The Beauty of the Bean Bag

The Beauty of the Bean Bag

Written by Jake Silbert2 days ago in Stylell bean

Every few years, culture rediscovers the L.L.Bean tote bag, officially (and adorably) named the Boat 'n Tote. Every time it does, I say good: L.L.Bean's signature bag is probably the single greatest tote bag ever created.

L.L.Bean's tote so good that over 80 years after it was conceived as a method of lugging around ice blocks, we're still discussing its relevance while new generations come around to its simple brilliance.

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Anecdotally, I've been witnessing a real Bean Bag boom here in New York. Perhaps due to impressively overt ongoing demand for the derivative Trader Joe's tote, L.L.Bean's Boat 'n Tote is riding a wave.

Years after that whole Balenciaga Bean Bag situation, young people are still customizing their Boat 'n Totes with personalized embroidery — a service offered in-house by L.L.Bean — secondhand shops are slinging vintage editions, and the overt homages roll out en masse season after season, varying in form from paean to parody. Read more about it here.

Case Study: Patagonia Charlotte Doodle JazzCase Study: Patagonia CharlotteCopy linkFacebookEmailNotesMoreBlake SuarezApr 22, 2025Doodle JazzCase Study: Patagonia CharlotteCopy linkFacebookEmailNotesMore3Share

Nearly every Patagonia employee in Ventura received an email from me between 2006—2010. Their ethos of environmental stewardship and sustainability was unlike any other business I’d heard of, and they’ve stayed true to that goodness.

My first response came from the wonderful Michelle Rozo, art director for apparel graphics, about two months after I graduated. I had a little more work to show by then and she asked me to sketch a few kids’ graphics and a logo tee.

Ahem… at that time I didn’t know ‘logo tee’ meant riffing on their iconic Fitz Roy peaks in some fresh and stylized way. Read more about it here.

THE DOUBLE RUNNER’S HIGH < BACK TO ALL ARTICLES Possessed Magazine GUIDE Possessed Magazine

THE DOUBLE RUNNER’S HIGH

Thai Richard

Thai Richards

The Double Runner’s High by Samutaro for Possessed

The notion of the runner’s high has long been lorded in running but a growing number of athletes are combining cannabis to elevate their running regiments.

Marijuana culture has been completely revolutionized over the past decade. It’s less the image of a lazy, overweight stoner who sprawls on the sofa for hours surrounded by a haze of smoke and half-eaten snacks, and more like an Equinox gym member who drinks cold-pressed juices and has a really nice looking vape pen.

“What cannabis does is it just elevates characteristics or personality traits you alreadyhave.”

Avery Collins, professional mountain trail runner

As marijuana becomes more accessible and popular, an increasing number of athletes are opening the discussion of cannabis use and the wellness benefits it has on their training. Although there is no evidence that it’s a performance enhancing drug, THC—the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana—and its connection to exercise has become a hot topic for research with many looking to uncover the science behind it. Read more about it here.

Inside the Long, Strange Trip of the World’s Best LSD

It was the namesake of Augustus Owsley Stanley III, as eccentric a figure as has ever proweled the American underground. Wiry, furry, and proudly carnivorous, he also answered to “Bear.” He was ostensibly known for his work as an audio engineer, having designed sound systems for the Grateful Dead. (He also designed the band’s iconic skull-bisected-by-a-lightning-bolt logo, and inspired the Dead’s just-as-ionic “dancing bear” mascots.) Equally crucial to the band’s creative output was Owsley’s work as a chemist, leading a piebald crew of flower children who cranked out some 5 million doses of LSD into the world, turning on everyone from Jimi Hendrix to John Lennon. Even the reports of the Orinda bust doubled as both a coronation and premature abdication. “Stanley is known throughout the west,” one paper reported, making him sound like some neurochemistry cowboy, “as the King of Acid.” The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole. Read more about it here.

Grandparents Are Reaching Their Limit Illustration by Rose WongFamily

Grandparents Are Reaching Their Limit

Older Americans might be doing more child care than ever.

By Faith HillApril 13, 2025 ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:0021:32

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration. Listen to more stories on the Noa app.

Elena and her husband had plans for their retirement. They wanted to move to Wyoming; to meet new people, volunteer, hike the snowy, perfect Tetons. Read more about it here.

The ‘Chaos Gardening’ Method Is Perfect for People Who Love Flowers Without All the Work

The 'Chaos Gardening' Method Is Perfect for People Who Love Flowers Without All the Work

If you like cottage gardens but aren't thrilled with the upkeep, this gardening style may be for you.

By Lauren Thomann Lauren Thomann Lauren Thomann is a developmental editor for Real Simple as well as a freelance writer and antique dealer. Real Simple’s Editorial Guidelines Published on April 08, 2025 In This Article Close Photo:

Jacky Parker/Getty Images

“Chaos gardening”—an uncurated practice of throwing a bunch of seeds down in soil—has gone viral in recent years for its practicality and accessibility. For those who dream of having a sweet-smelling flower garden, but find traditional gardening intimidating, don’t sweat—this method is something pretty much anyone can try. Read more about it here.

How a ‘Beginners’ Mindset’ Can Help You Learn Anything

Credit: Surf Simply

Tom Vanderbilt’s fascination with the process of life-long learning began with his daughter’s hobbies: piano, soccer, Tae Kwon Do. At no point did he hope to fully master the abilities or to show off his prowess with an extraordinary feat, such as winning American Idol. 

“As adults, we instantly put pressure on ourselves with goals,” he says. “We feel like we don’t have the luxury to engage in learning for learning’s sake.” Instead, he wanted to revel in the pleasure of the process. 

Vanderbilt details his journey in his January 2021 book Beginners, which combines his own personal revelations with the cutting-edge science of skill acquisition. As she exercised her mind, he would answer emails, play with his phone or stare into space until his daughter had finished. 

He soon recognised the hypocrisy of the situation. “I was impressing upon her the importance of having a broad education in all these different skills,” he says. “But she might have easily asked me, ‘Well, why don’t you do all these things then?’”  

Starting with chess lessons, he decided to spend a year pursuing a range of new skills himself. Read more about it here.

A brain drain would impoverish the United States and diminish world science

Europe has been a source of researchers for the United States for much of the past 100 years Credit: Samuel Corum/Getty

You have full access to this article via your institution.

For decades, one country more than any other has been a magnet for global research talent. USA 21, e2321322120; 2023), it would be surprising if the United States didn’t win science Nobels in any given year.

Many countries have tried to emulate this model of science-led growth, and to stop the ‘brain drain’ of talent to better-resourced laboratories in the United States. The United States became the world’s science and technology power by funding students and researchers not only from inside its borders, but from around the world, to study, experiment, innovate, found companies and scale them up. Read more about it here.

Grand Cayman’s Palm Heights Hotel Has Major Design Flair—And A Fetish For Books LifestyleArts

Grand Cayman’s Palm Heights Hotel Has Major Design Flair—And A Fetish For Books

ByPaul Jebara,

Contributor.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bringing a dose of sophistication and polychromatic whimsy to the white sands of Seven Mile Beach, this brilliantly revamped 50-key hideaway has quickly earned an exalted status among design lovers seeking respite in the Caribbean.

Interior views of the hotel's two-bedroom beachfront terrace.

Brooke Shanesy

There were several factors that inspired Khalil to choose Grand Cayman for her first foray into hospitality: “[The island] is especially unique within the Caribbean due to the level of diversity, with over 100 nationalities living on the island despite a population of only 60,000,” she says. “The combination of all these factors was extremely compelling.”

With understated decadence and spirited nods to Seventies-era West Indies, Palm Heights would eventually emerge as one of the most desirable design and art destinations in the Cayman Islands. Paul Jebara writes on design, art and travel from New York.Follow AuthorMar 31, 2021, 06:04pm EDTShareSaveCommentThis article is more than 4 years old.

Palm Heights is a design lover's paradise-found filled with a spectacular curation of global finds, … Read more about it here.

The Surprising Cause of Hawaii’s Snorkeling Deaths Published:  Apr 2, 2025 Updated:  Apr 3, 2025 Jen Murphy (Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images) Comment Share Share to Outside Feed Create a new post with the article attached Copy link Email Share on X Share on Facebook Share on Reddit

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. When I slip on fins, a mask, and snorkel and dive into the ocean, another world reveals itself: green turtles munching sea grass, neon-hued parrot fish and wrasse darting between colorful corals, and during certain months, a symphony of humpback whales.

The captivation of seeing sea creatures up close explains why snorkeling is so popular. Subscribe today.

Hawaii’s tumbling waterfalls, craggy lava fields, and palm-shaded beaches are undeniably enchanting. Read more about it here.