Maine’s rugged good looks mean the state is no stranger to fashion shoots, and this season J. Crew shoppers will find the Pine Tree State highlighted in the fall Style Guide.

At the back of the September J.Crew catalog, a 12-page spread features photos of models posed along the state’s signature rocky coast.

Additional Photos

Businesses often turn to Maine scenery when they want to project a wholesome image. This lobster dock is located in Friendship. Press Herald file photo

Headlined “Maine Attraction,” it goes on to say, “We headed north to Portland, Maine, where rocky bluffs and historic lighthouses provided the perfect backdrop for textured tweeds, all-American denim and natural leather. (The lobster rolls weren’t bad either.)”

Last year, J. Crew’s vice president of men’s design visited Maine for the first time and later used a catalog of Winslow Homer paintings, published by the Portland Museum of Art, as design inspiration for the spring 2011 line.

Maine is also getting some love from another fashion powerhouse. Designers from denim brand Levi’s recently visited three Maine companies and a school for inspiration. The Levi’s team visited China Sea Marine Trading Co., Salt Water Farm and Swans Island blanket company.

Levi’s published a video on YouTube, featuring footage shot at the Swans Island wool blanket manufacturing facility. The accompanying text says the fall collection “is steeped in authenticity and craftsmanship” and is “inspired by the ocean, coastal communities and their associated handcrafted traditions.”

The Swans Island blanket company, based in Northport, hand weaves and hand dyes high-quality blankets using local wool. In 1996, Swans Island won a Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft.

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com

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