Not Your Mother's Land's End

We must admit that since the late '90's, we've equated Land's End clothes with this:

So we were shocked to flip through their most recent catalog and find that Land's End had morphed into this:

Hip, bright colors? Slim jeans? Modern cuts? It looks like Land's End has reinvented itself much like L.L. Bean recently did. Sure these clothes aren't fashion forward, out-of-the-box clothes you'd wear on a night on the town, but in terms of classic, day-to-day basic,s a lot of the new Land's End pieces remind me of J. Crew, but at 1/3 of the price.

Here's the same jacket we mentioned yesterday- the Dory Trench. Select colors are on sale for $54.50! Both of the MoS girls love their Burberry quilted jackets, and we love Land's End's sophisticated twist on this traditional pice. The belt keeps it from looking too boxy, and we love the flaps and buttons over the shoulders (we're sure there's a more technical name for this!). It comes in a slew of colors and would be equally at home in the city or the country.

We also love the Dory Down Vest with faux fur trim, even though the way it's styled in the photograph with the hood closed reminds us of Kenny from South Park! Down vests are so cozy and comfortable, a total weekend staple.

Can you tell the Land's End coat from the J Crew one? One costs $169 and the other $298. The Land's End Wool Car Coat is on the left, and the J Crew Double Cloth Lady Coat is on the right.

How sophisticated is the pleated back of this Sun Shower Swing Coat? Finally a rain coat fit for the office.









We'd definitely wear this Sleeveless Pleated Ponte Knit Dress to work.

We love the concept of this 3/4 Sleeve Boatneck Ponte Dress- it even has buttons on the sleeves which are a special touch. Can't tell if the fit might be a bit boxy though...

Land's End still has a ways to go in updating their shoe department, but these Favorite High Heel Shoes are a great start. I remember being so proud of the faux Birkenstocks I ordered from Land's End in high school...my how times (and luckily, my taste) have changed!

Land's End has long been a source of quality, reasonably priced cashmere. Their regular prices are great, but you can usually find it in the overstocks section too, like this Cashmere Crew Sweater- on sale for $79!

We get a distinctly Tory Burch vibe from this Regular Fine Gauge Rib Tipped V Neck Sweater, don't you? From the color to the cut to the contrast trim. Reminds us of Tory's Simone Cardigan (right).

These Modern Pattern 1x1 Rib Crew T-shirts come in a myriad of color combinations. We love stripes all year round and might have to make these our new layering tee. We'd love to put the yellow Dory vest over this shirt.

There's nothing better than waking up on a chilly morning and throwing on an oversized, yet chic, sweater. The comfort level of sweats, but infinitely more fashionable. We'd love to pair this Feelgood V-Neck Cardigan Striped Sweater with skinny black pants for work, or with jeans on the weekend. 

Never fear- Land's End does still have mom jeans in stock, but they also have these lovely UltraFit Audrey Slim Jeans. These remind me a lot of the J Crew Matchstick jeans.

For everyday pants we'd love to try these Audrey Slim Sueded Pants. They seem like a happy medium between casual jeans and more dressy wool pants you'd wear to the office. Again, much like J Crew's mini pants or cafe capris.

Love them in yellow too!

For those of us feeling adventurous how about this classic, cozy Feelgood Yarn Cable Aviator Hat?

Or if you're lucky enough to be heading south this winter, snap up this Printed Lawn Shirt Dress Cover Up- on sale for $19.

Finally, Land's End has always had great home basics like towels, and now they've added some chic pillow covers to the mix. We love this Velvet Applique Pillow Cover that comes in a variety of colors.

Finally, keep in mind that if you order something from Land's End and need to return it you can always return it to any Sears store next time you're at the mall. We also recommend Land's End for men- their non-iron dress shirts are a great, less expensive alternative to the Brooks Brothers version. They make non-iron shirts for women but I've never tried them myself- does anyone have any experience with them?

What do you think of the new Land's End? Are you willing to give it a try or will it forever by synonymous with high waisted jeans and tankinis? We'll report back once we place our orders...