Spring Ready

Clothing by Jigsaw, Glasses by Bailey Nelson

Last week we took a trip over to Yorkshire to recreate six of our favourite SS17 menswear trends, for Victoria Leeds. The guys from the shopping centre challenged us to create the outfits using clothing selected from their stores, so in just a few hour - with Nik behind the camera - I made half a dozen outfit changes and find six suitable locations. That was intense!

Take a look at our take on the SS17 trends.

Neutral Basic (above)

A simple way to transition from the cooler times to the warmer months is by sticking to a neutral theme. You won't find any patterns or loud colours here, instead we've used a look combination of pastels, beige, stone, with the navy blues tying it all in together, all from Jigsaw.

 Clothing by Hackett, Reiss + Paul Smith, Sunglasses by Bailey Nelson

Versatile Utility

Utilitarianism has been a big story in men's style for a few seasons now, and it shows no sign of slowing down throughout this year. Details are key here - utilising garments with enough pockets to fill up with your daily essentials, showerproof materials for them inevitable downpours and versatile layers for warmer evenings.

 Clothing by GANT

Technical Outerwear

Technical outerwear is right up my street, and a daily go-to for anyone in the North of England. Think less "countryside explorer" and more about the suitable daily commuter gear. GANT is coming up good with this blue rain slicker and practical layers.

 Clothing by Whistles

Sports Luxe

As I originally come from the North West of England it's hard to take me too far way from my sportswear roots, and Sports Luxe is one of the biggest trends for SS17. Swap nylon + cottons for cashmere and merino blends, and switch out the running trainers for premium white leather sneakers. Whistles is your go-to for this trend.

Clothing by Paul Smith

Americana Holiday

One of my favourite trends for the warmer months is this year's holiday-appropriate Americana vibes. You'll find me wearing stone colour slim chinos worn with an all-over print revere collar shirt, canvas sneakers and classic wayfarers. Paul Smith + Bailey Nelson stocking everything you'll need for this one.

 Clothing by COS

Minimal

Taking on one of the cleanest trends for this Spring Summer; COS providing us with soft tailoring, subtle textures and a minimal colour palette. The store is the perfect stop-off for this Minimalist look.

Which is your favourite look out of the bunch?

This Instagram Takeover was created in partnership with Victoria Leeds. Thank you for taking the time to support the brands + businesses that make this blog happen.

Exploring Leeds with Whistles AW16

The city of Leeds is slowly becoming one of my favourite places to visit. It’s got pretty much everything I look for in a day out; coffee spots, local retailers, interesting architecture, a decent brewery with its very own tap room, art galleries, friendly people and the kind of shops I love to spend hours in.

No strangers to the blog, Whistles Men invited myself and lifestyle blogger + now good friend, Jordan Bunker, to visit the Leeds store to pick out some key pieces from the current AW16 collection. Located in one of the most beautiful shopping arcades in the country, the Victorian Quarter, Whistles Men’s Yorkshire outpost always makes it as a firm priority on my to-do list.

As for our clothing choices, it really didn’t take us too long to grab what we needed for a full day of exploring the city. I was acting as the tour guide for the day as it was Jordan’s first proper visit to Leeds.

Photos by Jordan Bunker + Nick Porter

It was all about freshly brewed coffee at Tall Boys, a heavy helping of independent magazines at Village, and my favourite beer stop at Northern Monk Brewery. A special thanks to Lucy of Northern Monk for letting us set up camp for the afternoon.

For my look I kept things pretty true to my daily uniform; with the Striped Wool Overshirt, layered over the long sleeve chambray shirt, Burnt Orange Merino Wool Jumper. Predictability I chose the Khaki Classic Fit Chinos for my legs, finished off with my staple pair of Converse 70s, navy wool socks and Merino Wool Beanie.

Jordan’s look focused more on modern tailoring, with the Navy Wool Overcoat, chunky knitwear and wool trousers. With it being minus 3 on the day we decided to visit Leeds we sure needed those layers. Nicely played J-man. Head over to Jordan's blog to see more from our Leeds shoot.

What do you think of our looks? In partnership with the brand's ADVENT campaign now it’s your chance to take a pick of your favourite outwear piece from Whistles Men’s AW16 collection. Use the form below to be entered into our new giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

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Outfit | Giving Monochrome a Go

Wearing - Tops by Gant | Whistles Trousers | Converse 70s Sneakers | Form&Thread Socks | Watch c/o Rotary

I've always shied away from wearing black. It's never been a colour I've felt totally comfortable with, and therefore the rule of "don't leaving the house in something you don't feel yourself in" comes into play.

My daily uniform has been blue for as long as I can remember – usually involving several different shades. It's the colour I feel most myself in. But on my recent trip to Leeds I decided to step a little out of my comfort zone by going all-out monochrome. And you know what, I kinda loved it.

I wore this water resistant Field Jacket by GANT over a sleeveless gilet and classic white Oxford shirt, along with woolly grey strides from Whistles. To keep things from feeling a little too dressy I fell back on to my much-loved pair black + white Converse 70s – living in these at the moment!

I finished off this look with the Swiss-made Automatic watch by Rotary, courtesy of the good people at Ernest Jones. Being a big lover of watches it was a thrill to get my hands on my first automatic style, as it's something I've never worn before. The quality of the build was clear from when I whipped it out of the box; with a domed Sapphire glass face, off-white and silver analogue face, black leather strap + exposed casing. The custom hand design and calender feature are lovely additions too.

So the next question is, will it be a look I'll maintain? Realistically, I'm never going to pack away all of my navy blue gear, but it has give me the confidence to try something that I'd usually disregard as not being my style. Turns out it didn't look so bad on me after all!

I'd love to hear about your daily uniform and if you're tried something completely different lately?

Photography by Jake Millers.

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Outfit | GANT Opens at Victoria Gate, Leeds

Black Field Jacket by GANT | Black Gilet by GANT |  White Oxford Shirt by GANT

I have always called the North of England my home. People love to say "it's grim up north", but, if I'm honest, that has to be one of the daftest sayings going – it's anything but. For me, the brand new Victoria Gate building in Leeds sums my feelings up perfectly: out of the dark comes the light.

The imposing, angular and slightly eerie facade of this modern shopping arcade plays on the perpetually changing climes of Leeds city centre. With each bolt of light effecting your viewing pleasure, Victoria Gate's modern design proves there's more to the north that has-been cliches.

It's a funny looking place for sure; a little space-age, a tad modernist and slightly surreal, but the Eastgate Quarters isn't all front. Designed by architect Friedrich Ludewig, the space is home to some fantastic new retailers, including one of America's most loved sports-casual brands, GANT.

Lambswool-Cashmere Jumper by GANT | White T-Shirt by GANT

For the opening the new store we've teamed up with GANT to share two looks from their Fall '16 collection. I mean, damn, this just falls right into my wheelhouse, don't you reckon?! American prep, classic sportwear, timeless smart-casual tailoring – the majority of the collection would fit seamlessly into my wardrobe.

For the first outfit I choose a monochrome look, which was a little out on my comfort zone, but I think the overall feel works well. I'm wearing the black Down Collarless Gillet over a classic white Oxford Shirt, with their (very appropriate) black waterproof Field Jacket.

The second look brings in my love of colour and classic Americana together, with the bright blue chunky lambswool-cashmere jumper, plain white t-shirt, classic fit navy chinos and off-white Converse 70s. It may be getting colder, but I haven't seen the last of my sneakers just yet.

Leeds is a city packed with interesting places and creative people. If you have a day to explore make sure you also stop by Northern Monk Brewery for their delicious Mocha Porter, Bellgrave Music Hall for £1 pizza slices and La Bottega Milanese for your coffee hit.

The new GANT store opens 20th October, at Victoria Gate shopping centre, Leeds, LS2 7JL.

Photography by Jake Millers.

This post is in partnership with GANT. Thank you for taking the time to support the brands + businesses that make this blog happen.

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City Guide | Discovering Independent Leeds, with Converse

In collaboration with Converse, and their latest Chuck II collection, we spent 12 hours exploring Leeds, and discovering what unique shops, restaurants, bars, and sights one of the UK's most vibrant cities has to offer.

Leeds has been on our mind for some time. Everyone’s been talking about the creative goings-on in the city and, aside from a couple of quick visits, neither of us have really explored the place to its fullest.

When we visit it a city, the angle is generally on the independent offerings. Leeds was no different: we try to hit those places that are unique to the city, and although we worked the pavement hard, we left a lot undiscovered.

To get things started, coffee and lots of it. Laynes Espresso is a neat little place, tucked alongside the station. Here, we planned the day and waited for the sun to break through the fog. By coincidence, Laynes is just around the corner from Bundobust - the restaurant we planned to end the day in. A vegetarian Indian, they serve up the sort of street food inspired grub that’s become the norm in London - a host of small dishes, delicately filled with a mix of lightly and heavily spiced rice, cheese, yogurt, and lots of other ingredients I just couldn’t put my finger on. Damn delicious.

Wearing - ASOS Coat + Shirt | Reigning Champ Sweatshirt | Uniqlo Down Vest | Albam Jeans | Chuck II c/o Converse | Form & Thread Socks | Watch c/o Paul Smith

We were here to explore the city with Converse, to see how much we could cover in around 12 hours. Converse have just launched a new set of colours in the Chuck II, following its launch in July, and we were really excited to collaborate with them on a project like this; one that celebrates the creativity, style, and innovation inherent in a fast changing city. An update on the classic All Stars, the II have a new non-slip tongue and the Lunarlon innersole from Nike, making these a much more functional and comfortable trainer.