Say Hello To Yasumi + Luckies Scratch Maps

I'm very pleased to share with you all that Buckets & Spades has a new contributer, say hello to Yasumi of Stranger London and her first post!

I am prone to flights of fanciful wish list making; it doesn't matter what season it is either. I often flit from one website to another seeking out interesting things. So when Mat asked me to usher today’s list towards Buckets & Spades, I was both delighted and humbled that my curious nature had got approval.

Now, I am not much of a gambler, more of an occasional “if I feel lucky” kind of dabbler, though I must admit to having a thing for scratching off the top foil on scratch cards. It feels so satisfying somehow. I also love world maps and was that weird kid who would memorise capital cities and which country shares a border with which. So when I spotted Luckies Scratch Maps on the Journal Shop’s website, I did a happy jig in my head (trust me it is safer that way).

They are basically massive scratch cards and a fun way to log your globetrotting adventures by (satisfyingly) scratching off the top foil of the place you have visited to reveal a colourful map beneath. I really want one, I fancy the Deluxe Edition that I saw on Luckies website. It is black and gold and oh-so-scratch-ably lovely. Luckies are a UK company that seem to spin out some really unique novelty items aside from these brilliant maps so it is well worth visiting their website for some great gift ideas.

Luckies Scratch Maps available here.

Thank you Mat for allowing me to hijack your blog today! You can find Yasumi on Twitter here.

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A History Lesson On Men’s Ties

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This post is brought to you by yd.

Ties, they come in all shapes, colours and sizes. They range from the luxury silk bow-tie to the inferior clip-ons, the skinny ties of modern times to the neckerchiefs of old. Teachers often wear garish ones and learning to tie a Windsor knot is a rite of passage for many young men. And, in spite of the casual anti-tie approach of the 90s and 00s, the modern, more sartorial man still regards a good tie as a staple wardrobe item. In the spirit of all things tie, we’re giving you a brief history lesson on this most refined of accessories.

221 BBC – The first emperor of a unified China, the great Qin Shi Huang, had a “Terracotta Army” built to protect him in the afterlife and the statues of soldiers wear a form of necktie.

1818 – Neckclothitania or Tietania is published with illustrations on the 14 different ways to tie a cravat. Before the days of online fashion, this was the go-to guide.

1840 – The term “tie” enters into common parlance, replacing the necktie.

1936 – The Windsor knot is invented by none other than the Duke of Windsor.

1950s – The skinny tie becomes a trend, popularized by The Beatles among others, and remains popular over the coming decades (see the iconic cover of Blondie’s Parallel Lines from 1978). You can find a remarkably similar example on the yd clothing store online of this classic tie.

1971 – The iconic bolo or bootlace tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona. Commonly associated with Western wear, it’s an accessory as common as the Stetson and cowboy boots.

Today – The skinny tie is still popular but the styles have greatly expanded, giving the tie-wearer an impressive array of choice. 

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