Buckets & Spades - Men's Fashion, Design and Lifestyle Blog: outfit

Showing posts with label outfit. Show all posts

4 Apr 2017

Using Your Environment with Raw State by Jigsaw

matthew pike of buckets and spades wears jigsaw raw state collection ss17

architecture of central london brutalist

nik speller of buckets and spades wears jigsaw raw state collection ss17

Patch Overshirt, Zip-Through Overshirt, Blue Tee + Selvedge Jeans by Jigsaw

Patchwork watch by Avi-8 x John Jarrett - coming soon

Inspired by the uniforms of a welder, carpenter and engineer, Jigsaw's new SS17 capsule collection, Raw State, takes an unexpected look into a world inspired utility. I have been a long-time appreciator of traditional workwear, but the idea of stepping out of my house looking like I've dressed from a particular decade doesn't appeal to me. The Raw State collection backs up that notion – creating a super wearable 21-piece collection fit for the present.

"With the Raw State collection showing predominant signs of inspiration from traditional manual labour and utility, we wanted to give this a subtle nod with our own direction"

The restricted palette of the collection took the lead, so we played upon the off whites, greys, faded blacks, and the mixture of blues from Jigsaw’s main collection – heading out to explore the Bloomsbury and Mayfair areas of Central London.

Raw State Chore Jacket, Grey Tee, Raw State Worker Pants, Suede Sneakers by Jigsaw

Patch Overshirt, Denim Shirt, White Tee, Selvedge Jeans + Sneakers by Jigsaw

jigsaw raw state collection ss17 styled by buckets and spades

brutalist architecture of central london

matthew pike of buckets and spades wears jigsaw raw state collection ss17, dufa watch

Raw State Chore Jacket, Patch Tee, Worker Jeans by Jigsaw. Watch c/o DuFa, Cap by Percival

Overalls + Henley by Jigsaw

Photography by Husam Al-Deen

Our idea was to have a little fun with the utility elements of Raw State, so we set out to find a selection of complementing locations which mirrored each garment’s original inspiration; rough textures, concrete architecture, stark lines, signs of construction and unfinished details.

True, with London's constant want to build and improve it wasn't too tricky to find signs of construction sites, new builds and disrepair, but this worked perfectly to what we had in mind. Using the city's unfinished environment gives you a deeper connection to the streets which we'd usually consider just to be a means of getting from A to B.

Are you aware of your town's progression? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we styled this collection.

Shop the Jigsaw Raw State collection here.

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

8 Mar 2017

Talking Daily Uniforms

I recently found myself weaving through the unfamiliar backstreets of Mayfair early one Saturday morning. London on a Saturday is a totally different game to the "working week" – sure, Oxford Street is chaotic and at the British Museum it feel like everyone is trying to get topped up on art before it goes out of fashion. But Mayfair though, that's a totally different kettle of fish.

There's a little spot a few minutes away from Bond Street that myself and Husam Al-Deen have taken quite the fancy to. If you take a walk to the Gagosian Gallery early on a Saturday morning, the chances are you won't bump into any shopping bag-wielding tourists, rather, just curious gallery folk, and chippy security guards who enjoy nothing more than to shoot the breeze about their love of these distinct backstreets.

This clean, architectural backdrop felt like the perfect location to compliment these tortoiseshell sunglasses by Oakley; a shape that seems to work really well on my slim, oval-shaped face.

Photography by Husam Al-Deen

As for the rest of the outfit, I went straight for my current uniform of navy + grey; mixing the slightly different shades of blue of my Fairends cap, Lavenham vest + selvedge denim jeans by Albam, with a classic grey sweatshirt, Timex watch and the ol' faithful Nike Killshots. The best kind of outfits, for me, are the ones that don't always require you to check (and recheck) in the mirror – you just know they make you feel good.

I think we all get to a point when we have a daily uniform; whether that be wearing all black, going heavy on the denim, swaying towards a Scandinavian minimal style, or constantly being drawn towards bright colours. For me that uniform is navy. It's the colour feel most comfortable in, but also slightly anonymous, in a way – it doesn't draw too much attention to itself, yet feels like it has enough character to stand on its own. Greys, browns and tans work perfectly with it, and that's where these Oakley frames fit in just nicely.

I'd love to hear about your current uniform. What are you current go-tos at the moment?

Thanks for reading,

Mat.

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

20 Feb 2017

Love for the National Theatre | Oliver Sweeney SS17

Marmelos Sneakers by Oliver Sweeney | Chinos by Whistles | Cap by Percival

Boxstead Mac by Oliver Sweeney | Sweatshirt by Sunspel

Let's call this one teamwork. The beauty of Instagram is being able to discover + easily connect with people you may have never come into contact with. I started chatting with Photographer Husam Al-Deen just at the start of last December, and it wasn't long before we were sitting in a central London coffee shop, brainstorming ways in which we could collaborate together.

We got chatting about our love of sneakers, architecture, printed magazines + menswear – so it was decided, we'd making something happen in the new year.

Red Sneakers (coming soon) by Oliver Sweeney | Socks by Form&Thread

Vilarcia Knit + Osimo Sneakers by Oliver Sweeney

Ex-Commuter | J SHOES x Sanders

j shoes x sanders collaboration, british made brogues worn by men's fashion blogger mat buckets in manchester

Charlie Brogues by J SHOES x Sanders

Did you know that Captain America - The First Avenger was filmed in Manchester's Northern Quarter? Marvel director Joe Johnston chose the location for its ability to be adapted to create a vibe of post-WWII New York City. It seems like an unlikely neighbourhood to choose - known for its independent clothing stores, record shops, coffee hangs and decent beer - but if you look closer, and start to look up at the architecture it all starts to make sense.

British footwear brand J SHOES recently contacted us with a project that instantly caught our attention. To celebrate the their 20th anniversary J.Shoes has created a limited edition collection with Northampton-based Sanders. We set ourselves the task to create a photo-story which represented the link between heritage + modern values.

The unisex collection features the Charlie brogue in two colourways. We decided the full-grain Chestnut, for its district use of tonal coloured grain leathers and green welting.

Photography by Jake Millers

If we rewind the clock a few years you would have found me making a daily commute to Manchester city centre. My e-commerce role led me to taking short-cuts through many dark alleys, wet industrial side streets + Victorian-designed squares – shaving minutes off my dash to make that 4pm cut-off time at the Post Office. Now, I find myself in those same side streets and dark avenues, taking advantage of the city's Northern character.

Staying true to my own personal style, I wore the beauties – which have been entirely made in England, using Sanders' trademark crepe sole – on the smart casual side of things, sticking to navys, greys + browns. Layering was essential for a bitterly cold + wet day; wearing the Laverham vest over my beige jumper by NN07 and classic oxford shirt by Asket, and tying in that American connection with slim fit strides by Dickies.

In around five month's time myself + Hollie will be heading over to Las Vegas to get married. It seems fitting that the J SHOES x Sanders collection has come along when it has - the perfect wedding shoes?

Let me know your thoughts on the shoes + if you think the setting was a good choice!

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

31 Jan 2017

Outfit | A Continuous Love for Denim

Denim is universal. Never has one single fabric transcended such a wide range of generations, cultures and industries as this humble woven fabric. My relationship with denim started when I was a youngster; I remember my elasticated stonewash jeans, which I proudly sported with a shell-suit jacket, WWF t-shirt and Bart Simpson basketball sneakers. 80's kid and all.

My style has moved on, of course, but rather than denim falling out in favour to a more grown-up alternative, the fabric has just been reappropriated to fit my lifestyle. See, that's the beauty of denim; it's versatile enough for it to slot into most people's lives without ever really making much noise – sticking with us until it's time to trade in for a new pair.

When I was a teenager I went through various denim phases; ripped, bleached, flares, skater, skinny, patchwork and even white with pink stitching (that's art college for you...). But in my early 20s I traded all of those in for simple indigo blue jeans. After I stumbled into the world of unwashed indigo-dyed denim I never looked back, and nowadays that's all you'll find in my wardrobe.

These British-made Japanese Selvedge jeans by Albam have become a second skin, the 3.5 year's hard wear shows across the pockets, knees and thighs. They're the jeans I grab when I need to do some jobs around the house, nip out to the shops, go for a quick cycle or pack for a work trip when the weather isn't looking so hot. The way they've worn is totally unique to my job, what I carry and how I've have treated them.

Is there a type of clothing that has been with you since you for a long time?

Photography by Jordan Bunker.