Last year (was it just last year?!) the notion of the “coastal grandmother” took hold across the internet. It resonated with a lot of people—hence the ubiquitousness of shopping roundups featuring bucket hats and oatmeal linen pants—but I’ll admit it didn’t quite speak to me.
Sartorially, my octogenarian aspirations veer more “coastal grandpa,” although this mythical grandpa does not reside on any stateside waterfront. He lives on the coast in England (Cornwall, maybe? I’m kinda weak on British geography) and has ruddy cheeks and wears a lot of tweed and rambles along misty country paths with his trusty walking stick and devoted black Lab named Shadow.
That’s probably why I’m drawn toward English country attire—Barbour waxed jackets, Holland Cooper trench coats—but last week, while I was sitting in sunny Florida with my family, I somehow stumbled across L.L. Bean’s Fall 2024 collection of sweaters that tugged at my coastal grandpa heartstrings, and proceeded to add all of them to cart. I felt a little ridiculous ordering a bunch of sweaters from a Florida beach house—it was a sweltering 90-something degrees—but they’re sooooo good and feel so vintage and I could be wrong but I seem to recall the company selling out of its fall finery crazy early last year.
Anyway, I tend to be a bit picky about fit, so I ordered a variety of the mallard and hunting dog sweaters in men’s and women’s sizing, and found the men’s size small to best suit my tastes. (I’m 5’9″ and a lot of women’s sweaters tend to be too short/boxy.) In person, these sweaters feel especially heirloom-quality, and kind of remind me of the iconic Mary Maxim sweaters we’ve featured in Country Living. (If you don’t know Mary Maxim, get on eBay right now.)
The word has already spread across our staff—it turns out we’ve got a lot of British grandpas around here—but seeing that I’ve already selfishly locked down my sweater-weather wardrobe for 2024, I felt compelled to share my finds with you all so someday we can meet up in matching attire and toast our internet purchases at a cozy little pub in Cornwall, perhaps? Cheers!
Claim Your Fall Sweater
L.L.Bean Men’s Signature Organic Cotton Rollneck Sweater
L.L.Bean Women’s Duck Boot Cardigan
L.L.Bean Women’s Signature Original Cotton Sweater
Rachel Barrett is the Editor-in-Chief of Country Living. She can’t pass up a vintage seascape, drives an ’89 Woody Wagoneer (that is, when it’ll start), and hopes to buy you a lemonade at a future Country Living Fair.