Lands' End Canvas

[jhwendland]

Honestly have NO experience with their blazers, but I just wanted to chime in about LEC. Being a student, I haven't invested in a lot of those brands you listed, except J. Crew. For me, I think LEC offers very good compromise in terms of qualityrice ratio. Especially when their items go on sale, you can get some amazing deals. The Canvas line does offer more fitted clothes in comparison to their mainline. I have bought some chinos, shirts, and sweaters, and with all due respect to J. Crew, the quality was on par most of the time and even surpassed J. Crew (especially true when you are comparing chinos, LEC has much better quality for much cheaper). I have an athletic build, and the small in shirts fit well for me -- not tight or restricting, but looks fitted and plenty of room to maneuver for daily activities. Generally, I have heard good things about LEC blazers, but your milage may vary. I was surprised to hear that you are 5'11 and you wear a size 36R in suits...let me know how it works out for you, and do a fit pic you feel inclined!

Lands' End Canvas is definitely on par with J Crew as far as quality is concerned, although J Crew far outpaces them in terms of styling. Not sure if that's much of a compliment though.

 

[MSTRKRFT]



Lands' End Canvas is definitely on par with J Crew as far as quality is concerned, although J Crew far outpaces them in terms of styling.  Not sure if that's much of a compliment though.

I ended up returning the Oxfords/Poplins from LEC I bought a few days ago, because the Small sizes are bigger than the ones I have bought in the past. I hope this new vanity sizing is not the trend, because LE/LEC has the best qualityrice ratio I have come across when on sale. They can either keep the new larger "Smalls" and release an "XS" size or they better go back to the way it was! The weight/quality of the cotton oxfords (thick, hefty, rugged -- can take a beating for many years) was better than the ones I came across in BR/J.Crew, not to mention, at $25....it was a ridiculous value. If someone is a little taller and wider, I highly recommend picking them up in-store (they are having some special promo in the actual store, which is not available online). I stopped by J. Crew today, and their chino shorts felt cheap in comparison to the chinos from LEC (the fit was also slimmer). Also, the cotton that J. Crew is using on their shirts doesn't have as good a hand as the Supima cotton that LEC uses. Went to Express for the first time in my life (heard they had good sizes) and felt like retching when I felt the material and saw the colors of those 1MX (? I think that's what they are called) shirts -- super-hued and silly colors, how can you wear that in public and look even half-decent?

 

[Matt44]

Looks like LEC lost its own site -- now it seems to be a section of the regular LE site. Maybe they're throwing in the towel?

 

[sir edmund]

I saw that. I don't like the change. LEC isn't perfect, but it's been a nice option for me the last couple years. As someone said above, pricing is great, quality is usually good, and styling is hit or miss, but I've had a few solid pick-ups.

 

[xxxamazexxx]

Does anybody know how Lands' End (and Lands' End Canvas) is doing financially?

I love Lands' End, but every time I buy their stuff at the routinely discounted price I have a creeping fear that we're pushing them out of business. Their stuff is usually worth the full retail price, at least in term of quality, not to mention free shipping, excellent customer support, and the unbelievable return policy. Competitors are doing everything opposite of what Lands' End does to keep themselves above water; I fear that Lands' End is taking big losses just to be the 'good guy', but 'good' doesn't cut it in today retail environment and I wonder how long they can keep taking losses before Sears gives them the boot.

Three days ago I saw this surcingle belt that was discounted from $50 to $15 before I even knew it. Bought it and got it today and my conscience screamed because there is no way no one can make such a nice belt and sell it at $15. Not even Walmart. Seriously, what's the matter with Lands' End

 

[Peter1]



Does anybody know how Lands' End (and Lands' End Canvas) is doing financially?

I love Lands' End, but every time I buy their stuff at the routinely discounted price I have a creeping fear that we're pushing them out of business. Their stuff is usually worth the full retail price, at least in term of quality, not to mention free shipping, excellent customer support, and the unbelievable return policy. Competitors are doing everything opposite of what Lands' End does to keep themselves above water; I fear that Lands' End is taking big losses just to be the 'good guy', but 'good' doesn't cut it in today retail environment and I wonder how long they can keep taking losses before Sears gives them the boot.

Three days ago I saw this surcingle belt that was discounted from $50 to $15 before I even knew it. Bought it and got it today and my conscience screamed because there is no way no one can make such a nice belt and sell it at $15. Not even Walmart. Seriously, what's the matter with Lands' End

Good question --- I suspect that Lands End mainline still does a ton of business in the heartland. I think that Canvas and by extension LLB Signature never really connected with their target demographic, because the quality and styling aren't really at a higher level. don't get me wrong, I much prefer LEC and LLBS to anything on their mainline catalogs. I'm just not sure there are enough people who would rather buy Canvas than, say, the Gap or JCrew, out there.

I do own a number of pieces from both LLBS and LEC, and have been satisfied, but not blown away as I'd hoped to be. IMO the best strategy for LE would have been to invest in standalone brick and mortar stores but that's obviously a huge investment. Anyway, hope it continues for a couple of more years till I get rich and can afford to buy all Engineered Garments...

 

[xxxamazexxx]

Good question --- I suspect that Lands End mainline still does a ton of business in the heartland. I think that Canvas and by extension LLB Signature never really connected with their target demographic, because the quality and styling aren't really at a higher level. don't get me wrong, I much prefer LEC and LLBS to anything on their mainline catalogs. I'm just not sure there are enough people who would rather buy Canvas than, say, the Gap or JCrew, out there.

I do own a number of pieces from both LLBS and LEC, and have been satisfied, but not blown away as I'd hoped to be. IMO the best strategy for LE would have been to invest in standalone brick and mortar stores but that's obviously a huge investment. Anyway, hope it continues for a couple of more years till I get rich and can afford to buy all Engineered Garments...

My thought exactly. People would rather buy rock-bottom cheap stuff from the Gap or spend top dollars at J.Crew instead of going for something in the middle like LEC. To be fair, even that perception is misguided because in reality what LEC offers is near-J.Crew style and quality at Gap price. You don't get anything "in the middle" in terms of both quality and price at LEC, you get the full deal. And strangely that doesn't seem to resonate well with customers nowadays.

 

[shizlefonizle]

Just seems like a lack of awareness of consumers due to poor marketing

 

[cuponoodles]

Can anyone speak to their chino shorts? I've heard one or two good things, and I dig the 9 inch inseam, but wanted to see how they feel and fit.

 

[shizlefonizle]

Can anyone speak to their chino shorts? I've heard one or two good things, and I dig the 9 inch inseam, but wanted to see how they feel and fit.

I would say fit is similar to J Crew Stantons, maybe a tad bit slimmer. I think they are solid, prefer them over J Crew

 

[xxxamazexxx]

They are just about perfect to me. The fit is great, the fabric is substantial (not choking substantial, but it feels like it will last), and the detailing is just right (welted back pockets, coin pocket.) Plus it doesn't come washed like crazy.

 

[TheDroog]

I'm not worried at all about LE or Canvas financially. If you follow this thread all the way back to the early years, people have been asking over and over again how the company can possible offer J.Crew styling for Gap prices (and sometimes Old Navy prices). Fact is, LE hits the sweet spot on a lot of its items (polos, oxfords, etc.) and this is part of their corporate strategy. So is their awesome return policy, which keeps people coming back for more. And you can be sure they know about this thread, and are aware of what items people are talking about. My bet is that LE is doing fine ... it's Sears dragging down LE that would worry me if anything.

 

[xxxamazexxx]

I kinda dug up the history of Lands' End and found that many people were unhappy and doubtful when Sears bought it. Of course now the fear has proven unfounded because, as far as I can tell, Sears has given Lands' End a big boost in term of store presence and accessibility. If anything, I fear that if Lands' End doesn't perform to the expectation of Sears' shareholders they may sell it to someone else who will treat it worse.

 

[ChetB]

...

 

[MSTRKRFT]



Does anybody know how Lands' End (and Lands' End Canvas) is doing financially?

I love Lands' End, but every time I buy their stuff at the routinely discounted price I have a creeping fear that we're pushing them out of business. Their stuff is usually worth the full retail price, at least in term of quality, not to mention free shipping, excellent customer support, and the unbelievable return policy. Competitors are doing everything opposite of what Lands' End does to keep themselves above water; I fear that Lands' End is taking big losses just to be the 'good guy', but 'good' doesn't cut it in today retail environment and I wonder how long they can keep taking losses before Sears gives them the boot.

Three days ago I saw this surcingle belt that was discounted from $50 to $15 before I even knew it. Bought it and got it today and my conscience screamed because there is no way no one can make such a nice belt and sell it at $15. Not even Walmart. Seriously, what's the matter with Lands' End

You brought up the same question I had. I was in the store the other day and picked up a cambray gingham shirt in S that fit perfectly OTR for less than $10 on the Clearance section. I had just been to J. Crew earlier, and their cambray was not comparable, not to mention the price was much, much higher. This is not the first time I have gotten such crazy deals from LEC. Its astounding how they can offer the quality they do for the prices that some of the items sell for. I am sure they have a loyal customer base of the older generation on the mainline that buy a lot of products in the full retail. The return policy is absurd too. I really hope they don't succumb to the standard business model most of the other companies are using, because LE/LEC is truly unique.