Outfit | Kickers 40th Anniversary Kick Hi Part Two

Wearing - Kickers Kick Hi | Peacoat c/o Wolsey | Denim Shirt c/o Whistles | Albam Jeans | Form & Thread Socks | ASOS Beanie  | Paulin Watch

In Part One of our collaboration with the Kickers, which celebrates the 40th Anniversary of their Kick Hi boots, we talked about our memories of growing up in the '90s, and what Kickers meant to us. The Kick Hi boot was originally designed - back in the late '60s - as a boots which could be worn with denim, so for our second look I thought I'd do just that. As a big lover of denim this wasn't too much of a push to muster up something suitable - with this awesome denim overshirt by Whistles, and much-worn jeans by Albam.

Wearing - Same as before, with Denim Shirt c/o Whistles | Fair Ends Cap.

I took the classic Tan Kick Hi down to Manchester, where I meet up with Photographer Jake Millers, to explore the area in which I first worked in after graduating from Uni. It was a blast-from-the-past, as I don't tend to get to Manchester as much these days, but it's great to see the community constantly expanding and evolving. Foundation Coffee House has become my main stop for coffee in the city.

40 years on and the Kickers Kick Hi are still looking fresh. With the brand commemorating their anniversary with the limited edition Denim Kick Hi, it's clear that sometimes evolution doesn't need to be about cashing in to trends, rather by sticking to the classics, and improving your staples.

If you missed Part Two of our collaboration with Kickers you can see it here. #mykickers #kickhi40th. Photography by Jake Millers.

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

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A Conversation with ASOS Stylist Kieron Watts

Cramming my diary with appointments and places to visit is my expertise when it comes to visiting London. I try to make the most of my visits to the city, which usually leads to being totally buzzed off caffeine from the amount of meetings that take place coffee shops. We're thinking of creating a Buckets Coffee Guide, but that's one for another day...

One such stop was at ASOS HQ to meet up with one of their resident men's + womenswear stylist, Kieron Watts. For my part in ASOS's activity, #InterviewAStylist, suggested to the team that Buckets & Spades would be a great place to chat to Kieron. We headed into Camden for a wander around, grabbed some food in The Blues Kitchen and chatted about what it's like to work as an ASOS Stylist.

Escaping to The Forest of Dean | #TasteforAdventure with Mud House

The first three months of 2015 have been busier than I could have ever imagined. There's been little time for myself + Hollie to grab a coffee together, let alone escape somewhere for a weekend. With Easter looming I knew it would be the perfect time to step away from work, put down the laptop and disconnect for a few days. We'd planned to stay in Liverpool – as a late 9th anniversary celebration – but something else came up, something I knew was too good to refuse. We were invited to go off the grid for a long weekend, with Mud House Wines, in the beautiful Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. How would we refuse?

Catch you later 3G!

In fact, four days of absolute peace was just what the doctor ordered. We usually spend our anniversary in busy cities, dashing around endless shops with zero down time. This weekend was going to be about discovery and adventure. What a way to celebrate!

Mud House was founded by a British married couple: John + Jennifer Joslin. They set sail to travel the world and found themselves drawn to New Zealand. On their continuous search for new cultures, the couple fell in love with New Zealand's rich countryside and outdoor lifestyle. It suited their taste for adventure, and they decided to stay put. Two decades on and Mud House are producing award winning wines, recognised across the world.

We were inspired by Mud House's drive and passion for exploration and their craft, and made it our mission to encapsulate their message through our time in the forest.

Celebrate With Ciera Design | Win $400 Gift Card

I'm really thrilled to join in the fun and help our friend Ciera Design celebrate five years of blogging this month! It’s such an worthy accomplishment and what better way to celebrate than by giving away a special gift to all our amazing readers?

One lucky person will receive a $400 prepaid MasterCard, that can be spent anywhere in the world that accepts Debit MasterCards. How good is that?! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! If you haven't checked out Ciera's blog before it's full of design, travel, craft and photography - It's a perfect match with Buckets & Spades.

Lyle & Scott | The Polo Series

Wearing - Lyle & Scott Polo Shirt c/o | GAP Jacket | Dockers Chinos | Vans Trainers | Ralph Lauren Socks | 
Ray-Ban Glasses | Shore Projects Watch

The Polo Shirt isn't a piece that's featured in my wardrobe since I was a scraggly teenager. In fact, I've probably not worn one for eight or nine years. Lyle & Scott invited me and a group of Men's Style Bloggers to get involved with their Polo Series, which coincides with the company's 140th anniversary - I was definitely up for the challenge.

The gripe I've had with polo shirts is that I just don't think they suit me. They make me look and feel a bit "dad-ish". I knew I was never going to look like Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, or even original golf-steez legend Arnold Palmer, but my plan was to work it into an everyday outfit, just as if I was wearing a shirt or t-shirt. You can read more about the design of their Polo Shirt here.

I chose to style their Classic Plain Navy Polo, which has been a Lyle & Scott staple since its introduction in the 1960s–its design relatively untouched ever since. Yep, navy is pretty predictable for me but stick to what you know right? So I chucked on an unstructured blazer by GAP, slim khakis by Dockers and Vans Authentics. It's nothing too crazy but I'm actually really pleased with how it all looks together. Hollie also gave it the deux thumbs up too, bonus!

I'd like to thank Lyle & Scott for inviting me to take part in the series. It's been cool to try out a style that I really wouldn't have considered to be typically "me". Turns out I didn't know what I was talking about. Are there items of clothing you dismiss because they're not your typical style or tend to avoid because of their association?

You can read my full interview with Lyle & Scott for The Polo Series here.

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Spending 24 Hours Offline + Tech-Free

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The thought of spending 24 hours totally tech-free isn't something that's crossed my mind. I'm a part the last generational age group who've both experienced pre + post internet-inception; I remember what it's like to have regular toys to play with and mucking about on the street. We didn't need a phone, rather just knocking on friend's doors to see if they fancied coming out. I clearly remember the first commercial internet boom, in the late 90s - It was gradual; starting with pay-per-minute connections, screechy dial-up tones and bottomless Yahoo chat rooms. At first it really wasn't that good, I chatted to mates if it was raining after school + used it find Nintendo 64 cheats, that was about it. It wasn't even a secondary thought.

Nowadays it's the total opposite - wake up at 7am by my iPhone alarm, check emails and have a quick flick on social networks while I have breakfast, then head to the gym (and watch Everybody Loves Raymond on the treadmill TV). For someone who makes a living via their 13inch screen the idea of spending a whole 24-hours totally tech brings a bunch of worrying* thoughts. What if I miss out on work opportunities? What if I don't promote the blog? What if I see something interesting and want take a photo of? What if I get behind on deadlines? What if...?

My curious mind is nosey by nature.

An email popped in my inbox last week challenging me to a whole day free from tech - at first I brushed it aside but Hollie muttered, "I didn't think you were so obsessed!". Hmm, either did I! So last weekend I decided to give it a go and shut myself off from technology, for 24 hours. How did I get on? In all honestly it was hard** for a few hours - I went to the gym early and ended up staying an extra 30 minutes just to make the most of it. All throughout my session I wondered how this blog post would turn out. I choose to cut myself off on the same day I work at my PT job, so the urge to check my "notifications" every five minutes soon fizzled away. It did feel weird though, my curious mind is nosey by nature but I kept reminding myself, "what's the worst that can happen?". The urge soon faded and I relaxed into the day - totally tech-free was the aim but I did allow myself to carry my camera, cos it's not hooked up to the internet so I thought it seemed ok?

I don't watch much TV so that wasn't an issue but what got me most was that I couldn't check in to see if everything was alright with little old Buckets & Spades. I've been writing on these pages for seven + 1/2 years, for the past year I've updated it pretty much six times per week. It's kinda ingrained in me now; routinely keeping on top of emails, replying to comments, planning content, researching, traveling....a similar picture to a lot of us now. Take that away and we're left with a gaping hole in the day, but also the freedom to let your mind switch off from the bombardment of the constant good news/bad news (mostly Facebook). Felt good I must admit. This www. is my life, and I genuinely value each and every person* who makes the effort to click + interact; it's how I earn a living and my main creative outlet, but sometimes breaking from our routine is a priceless remedy. It gave me time to reflect + plan how I can really grow my business.

Did I succeed? I'm pleased to say that I did resist the urge to go online in the main but admittedly I "had" to send an email in the evening, guilty. In terms of an experiment and challenge to myself I do feel it was a success, even if I did cave to the keyboard once - it's something that we could all benefit from once in a while.

I'd love to hear from you - Do you ever refresh and go tech-free often or would consider giving it a go for 24 hours?

Thanks for reading,
Mat

*worrying for my business
**hard in terms of my own personal circumstance, which is a fortunate one
***if you made it this far then you deserve a big thank you

This isn't a sponsored post, I really just wanted the challenge!

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Summer Uniform for FSHP

I was recently invited to take part in the latest installment of FSHP's Uniform feature for their website. I've picked out a few of my summer essentials from their current collection - including items from Carhartt, Blk Pine Workshop and Vans. Please do check out the full feature here.

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New Look Magazine Menswear Editor + Off On Holiday

Just a quick one today as I'm still packing for our trip tomorrow, while also trying to squeeze in last minute work/gym session/blog prep/eating everything in the fridge - I'm really excited to share that I was recently invited to be the Guest Menswear Editor of New Look's Summer '14 Magazine!

I was asked to give my thoughts on some of this summer's big high street trends and key items; including florals, pixelation, sportwear, oxford shirts and summer tailoring. Above is snippet but you can check out the full magazine feature here, you may also spot my old mate Liv from What Olivia doing her thing.

As mentioned we're heading to Orlando for a few weeks - my camera will be permanently attached to my wrist + the plan is to upload some quick snaps each day. If you want to reach me quickly you can still Tweet me @mat_buckets as usual!

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ASOS on Tour | Dublin + Belfast with Tourism Ireland

 I'm super excited to finally share some more photos of my recent trip to Ireland with ASOS and Tourism Ireland! Myself and fellow bloggers Olivia of What Olivia Did + Remi of Hands of Style, we were lucky enough to be invited by ASOS to get involved with their latest campaign - ASOS on Tour | The Dublin + Belfast Challenge.

Over the course of a few action-packed days we set about exploring as much of both cities as possible - soaking in Dublin + Belfast's culture, entertainment, history and attractions. Both cities were very different, each with their own historical background and unique restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, markets and art scenes. Both Olivia + Remi look ridiculously pretty in the photos, they did a top job at making me look good! My highlights of the trip were visiting the Guinness Storehouse, pizza at Skinflints, The Mac art space and spending time down at the seaside with the team at Howth.

You can check out the full campaign with ASOS + Tourism Ireland is here, where you'll find our comments on each location we stopped at. If you would like to see more menswear shots then click here.

Thank you for reading folks, hopefully you've enjoyed the photos -  there's a chance for you and your mates to win a trip to Ireland c/o ASOS here, give it a whirl!

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Guest Editor at Inkling!

I was recently asked to get involved in a little project with Inkling - A clever Gift Finding Service, which makes it easier to search for the perfect gift ideas. In just a couple of clicks you're presented with a hand-picked selection of gifts, using their handy personal interests/hobbies tool.

There's also the Guest Editors section, where gifts have been specially curated by a whole bunch of great writers, bloggers, stylists, photographers, personal shoppers and creative consultants. Each individual involved becomes an Inkling Editor and selects the items which reflects their own personal tastes. There's some familiar faces on there too - David of Grey Fox, Cillian O'Connor and Katrina of Carousel Diary have all joined in.

Some of you may have already seen a tweet or two but my first gift selection went live on the site last week. Above are a couple of shots of my gift selection, which I'll be adding to over the next few weeks. I've included items which have featured on Buckets & Spades, so if you're ever stuck for idea, just pop over and have a browse. 

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