Begg x Co Knitwear | Made in Scotland

 

Bi Coloured Beanie in Yellow + Natural | Shadow Rib Beanie Navy Asphalt | Slub Crew Sweater

I'm not a love story kind of guy. Generally if I've loved visiting a place I don't tend to feel the urge to return unless I missed something that I really wanted to see. Not in a "been-there-done-that" kind of way, it's more from a curiosity of experiencing things I haven't experienced before. 

But Scotland is an exception to this rule; pass this guy a stamp and envelope, because I'm about to mail my first love letter.

The air, the open roads, the sweet smell of distilling, the fly fishing, the friendly faces, the commitment to tradition, the silence in the hills, the feeling of belonging even as a visitor: that's my Scotland. Manufacturing is another I'd add to that list, as the majority of people I know from up North work in design and craft, in some way or form.

Orwell Ordon Scarf | Arran Vicuna Scarf 

Begg x Co is a small knitwear label based on the southwest coast of Scotland, in the town of Ayr. Lamsbwool and cashmere are used in such a way that feels familiar, yet special in every sense; with jumpers, scarfs and accessories all seen in colours inspired by and taken from the Scottish landscape. Begg x Co have fun with it - with vibrant cashmere hats sitting along side more traditional patterned cashmere scarfs and men's crew neck sweaters, and even the odd splash of added camouflage, catching eyes from every-which-way.

Let's book that train ticket shall we.

Photography by Jordan Bunker.

Spontaneous Motivation | Visiting Aberdeen + Edinburgh

Welcome to Granite City. Home of Marischal College, the second largest granite building in the world 

 David Welch Botanical Gardens, recommended by Haarkon

During the darker months it seems that motivation can be a little bit harder to muster. The dark, heavy skies of the UK manage to break up at around 10am, only for the light to disappear totally by mid-afternoon. It can be a bit of a mood killer, so there's no wonder why they call in the winter blues. With the aim to keep our creativity levels topped up over winter, myself + Jordan Bunker embraced an opportunity that popped up with Late Rooms' Imprompu Nights campaign. 

The idea of having a spontaneous streak - not usually my strong suit - isn't something I'd associate with my current situation, but having been working from home for a solid three weeks I knew Late Rooms' offer of a few days away exploring a new city could be just the ticket. The catch was we wouldn't find out the end destination until we were heading to the train station. Searching out those little pockets of brilliance in cities and small towns across the UK is what we do best, so when we found out we were on our way to Aberdeen, Scotland, we turned to our communities on Instagram and Twitter for help and recommendations.

Late Rooms recently complied a list of the Top 10 UK's best places to visit for a spontaneous gateaway; taking into consideration the quality of hotels, food scene, retail environment, local sights, nightlife and travel connections. We really are spoilt for choice on these islands.

Before we arrived at the affectionately named "Granite City", we knew very little about Aberdeen, but we left feeling uplifted and inspired by the warm of its people, striking architecture and thriving independent scene.

 One of the UK's most respected menswear retailers, Kafka

Overshirt by Whistles | Vest by Lavenham | Sweatshirt by Asket | Trouses by Folk | Sneakers by Vans

 Find yourself spoilt for choice, but our favourite coffee hideout in Aberdeen was Cult of Coffee

It wasn't the easiest of destinations to get to (although I have been further north), but the city impressed us both immensely. Aberdeen's beautiful architectural design is down to the use of locally quarried granite, which casts a pale grey-ish silver hue across the city. It's a quality which is very unique to the city, something which its locals are very proud of. In fact, because of the granite, I don't think I've seen a more striking sunset in the UK. 

Hotel Details

We stayed at the 4* Mercure Aberdeen Caledonian Hotel, with rooms starting from £63 per night. The location was perfect, being five minute's walk from Aberdeen central train station, and within 15 minute's walk from pretty much everything we'd planned to do.

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We caught our train home from Aberdeen before sunrise. But all in the name of spontaneity (and mainly due to some terrible weather conditions in the North East of Scotland), we decided to say on an extra night in Edinburgh...there's worst city's to get stranded in!

 Zero degrees means several layers of wool for Jordan Bunker

 One of the nicest looking drinking posts you'll come across in the UK, Hyde & Son

Our old faithful, The Milkman. You'll be pushed to find a smaller coffee shop in the city, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in personality, quality and great chat

I prefixed this blog post with the notion of keeping motivated in the colder months, and as myself and JB parted ways on the platform of Edinburgh station I instantly started to inspired and compelled to act on more of my impulses. On the three hour journey back down to Lancashire I scrolled through the photos and videos on my phone (including our first Instagram Live), and looked back fondly on the past four days we'd spend in Scotland. 

These moments were already turning into memories, but it was enough to keep my motivation levels high and my new-found spontaneous side well and truly satisfied for the time being.

Additional photography by Jordan Bunker.

We were offered 2-nights accommodation + travel costs to Aberdeen by LateRooms. Your support of the brands + businesses we work with helps make this blog happen.

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Giving Time to Explore Edinburgh, with Timex

 Jacket by Paul Smith (similar) | Shirt + Denim Trousers by Weekday | Sneakers by Converse | Easy Reader Watch by Timex | Sunglasses by Moscot

13:00 – Hyde & Son's on George Street is one of the city's newest + most exciting spaces. From the team behind Leman Locke, Hyde & Son's offered a relaxing environment for coffee, drinks + food.

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A venture across the Scottish boarder is always a welcomed one. Having had the opportunity to explore some of Scotland's most beautiful landscapes and its vibrant cities, I can safely say that I'm a member of the fan club. I'll try to organise a trip as frequently as possible, and I'll take any excuse to further install my love for its history, people and landscape.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Timex's best-selling Easy Reader collection, we wanted to visit a city within the British Isles that mirrored the brand's core values and heritage, while still having a firm grasp on progression and willingness to evolve. For us, Edinburgh was the perfect place.

10:00 – The borough of Stockbridge is full of independent restaurants, coffee shops and retailers. You could easily spend hours shooting the breeze with locals + getting lost in the side streets. Aesop and the newly opened The Method stores are setting a high standard.

Jacket by Several (similar) | Shirt by Jigsaw | Trousers by Topman | Watch by Timex | Socks by Paul Smith | Sneakers by Common Project (similar) | Sunglasses by Ace&Tate

For many of us, a Timex evokes a certain childhood memory of receiving our very first watch. In 1977 the first Timex Easy Reader pootled off the production line, and since went on to sell 25 million+ worldwide. Fast forward to its 40th anniversary and we see the new collection being brought up to date with some sweet new additions; the iconic INDIGLO® night-light still features, but this time the face reveals a back-lit "40". New life is carried over into the strap design too, with American Horween leather, along with complimenting stitched edges, being used for its durability and comfort – a natural patina will begin to form over time.

The city is full of hidden treasures; from the independent community in the borough of Stockbridge coming together to support the notion of thinking smaller to create something bigger, the city's ever-changing entertainment scene to the recent renovation of the Quartermile – an area which seems to be obsessed with Swedish bakeries!

For me, a travel experience has a lot about those details that you don't first see at first glace; a tiled staircase which leads to a restaurant's bathrooms, the smell of freshly baked cherry brownies, an unassuming cobbled street which serves as a cut-through towards something more tourist-friendly.

Everything is down to detail. I feel that same passion towards design.

 12:00 – Making time out to explore the city's much-loved botanical gardens + its surrounding area. Feeling ready for food, we took to Instagram for recommendations.

 15:00 – Taking recommendations from the Edinburgh locals. Photographer Murray Orr took us to one of his favourite lunch spots, Checkpoint, just off the Royal Mile.

A Conversation with Ashlyn Chesney of MR PORTER's Style Council

Town Hall Hotel, Bethnal Green, London

It's fair to say there has been a slight shift in my priorities this year. Buying our first house has brought on a whole heap of new responsibilities, and when you add a wedding to the mix (yep, 8 week to go, flipping heck!) – as well as starting up a new agency, Three Letters, with Nik – I have somewhat neglected my regular two-blog-post-per-week goal. 

One of my weekly visits to our capital city was to spend an afternoon with Ashlyn Chesney, the main driving forces behind MR PORTER's Style Council. If you haven't heard of the Style Council, simply put, it's a regularly updated travel, food + drinks guide, as recommended by some of the coolest + most well-connected chaps on the planet. 

I met up with Ashlyn at the beautiful Town Hall Hotel, in Bethnal Green, to find out how she came to be in the role of Style Council Director, where her enthusiasm for design + interiors comes from, how she decides which locations to recommend + a little bit more about the MR PORTER's Style Council.

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Mat - Tell us a little bit about how someone from Maine, USA - a state known for its fishing trade and shipyards - comes to work in fashion, travel and lifestyle?

Ashlyn Chesney - I’ve always chosen to express myself through fashion and was encouraged by family and friends to do more with it; however, growing up I actually wanted to be an archaeologist – I wanted to travel and explore and learn about the origin of things yet to be discovered. I also loved creating moments for people and wanted to understand more about what motivates us as a society, the hows and whys of when we can come together and the turning points at which we are motivated to do better/create better/be better…It led me to study business and psychology and eventually move to NYC where I managed fashion events and later worked in the hospitality business.

And where does MR PORTER come in, how did the role as Director at The Style Council come to be? Did the role just seem like a perfect fit for you?

In 2015 I decided I needed a change. I was working non-stop, based in NYC but on schedule with London, NY and LA; I hadn’t taken a holiday in several years and my role had become my biggest fear: a desk job. I decided to move on, visit my mom for the first time since I’d started, and then embark on 8 months of travels that brought me to Paris, London, Italy, Argentina and Uruguay. 

I was introduced to Jeremy [Langmead], MR PORTER’s Brand & Content Director, while I was in London, at Mark’s Club. After learning about what I’d done for work and what I was looking for, he told me he might have a perfect role…he wasn’t lying. As Style Council Director, I’ve been able to take the best parts of what I’ve done over the years and I get to do what I’ve always dreamt: travel the world, work with incredible people to experience new places and help others to connect with the world around them.  

 

Folk Shell Jacket | Beams Plus Long Sleeve T-Shirt | Dickies Trousers | Converse 70s | Persol Sunglasses | Instrmnt 

Watch. All linked items c/o MR PORTER.

 Origami-inspired interior is a really unusual contrast against the original Edwardian building

Outfit | The Grey + Blue Autumn Uniform

ASOS Overcoat | Paul Smith Jumper c/o House of Fraser | COS Shirt | Reiss Chinos | Form&Thread Socks | 
Sneakers c/o Superga | Penfield Hat | Scarf c/o Edition Scotland

Swing by Foundation Coffee in you're heading to Manchester. Glasses by Bailey Nelson.

ASOS Overcoat (similar here) | Paul Smith Jumper c/o House of Fraser | COS Shirt | Reiss Chinos | Form&Thread Socks | Sneakers c/o Superga | Penfield Hat | Scarf c/o Edition Scotland

More days like these spent in Manchester. Actually, more days like these that aren't freezing and ridden with gale force winds, but you get the idea...My latest trip to the city was to help our man Jordan Bunker out with a few photos, for a feature he's working on (which should be on his December); but as we had the whole day to ourselves we had time to flip photographer roles – in between caffeine breaks at Foundation Coffee.

See, this is why I see such a big importance of meeting up with the people who you hit it off with online; forming relationships "in real life" generally leads to positive things. Sometimes it's good to have someone to bounce ideas off, chat about work life, or simply just grab a coffee and chew the fat.

I can't remember when I discovered Jordan's blog, but it was an instant weekly visit for me. Our tastes are quite similar, but our styles differ a fair bit – which I actually think is a great mix.

In terms of the outfit, the colour palette pretty much sums up my mood lately; grey, navy and black, which is definitely a slight remove from the colourful gear I usually choose. This Paul Smith Lambswool jumper c/o House of Fraser has been a solid favourite since I received it a few weeks back. Layering knitwear with this simple chambray shirt by COS and age-old ASOS overcoat – not forgetting a thermal top! – has definitely become my go-to Autumn uniform at the moment.

Have you had much experience with meeting up with you've connected with on social media? What's your Autumn uniform this year?

Photos by Jordan Bunker.

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Danny MacAskill's Wee Day Out

Another one of Danny MacAskill's videos for you to enjoy – his Wee Day Out, where Danny takes on all the obstacles that rural Scotland has to offer.

Like his other videos, this one is so spectacular in places that it's hard to believe it's actually real. Good job that Red Bull and GoPro have provided some behind-the-scenes clips too that show just how he rode a hay bale and cycled through a six foot puddle.

No doubt, this video will be as popular as the last one we featured - and we can't wait to see what else he has in store.

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