I have no convenient way of verifying this, but I’m pretty sure Beams Plus has been using the same model since at least 2014 (see: the Frisco Ivy collection). This isn’t a slight at all, mind you, he’s a perfect consumer proxy for the brand — there legit might be two of them, kind of like Meredith and Lisa on Real Housewives of Salt Lake, but I also have no concrete evidence either way so I’m leaning toward one (1) guy — and I don’t know how you find someone who looks more at home in Beams than Beams Dude does. He’s perfect, like if a tan corduroy blazer were a person*. Anyways, he’s back for the recently-released Beams Plus SS21 lookbook (along with some others), and this has all just been a protracted way of saying how grateful I am to have a rock like Beams Plus in my life. Is the world still a mess? Always. Is Beams Plus still great? Also always.
(*On the off chance you’re reading this Beams Dude, I’m sure you’re a complex individual whose whole-ass appearance absolutely doesn’t deserve to get reduced to “corduroy blazer” but I work with what I got.)
But clothing time. Because it’s Beams Plus, the preppy stuff hits hard, particularly the shrunken suit done in a tan and a navy, the kaleidoscopic patchwork Bermudas, the block-printed batik blazer, some easygoing polos, what seems like a perfect double-breasted blazer, and a Charlie Brown cardigan that I will physically fight one of you over if it comes to that. Also, if you like to turn your pants into figurative middle fingers, there’s a couple block-printed and patchwork pairs that will offend so many people in all the right kinds of ways. (And no one worry, the double-pleats are back.)
But also because it’s Beams Plus, the preppy stuff is interwoven with the best of the rest. There are strong workwear pieces, like the scoop-neck overalls and the navy blue jumpoff happening here. There are some GORP-lite staples, like their enduring anorak, multiple colorways of their six-pocket, and those cargo shorts with the drawstrings, which I’m shouting out as a sleeper now, mark it. And there’s also some vintage sportswear hits, military-inspired classics, irreverent redesigns (the tie-dyed, block-printed pullover stands out), and even some high-waisted culotte-y joints if you’re looking to take some big swings in a post-vaccine world.
And honestly, why not take those swings. We’ve been trapped inside for like a year now, cop up on some Beams and give yourself even more reasons to be excited for (late?) summer. Just leave that sweater alone.
Available through Beams on March 3, arriving at stockists like Lost & Found worldwide after that.
