Carhartt WIP Parkas @ Ark

The hardworking parka can be found in almost every shop on the high street, the majority of them have the magical ability to soak up any drop of water that you might come across. Carhartt have been creating parkas for as long as I can remember and this season is no exception, with both the Trapper and Anchorage styles being released in time for the prolonged British Winter.

The Trapper aims to take the title as the perfect parka. Using a 5.7oz poly/cotton coated, water repellent fabric outer as a base and a double lining with breathable nylon and full removable replica fur layers. Based on the traditional expedition parka, the Trapper has a storm flat fastening with 2-way zip and press studs, fully fleece lined pockets, waist and hip adjusters and the elbows are reinforced with durable Cordura fabric.

Similar in shape and look to the Trapper, the Anchorage Parka is a stripped back version, which features similar attributes but comes in a 100% nylon outer shell, has an added box pocket on the sleeve and will leave you with enough change to grab one of their wooly hats.

Carhartt Tapper and Anchorage Parka available at Ark here*.

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Review - Staying Dry With Marmot + Nike

Wearing - Marmot PreClip Jacket c/o Blacks, Vintage Levi's Jacket, Brooks Brothers T-Shirt, Carhartt Trousers, Nike Free Run Shield c/o Nike, Uniqlo Socks, ASOS Hat.

One thing that I count as a necessity (in terms of clothing) is a waterproof jacket, but they're not as easy to find as you might think. The highstreet is awash with "protects from light drizzle" this and"showerproof" that, from experience these claims mean very little. When you're actually out in the open and getting hit by a horizontal downpour, most jackets stand little chance of keeping you dry.

Readers of my blog may know that I spend quite a lot of time outdoors (not the best with a circulation condition but hey, what you gonna do?). Cycling, walking, commuting and the occasional morning jog. I haven't quite managed the art of keeping my feet dry but finding a fully waterproof jacket was something of a priority this Autumn. I'm still saving for those Red Wing boots.

Marmot PreClip Jacket

It's not easy to find an affordable technical jacket that doesn't scream "geography teacher" but outdoors brand Marmot have definitely managed it. Marmot claim their PreCip Jacket to be 100% waterproof, which is a very bold statement, but up to now it's lived up to its guarantee. I've been using the PreCip Jacket pretty solid for the past month and it's doing a damn fine job a protecting me from the elements. Here's a breakdown of the jacket's key feature:

                        - 100% waterproof coated/Pre Cip outer + Dry Touch breathable inner
                        - Taped up seams for extra protection
                        - Double storm flats, zip fastening + snap on front, 2 waist mesh-lined pockets
                        - Adjustable hood, enabling 2 sizes, can be rolled and stored under the collar
                        - Chin guard protector with drawstring pulls around collar (and waist)
                        - Underarm zips to promote ventilation and comfort

The PreCip Jacket costs £85, and after doing some research it turns out it's quite rare to find such a high performance jacket for under £100. Considering the jacket's features and the fact it's not let a drop of water in, the price point is a very justifiable. Check out the photo above, the water just runs right off. As this is a thin jacket I would say that it would struggle for warmth in the Winter months but if you sized up it could easily fit over another jacket. I went for my regular size in medium, it's roomy but suits me fine as I'm likely to layer it over knitwear ect. Highly recommended.

Nike Free 5.0+ Shield

Part of Nike's Flash Pack, the Free 5.0+ Shield were designed for running in low visibly and wet conditions. What makes these different from the regular Free Run is their reflective weather protection tech, which means you can be seen at night and stay dry with their water repellent shell. The added bonus of the fleece lining was a nice surprise too. Honestly I'd say the Free 5.0+ Shield great in a light shower but not "waterproof", so you need to tread carefully in bigger puddles, I'm saying this from experience!

So there you have it folks, there's two ways of staying dry this Autumn,  I reckon it's boots headgear next! How do you avoid wet feet and soggy pockets? 

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Weekly Round Up #1

 Clockwise - Carharrt Native Shirt c/o Pavilion Clothing, Levi's 511, Clarks Originals Desert Boots, Tintin Explorers on the Moon, Farah Vintage Jacket, Uniqlo Socks, Northern Goods Co. Key Clip.

Here's a new feature for the blog, a "Weekly Round Up" of all things good. I thought I'd take the opportunity to pick out a few essentials from the week, mostly things I've been wearing, but with a couple added curiosities for good measure. Here's this week's:

Tintin Explorers on the Moon - I'm obsessed with Tintin at the moment, the humor in the comics is just wonderful and the illustrations are very charming too. Ahead of his time, Herge was a genius in my opinion. You can pick usually up a cheap copy on Amazon, go!

Carhartt Native Shirt - This tasty piece was c/o my lead sponsors Pavilion Clothing and it's had a lot of compliments so far. The colours in the Carhartt Native Shirt really work and the material is super soft. It's roomy enough to wear as a layering piece/overshirt style or with a t-shirt and jacket. The fit is quite boxy so it's not for everyone, but suits me just fine. 

Northern Goods Co. Key Clip - A shameless plug but it's a great feeling using something everyday that you've designed yourself. This week I've given my Camo clip a rest, after 8 months of solid use and swapped it for our Kelly Green version.

I'd love to hear of your essentials and curiosities this week, feel free to share them in the comments below!

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Instant Round-Up #3

1. Wearing Farah Vintage jacket*, Albam shirt, Levi's 511, Clarks Desert Trek, Burlington socks, Johnstons scarf 2. Spotted this classic Morris Minor 3. New pair of Nudie Thin Finn* w/ Northern Goods Co. Key Fob and bandana 4 & 5 Snaps from work at Togs + Clogs, New Balance latest drop and a bit of styling 6. Coffee reading, latest copy ofAesthetica Magazine 7. Messing with your melon  8. Hollie enjoying Scampi & Chips at The Queen's in Lytham // *Items c/o Urban Outfitters

Here's a few of my favorite images I've taken on Instagram of late. I've not taken as many photos as I'd like to over the past couple of months but I'm slow getting back into it. Incidentally I've been thinking about buying a new compact; only thinking mind as one of my main priorities at the moment is saving for our Orlando trip pt.2. You may remember we had to cut our first trip early due to a death in the family.

We're all booked for June and this time the road trip we planned to embark on the first time is definitely on. Our loose plan right now is to drive up to Savannah, Georgia then on to Charleston, South Carolina with the finally destination being something within the Blue Ridge Mountains and staying over in some Ralph Lauren style log cabin. Sounds good to me, have any of you guys been around those areas?

Let me know your Instagram handle and I'll get following. Find me at @mat_buckets.

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Urban Outfitters S/S 13

 Last week I went for a nose around Urban Outfitters in Manchester to check out their latest offerings for this coming Spring/Summer (will it ever come, it sure doesn't feel like it. Snowing again) season. As always UO let me have free reign of shop to look around the new brands, take photos, try a ton of stuff on and ask too many questions. Here's some things that caught my eye;

Along with Farah and Shore Leave, Carharrt was one of the most dominant brands across the menswear levels. Last season I recall them having one table but now it's grown to a couple of tables, a rail as well as being interspersed across key areas of the store. Camo still dominates here, mixed in with florals, classic work and streetwear and the usual solid basics. 

Suit has made a comeback for S/S, they're generally known for their outerwear but I was more interested in their other clothing. Loads of hula prints, polka dots and florals in muted colours. It's hard to shop for shorts when it's still so cold outside but I'm off on holiday in June so it's nice to plan ahead.

Fred Perry was another dominant brand, which gets carried over from season to season. This time round they've bought more of the tailored stuff as less of the sports. You can't go wrong really, their shirting looked spot on, with paisleys and fading polka dots standing out for me. They also had a shirt with a pique polo shirt collar but the jury is still out on that one.

Lacoste Live was another newcomer, they're hadn't been a big hit of it yet but it was hard to miss the Hawaiian shirts and multicoloured knitwear. More to follow over the next few weeks.

UO regulars such as Shore Leave, Worland, Cheap Monday, Farah, Penfield and Levi's can be found doing their thing along side a few new brands in Nike Clothing, Nudie Jeans Co and Blood Brother. It's really good to hear they have taken on lots online exclusives too. Garbstore, Common People, Vanishing Elephant, Rascals and Sandqvist are all now available.

 Each time I visit the store they seems to be adding to their footwear section, this time they've thrown in loads more styles from Nike, New Balance and Grenson making an appearance. I was very taken by these navy and cream Nike Free Powerlines.

And that's your lot for this time. As I said I had some time to try some stuff on, plenty of really nice stuff in fact. It seems Shore Leave have improved some of their fits and I was also very impressed with the Farah Vintage range, which included some UO exclusive pieces. I was lucky enough to be offered a couple of pieces too, I chose a pair of Nudie Thinn Finn jeans and a navy Farah Vintage work jacket. 

I'll be sure to pop by over the next few months to check out some of new brands coming through for the rest of the season. Enjoy your weekend guys, hopefully you're not snowed in like many of us are!

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How To Wear...Checks

Wearing - Asos wool jacket, vtg army jacket, Levi's sweatshirt, Levi's Commuter 511, Clarks Desert Legend,

 Universal Works socks, Dents scarf

Wearing - Gap blazer, Albam Simple shirt, Levi's Commuter chinos, Clarks Desert Trek, Burlington Socks, M&S scarf

 Wearing - Albam Alpine Harrington, Carhartt check shirt, Lee jeans, New Balance 420, Uniqlo socks, Timex Weekender 

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Voucher Codes's Most Wanted magazine to take part in their latest consumer research challenge, "How To Wear...". Each participant was assigned one of this Spring's trends and was given the instruction to have a nosey around to highstreet to see what they could muster up. I was given Checks as my trend so I promptly headed into Manchester town centre to see what the highstreet had to offer. I knew I didn't just want to go for a load of check shirts so I searched for variants in the pattern. Along with items already in my wardrobe the 3 looks about is what I came up with. Three different looks with four different check.

The Dents scarf is a piece from last Christmas, picked up in TKMaxx, the second is a pair of Burlington Argyle Socks from Oi Polloi, which was worn with an old M&S check scarf and the third the Bangor Check Shirt picked up in the Carharrt store.

There's plenty of interesting checks out there on the highstreet, you just need to have a good search for them. Thanks to Voucher Codes for asking me to be apart of the challenge.

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