6th Birthday GIVEAWAY - Clarks £80 Vouchers!

It's Buckets & Spades's 6th Anniversary, I can hardly believe it! The blog has grown into something I'm extremely proud of, but the concept of sharing I'm passionate about has never changed. Never in a million years would I have thought I could actually have a go at doing this full time! To celebrate our 6th Anniversary we've partnered up with some great brands to bring you some cracking giveaways. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for reading, commenting, emailing and sharing, I'm met some amazing people along the way and I don't think that would have been possible without this space on the internet.

This week's giveaway - You could win £80 Clarks Vouchers to spend in-store!

Clarks is known for their timeless styles but also the ease in which they re-invent their classic shapes. The Desert Boot, notable for being one of their most iconic models, has featured in most men's wardrobe at some point in their lives, but their popularity over the last 10 years has seen their Originals range flourish. The Women's Originals range is also really strong this season. The Desert Trek have been a firm favourite of mine (See here, here, here) since my late teens, but over the past couple of seasons Clarks have been delving further into their archive and bringing back some cult classics. Playing around with new shapes and collaborating with a bunch of established companies is something else they love to do. My current favourites are the Seam Trek.

How to Enter

To be in with a chance of winning £80 Clarks Vouchers (can be used on any product in-store) you must be a subscriber of Buckets & Spades Blog. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The more ways you follow, the more chances of winning you have. You can come back and enter this giveaway daily! This giveaway is open to UK only, winning vouchers can only be spent in-store.

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Image source - Stuarts London

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GIVEAWAY - Win Trainers Of Your Choice With size?

I've probably been hyping this one up in my head but I'm really excited about this giveaway. We're giving away a pair of trainers of your choice from size?, up to the value of £100!

size? stock a ridiculous amount of brands and styles, so if you do win it might take you a bit to decide. Their current brand list boosts; Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Clarks, Converse, Sperry, Saucony, Sprint Court, Vans....and so on. There's plenty of style to choose from and the the winner can take their pick from any Men's, Women's and Kid's trainers or shoes. Sweet deal. Above are a few of my favourites from their new season stock, including the New Balance 996 and the women's Nike Free Run 2.

How to Enter

To win a pair of trainers or shoes of your choice from size? you must be a subscriber of Buckets & Spades Blog. There are several ways you can do this, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The more ways you follow, the more chances of winning. Remember, if you follow you can come back and enter this giveaway daily! This giveaway is open worldwide, back of the net. If you have any questions or would like to know further rules of the contest please email/tweet me.

Good luck everyone!

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MyVoucherCodes

A few weeks ago MyVoucherCodes.co.uk got in touch with some info on how I could benefit from their deals, codes and offers. Now, we're all fully aware how voucher sites work and we've probably all used them in the past; when we're off out for tea or looking for a cheap weekend away.

Hours being cut at work, weddings/deposits, bills, grocery prices going up....it seems like it's never ending. I'll take any savings I can right now, especially on eating and drinking out. Some simple tips I subscribe to are cooking (nearly all my food shopping is done at Aldi) at home instead of out, taking your own lunch to work, checking auction and discount sites and competitive shopping.

The guys at MyVoucherCodes offered me £50 use through the site and see what type of savings I could find. The handiest thing about the site for me was that you see all offers from around the net in one place, I didn't have to sift through emails to get the good deals. I ended up seeing there was a 50% sale on a Clarks so I snapped a pair of Desert Trek up and treated myself to a massive Papa John's pizza for half price.

Overall the actual site was really easy to use and within a few seconds I was bookmarking offers and codes from restaurants, online shops and even a couple of hotels for a later date. 

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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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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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Week in Detail #4

Wearing - Gap jacket, Levi's marl red sweatshirt c/o Zalando, Libertine Libertine t-shirt, Levi's Commuter 511, 
Clarks Desert Trek, Albam tote bag

Here's a few details of one of my outfits from last week. Zalando offered to send me a piece from their currently Levi's stock a few weeks back, I chose this marl red sweatshirt (now in the sale, they have a nice Converse range too.) and it's quickly turned into a early morning lifesaver. Having three jobs has its issue, hours are sporadic, it's difficult to plan anything, it's hard to tell if I'm coming or going. I need reliable garb which I know will look good no matter what else I wear, sweatshirts and lamsbwool jumpers seem to fit this bill perfectly. I reckon Hollie is sick of the thing already, it's got that nice lived-in feel after only a couple of washes. Its super soft fleece lining is what you want at this time of year, double thumbs up.

Above are a couple of other recently additions, I picked up the Albam tote bag on my recent trip around Covent Garden and the jacket is another strong sale find in Gap. I didn't realise when I was buying it but the jacket is fully water-resistant, which has been coming in handy with all the cycling that I'm doing at the moment (post on the bike coming on soon). Time to catch up with all your blog, I've got behind big time.

So who said colour was dead this Winter?

Photos by Hollie

Desert Trekkers

If memory serves me correctly these Clarks Desert Trek were my only significant sale purchase from the Christmas sales. I got them half price and they are worth every penny. I've been wearing Clarks in various form since I was a kid (we all remember the Clarks foot measuring contraption don't we?), they did fall out of favor as a teenager and were no doubt replaced by Adidas and Converse. But since I became a proper adult there hasn't been many month that I haven't worn their desert boots, however I fancied a change and went for the Desert Trek in this rich tan colour. 

Comparing them to my Clarks Desert boots I have to say the Trek are overall much comfier, which I'm sure has something to do with extra half inch of crepe sole. I would say their construction is slightly more considered too, with metal eyelets, triple and variable stitching in some places and a reinforced heal in contracting leather. The trekking chap just tops it all off nicely. The Desert Trek was designed in the early '70s and was inspired by styles which could be found in Holland at the time, I can see this too, they have a sort of clogg-like roundness to them. Desert boots are seen as a staple these days but I'd check out the Trek if you're after something a bit different.

Thanks for all the anniversary wishes guys.

Last Week's Feet

 

Monday - Working in Manchester. Levi's 511s, Clarks Desert Trek, Burlington lime green socks

Tuesday - Doing some work in Nero's. Levi's 511s, YMC saddle shoes, J.Crew football socks

 Wednesday - Driving test which I passed! Levi's cords, Vans, Uniqlo grey socks

Friday - Working at my third part time job. Levi's 511s, New Balance 420s, Wig Wam red marl socks

Saturday - Working from home and to the gym. Dockers khaki chinos, Storm work boots, Happy Socks striped socks

I feel like I've been mega busy this week, trying to balance 3 part-time jobs gets tricky at times but this week I had my driving test too, which I passed! It's been a massive goal for me and to final achieve it feels so good. I'm not at the position to be able to afford a car just yet but it's there when I need it. This week my target was to wear a different pair of shoes every day, that might not sound so hard to some people but because I tend to do a lot of walking I usually just go for what's comfiest. I missed 2 days out of 7 but it's not a bad effort is it?

Following on from my post last week, I mentioned that I like to jazz up my plain outfits with a bit of colour in the sock department. And it worked, somehow wearing colourful socks makes me feel happier and if it brings a smile to someone else's face then I've done my job. Along with the socks there's plenty of shoes for men on offer these days.

As I mentioned it's been a busy week, other than my jobs and driving I've been designing a logo for a new charity, a couple of store visits (another post coming soon), keeping fit and cleaning of course! Boy I need a rest.

This post includes a sponsored link, all words and thoughts are by me as usual.

A Week In Words

From what I remember, last week was a busy one. I've finally gone back to my job at Topshop but I have been moved down to Topman, where I am now the new Sunday Supervisor. For all that didn't know, I took 4 months leave to go and work in London(but I came home earlier than expected as the job didn't work out, lets just say we weren't on the same wavelength).

On Thursday evening I attended the launch of the new COS concession in Selfridges, Manchester. I got in invite through my other job at Manchester Fashion Network and as it turned out I ended up being the only press person there. The event was to launch the new shop and to preview their A/W collection. As I was the only press there I was given to right to take as many photos as I liked(I spoke to one of COS' PR team and they said they usually don't let people take images, they took exception with me!). I took Hollie as my +1. The concession is only womenswear currently but I personally spoke to COS' Creative Director and told her to sort a menswear bit out.

On the way to the event we got snapped by the multi-talented illustrator/design Kate Mcleish, who is also a friend;

Wearing - J+ Uniqlo Khaki Blazer, vintage turquoise t-shirt, Topman loose chinos, Clarks desert boots.

I'm pretty much wearing that blazer every day, it's linen and unlined so quite thin and perfect for the lead up to summer. It was such a good buy at £39.99. For anyone that may have been wondering me and Hollie have been together for just over 4 years now, still going strong. The only thing that I notice much if I look back at photos of us 4 years ago is that now I have much less hair, I'm trying to grow a beard(early stages of course) to make up for it!


You can see my short write up and images of the COS event here

Clarks Originals 60th Anniversary Collection

The North has always had a soft spot for Clarks Originals, maybe it’s the attraction of the no-fills, working class, functional natural of the unisex boots or the fact that they come as a happy medium between smart and causal. Since the Mad-chester days in the early 1990s Clarks desert boots have been a staple for the “everyman” in and around the city. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic boot Clarks Originals have created 6 unique designs, each dedicated and inspired by its chosen decade. Each boots tributes itself to a iconic characteristic associated with the decade, with 3 boots for men and 3 for women. The 1950s pays tribute to the postwar working class, with Harris Tweed, 1960s lends itself to the iconic Liberty’s flora print, 1970s tackles Hippy with suede fringing, 1980s camps it up with acid washed faded denim, 1990s pays homage to Britpop with a Union Jack design and 2000s pushes things forward with a minimal design inspired by the original boot.

So which is the right boot for you? It’s a tough choice. Also comes the question of what’s next for Clarks Desert boots, things are looking good for the brand, with their shoes now selling themselves with minimal advertising. Each boot comes with a specifically design box, limited edition keyring and booklet entitled, “Six Days of Looking Forward to the Past”.

I wrote this article for Manchester Fashion Network, where I am currently on work experience. You got to hand it to Clarks, they make bloody good boots.

Think tank for summer

Whilst a busy morning of paint the wall in the back garden, in the uncharacteristically hot English weather I got to thinking about what I will be wearing for work this coming week and for our short trip to London (which will hopefully be in July but we haven't booked yet.

Another thing which spurred this into my head was a link to an article about the rise in chinos, on men and women which Style Salvage posted on their Twitter this morning. Click here for the article, it documents 10 people who walked through the doors at London's bStore and posing the question, "are they the new jean?". I pretty much think they are, especially for the warmer months. I currently own a dark navy/charcoal pair and a beige pair.

This was my favourite look for the 10magazine selection, mostly because this is similar to how I would wear my beige pair. Wicked boots too.

Purple chinos from ASOS

I've been wanting to try something a bit more adventurous in the trouser department for the summer, I stumbled across this purple pair from ASOS. I just can't help think they would look much better if the shade of purple was a touch darker.

Mint green chinos by Acne, from ASOS

This shade of green is very much to my liking but sadly out of my budget, though to do kind of look for like light fabric jeans rather than a trouser.

My two current pairs, ASOS(left), H&M(right)

So chinos will undoubtedly be the choice of the summer for me but what is my shoe of choice to go with them?

If it's raining (theres a good chance in that happening!):

l-r ASOS brown boots, Clarks Desert boots, Dr Martens

And if it's sunny, fingers crossed:

l-r Spencer Jones boat shoes, Hudson patent tassel loafers, Vans

What are your summer essentials?