add interest. Knit tops pack small.

3. Pack items that do double duty. A swim cover-up can work as a dress, a knit tunic or even a nightgown.

4. Keep the footwear assortment simple. Wow – typing that is hard. But I got it down to three pairs of shoes on my last trip – from the full suitcase of years ago. I’ve become a huge fan of tan or beige shoes. They pretty much disappear on your feet – so they go with everything. Follow the “double duty” principle here, too. A pair of cute little soft-soled flats (like Gatas) can be worn while sight-seeing, taking a bike tour – or even golfing. (I never take single-purpose shoes on vacation, anymore – unless the trip involves a special event.)

5. Accessories take up almost no space, at all. Scarves, jewelry – even a crushable hat – can be tucked into your bag. They’ll help you get even more mileage out of your basic pieces.

6. Wear the heaviest (or bulkiest) stuff on the plane. If you think you’ll need a cardigan sweater or you want to take jeans, don’t pack them – wear them. And since the passengers are likely to be different, wear the same outfit there and back. Nobody will be the wiser.

Above all, plan what you’re going to take well in advance, so you can make sure everything’s clean and in good repair. Make a list. Be disciplined – don’t deviate. The mission creep that occurs during the pre-flight packing frenzy will cause nothing but trouble.

First and foremost, leave the shoe-filled suitcases to the princesses – who have others to carry them. Bon voyage!

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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.”

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Have a story or photos you’d like to share?
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The post Style From Coast To Coast appeared first on The Lands' End Blog.

And this is Anna.

Her drawing won the Grand Prize in our 2013 Earth Day contest for kids.

“You made her day…well actually, her year!” wrote mom Terri, also mentioning that Anna is wearing our school uniform polos.

Terri told us that not long before winning, Anna had donated ten inches of her hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss. It was Anna’s own idea.

Mom figures maybe the win was karma. Of course, Anna’s dad Lonnie is a Make-a-Wish volunteer. So maybe doing good things runs in these genes.

Either way, we’re extra proud to consider this family part of ours.

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