L.L. Bean or The Aesthetics of the Afterlife

I happen to think L.L. Bean makes the best catalogs. I could never quite figure out why until recently. Their photos look like stills from a Sci-Fi/Utopian/Afterlife movie, like a cross-between Total Recall, eXistenZ, and The Island...in other words, L.L. Bean's look is contemporary Christian afterlife. Whatever it is, I find it strangely captivating. For one thing, their choice of models is blatantly more wholesome and down-to-earth than say a J. Crew or (obviously) an Ambercrombie & Fitch catalog; not to mention the fact that it's strangely exhilarating to see beautiful women dressed in such blatantly non-sexualized clothing. Considering the culture is inundated with images of women in lascivious clothing bent in the most revealing positions, I find this look...fresh. I'm not saying I like it or that I prefer it, I just mean to say that it's a less common look at this point.













Have a seat...forever.