Do you like L.L. Bean canvas tote bags or shopping at Ikea? The New York Times has nothing but scorn for you, at least to judge by two articles in Wednesday's paper.
On page three of the front section, the Times serves up this fashion advice to a reader who asked: "Can you recommend a stylish but very durable bag that can put up with the wear and tear that I place upon it?"
The Times's Isabel Wilkinson replies:
if you do opt for canvas, stick with black — like these from Herschel or Everlane — which doesn't appear as dirty as a khaki color, and looks slightly more professional than an L.L. Bean tote.
An L.L. Bean tote is now unprofessional, according to the Times?
Meanwhile, in the Food section, restaurant critic Pete Wells writes in his review of a new restaurant in the old Four Seasons space:
As a strict constructionist about the architecture of this space, I can't write about it without registering the loss of the lovely, understated modernist stemware, bowls and other pieces designed specifically for these rooms by Garth and Ada Louise Huxtable. Eating here without them is like visiting a Frank Lloyd Wright house furnished by Ikea.
What's he got against Ikea?
If I were L.L. Bean or Ikea and spending lots of advertising dollars on the New York Times, I'd be annoyed. As a Times reader who shops at both Ikea and L.L. Bean, I also feel annoyed at having my taste insulted by the newspaper to which I subscribe.
When an immigrant-lawyer-actress who is married to a cabinet member of the Trump administration Instagrammed about some upscale brands, the Times attacked her for her "expensive wardrobe" and for being "bluntly unapologetic about her luxurious lifestyle." The Times made these attacks in not just one, not just two, but three articles that contended she was being condescending. I guess when it comes to appearing to look down one's nose at common folk, the New York Times holds Louise Linton to a different standard than it holds its own fashion writer and restaurant critic.