This evening, as I was putting it away, I caught a glimpse of the nearly worn off label embossed into the back side. Turns out it's a Coach belt, an old one, presumably from the days when that brand meant something more than trashy label encrusted sneakers and cell-phone covers.
Sometimes I turn up the good stuff by accident, without even knowing it. (Shameless bragging)In other news, the new goofy tote bag from L.L.Bean arrived recently. The label bears another pleasant surprise, the magic words: Made in U.S.A.
I knew the boots were still coming from Maine, but I wasn't aware they were actually making the old "Boat and Tote" up there. It may be too bad that American manufacturing of quality goods is so rare that finding it prompts a gleeful sort of surprise, but the bright side is that of all Bean's many products, two of the most iconic one's are still being done right.