Sunday's attire

On Sunday we went to visit our beautiful new niece and spend the day with the family.

For this I chose to wear the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Pale blue Jack & Jones 'Oxford' shirt, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Harrykson Brogues, Blue & Pink polka dot socks.   

Saturday's attire

Saturday saw us out to the pub for lunch as an early Father's Day treat for my Dad and I....

For this I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Asda pink shirt, Sainsburys striped short-sleeved T-shirt, Primark Canvas Jacket, Harrykson Brogues, Red socks.  

Monday's attire

Monday saw us heading back to Primark to exchange a couple of things.

For this trip I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Asda beige shirt, Red T-Shirt, Primark Canvas Jacket, Baracuta 'Waterloo' Boots, Red socks. 

While I was there I picked up a nice French-style canvas overshirt / jacket. I had seen it in there the last time we went, but at £20, I thought it was a bit too similar to something I already had so I decided against it. Imagine my surprise this time when I saw it discounted to £3! When we paid for it, it came up at £10, so I went to look at the other couple on the sale rail and they said £10 (my one had £3 written over the price in red) Anyway, we queried it with customer services and they refunded us the £7.

So here in all its glory is my £3 overshirt!

Perfect for that poor impoverished artist look....I just need a simple collarless shirt to complete the outfit!

Sunday's attire

My wife had a friend and her son over for lunch before they headed out to the Banbury Show.

Kate did a nice lunch for us and the two children and for this chilled oout day I chose the following outfit (again!):

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Red t-shirt, Jack & Jones grey sweatshirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Red socks.
 

Saturday's attire

Another 4 day weekend....I could get used to this!

Friday saw me stuck inside sorting out cupboards, so no need for a nice outfit. Saturday was spent selling off some of my collection at a vintage Action Man sale and for this I chose the following summery outfit:

 Jeans shorts, Grey Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls.

In the evening, we actually went out....Just the two of us!

We went for a lovely meal at the wonderful Great Western Arms in Aynho:

My wife and I both agreed that it was one of the best meals we've ever had. Homemade bread with humous and olive oil to start, followed by beer battered cod and chips with peas and tartare sauce for me, and chicken breast in a mushroom sauce for Kate chased home by sticky toffee pudding and fruit crumble for afters. It was out of this world and the staff were so friendly. You have to give this place a go. We are going to be heading back very soon!

For this lovely evening I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive Green 'Penguin' shirt, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Harrykson Brogues, Green socks.

Sunday's attire

Saturday saw us cycling near Stratford upon Avon, so my outfit was a eclectic mix of BMX and Mountain Bike gear...

Sunday was spent with the family in the glorious sunshine.

For this I chose the following outfit:

Jeans shorts, Olive green Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls.

Friday's attire

A day off to go to Primark. One of the main reasons was so my wife could return some stuff that didn't fit. We were half way there only for her to realise she had left the bag containing the said stuff on the table at home. I have a feeling we will be going back again very soon!

Anyway for this trip I chose the following outfit:

Dark Blue Matalan jeans, Sainsburys striped short-sleeved T-shirt, Pale blue Jack & Jones 'Oxford' shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Blue socks.

Socks appeal

Having been looking for some spotty socks, I picked up this funky trio in TK Maxx today:

They are by Crew Clothing and cost £7.99 for the three pairs. Result!

Monday's attire

We spent Bank Holiday Monday at my parents' house, with a brief trip to a nearby park.

For this day of relaxation I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Red t-shirt, Jack & Jones grey sweatshirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Red socks.
 

Sunday's attire

A quick trip to Sainsbury's in morning called for something quick and casual.

For this I wore the following:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive green Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Green socks

 

In the afternnon, we went to our friends' house for their daiughter's 8th Birthday party.

For this I chose to give my Jachs shirt (from TK Maxx) its first outing:

I wore it with the following:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive green Jachs shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Purple socks. (Originally I had gone for loafers instead of the plimsolls, but my wife thought it was a little too formal for the event.As usual she was right)

Saturday's attire

Our usual itinerary of lunch in town followed by a spot of shopping, but with the added bonus of stopping off in the park on the way home.

For this I chose an outfit I have worn before:

Dark Blue Matalan jeans, Olive Green 'Penguin' shirt, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Green socks.

Sunday's attire

A very lazy day involving a trip to my parents' house to collect the boy and a quick pop into Sainsburys.

For this I chose an outfit I have worn very recenlty, and I liked it so much, it's come out again, but with (shock horror!) grey socks!

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive green Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Grey socks.

Saturday's attire

Another Saturday, another pair of brightly coloured socks! Yes it's that time again. Lunch out, followed by a bit of shopping and then dinner at my parents' house for the boy and me as my wife was babysitting for a friend.

The following outfit got the nod:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Breton' style long-sleeved T-shirt, Merino wool cycling shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Orange socks.

 

Sunday's attire:

A day spent chilling out at home called for another slight variation on a previous oufit.

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Purple t-shirt, Jack & Jones grey sweatshirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls, Purple socks.

Saturday's attire:

Since starting this blog, I have come to realise that my weekends usually involve some kind of pub lunch. This weekend did not stray far from that theme. So to celebrate, I chose a slight variation on a previous outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, H&M white shirt, Red V-neck sweater, Primark, Canvas Jacket, Baracuta 'Waterloo' Boots, Red socks.

Tuesday's attire

I tagged a day's holiday onto the Bank Holiday and what did we do....? Go shopping again!

I was looking for some summer clothes and for holiday-wear, but I ended up buying nothing. I came so close to buying a beautful pair of Converse Bosey Hi-Tops in TK Maxx, but I wondered what I would wear them with. If they had been low-tops, I would have them on right now.

They were suede, with heavy duty black rubber edging and cool leather laces. I'm talking myself back into them now....Must...resist....

Anyway, for this shopping trip, I made a slight change to yesterday's outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive green Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls.

Bristol Zoo

We were given tickets to Bristol Zoo for Christmas, but we didn't get a chance to go until now. The weather forecast said it was going to be the hottedt day of the year and this left me with a dilemma as all of my summer shorts are too big for me now! So what's a fellow to do? Cut up a pair of jeans and make some shorts of course!

I teamed them up with the following:

Jeans shorts, Grey Blue Inc. polo shirt, Firetrap casual plimsolls.

Sunday's attire

Another lazy Sunday invloving lunch in town and the afternoon at my parents' house.

This gave me a chance to wear another piece of clothing that never fitted before, but is now borderline too big!

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Asda 'George' pale brown shirt, John Rocha brown sweater, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Orange socks.

.

Saturday's attire

Just when I thought we had finished the children's Birthday parties....Another one pops up!

This one took place at a 'soft play' centre with all the big bouncy climbing frames for us the children to play on.

For these fun-filled couple of hours I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Jasper Conran denim shirt, Harrykson Brogues, Green socks.

Sunday's attire

Our son went for lunch at my parents yesterday, so we had a child-free grown-up lunch like the old days! No restraining in high-chairs, being drawn on with crayons, being the target for thrown food....So dull! How did we ever enjoy this? :D

For these quiet relaxed few hours I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, H&M white shirt, Red V-neck sweater, Primark, Canvas Jacket, Harrykson Brogues, Red socks.
 

Primark Jacket

We took a trip to the new Primark store at the MK1 shopping park at Milton Keynes on Saturday. It's situated next to the MK Dons football stadium, which is next to the huge Asda / Walmart store, which is next to Ikea. This new development houses Primark, River Island, New Look, Outfit/BHS, Next and M&S. Parking is free, but I would advise getting there early as the queues can get quite long as there is only one way in and out and this looks to be a bit of a bottleneck. The place looks to be very popular, as the 600 spaces were soon filled and after lunch drivers were prowling the car park hunting for any elusive empty ones.

I can't really tell you much about the other stores as we only went in Primark (and the BHS cafe which doesn't serve hot childrens' meals, much to our chip-loving 2 year-old's disappointment!) The Primark store was pretty big. I don't think it is quite as big as the Oxford store, but it seemed to have more in it if that makes sense? It was much more like an upmarket store with its nice lighting and dark ceilings and walls (as opposed to the big white room full of stuff that some of their stores feel like) and basically, if you like Primark you won't be disappointed by it. Just get there early!

So what did I buy there? Well, I have been hankering after a simple utility style jacket / blazer ever since I saw a guy wearing one on a blog a few months ago. I can't seem to find it now, but if I do I will upload it!

His jacket was one worn by French railway workers and was it so effortlessly simple and plain that it inspired me to find one similar. I recently came across this really nice one by Saint James, but I as lovely as it is, I didn't really want to spend £109 on it. :( Then I saw a really nice one in Gap for £30 in the sale, but they didn't have my size (only S / M left). Then we went to Primark and I found this:

It's a toffee colour and is made of a soft canvas-like material. It's very simple with its three pockets and has a contrasting 'denim' lining on the shoulders (the rest is unlined) It's pretty much just what I wanted, and best of all it cost just £20. Just the job!

Saturday's attire

We embarked on a shopping expedition to Milton Keynes today, mainly to have a nose around the new Primark store, which I will talk more about in the next post.

For the trip I chose the following outfit:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Tan 'Original Penguin' shirt, Green V-neck sweater, Harrykson Brogues, Green socks.

Sunday's attire

A day spent chilling at home. My parents brought our son back from his stopever with them and they stopped for a nice lunch.

For this I wore the new grey t-shirt with blue stripes that I got from Sainsburys for £3 (I also bought one in white with blue stripes) and the outfit consisted of the following:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Sainsburys grey & blue striped t-shirt, Purple socks....Oh and Slippers!

Which reminds me....I need some new slippers!

Saturday night's attire

What's this? A Saturday night....Out?

Yes, we actually went out for dinner with friends on Saturday night and very nice it was too. A lovely pub meal and good company, and for this evening out I revisited an old friend....My Zoo York shirt that had always been too small for me!

My good friends Nic & Bruce bought me this shirt for my birthday before they emigrated to Australia. It was always 'snug' so I tended to wear it under a jumper, but it now looks great on my new slimline frame and I finally got to do up the tiny little enamel skull & crossbones top-button. I will take some more pictures of this shirt in the future.

Anyway here is the outfit as worn on the night out:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Zoo York short sleeved shirt, Checked brown blazer, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Green socks.

Saturday's attire

My new side-parted hair saw me opting for the 1950's style today. I went for the 'double denim' complete with overshirt and my vintage Randolphs. According to my wife, I drew some admiring glances, but I think she might have been seeing things!

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Breton' style long-sleeved T-shirt, Jasper Conran denim shirt, Farah CPO Overshirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Red socks.

Haircut!

Had my hair cut on Friday by the wonderful Kirsty Pearce at Eleven. She had been inspired by a hair show she had been to, and styled me with a more defined parting, which is very 'on-trend' as they say!

Sunday's attire

A slight variation on a previous look was the choice for today's chilled out visit to my parents' house.

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Purple t-shirt, Jack & Jones grey sweatshirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Purple socks.

Saturday's attire

Yet again, we spent our Saturday having lunch and then wandering around the shops. I finally bought that Penguin shirt in tan and the bonus was that it was down to £18 from £24.99. Result!

Anyway, for this exciting event I chose the following variation on the 'double denim' look.

Primark black skinny jeans, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Jasper Conran denim shirt, Levis denim jacket, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Red socks.

Sunday's attire

Sunday was my Dad's Birthday, so we took him and my Mum out for a Sunday lunch at the pub. For this I chose a slight variation on an outfit I wore last weekend.

I almost bought another one of these Penguin shirts on Saturday, but in tan. I am still thinking about it.

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive Green 'Penguin' shirt, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Green socks.

Saturday's attire

Another lazy Saturday, another relaxed trip into town....

I thought I'd give my £6 charity shop blazer another try as I've only worn it once since I bought it!

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, 'Breton' style long-sleeved T-shirt, Pale blue Jack & Jones 'Oxford' shirt, Checked brown blazer, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Orange socks.

 

My 1952 Belt

I won this belt on ebay a little while ago. It is stamped S.E.N. 1952 / J.A. 2394 / 075 along with the government issue arrow marks and features a heavy (brass?) buckle. The weird thing about it is the fact it was 85" long which is a whopping 7'1" (for our metric friends that's 2.15m) Now I can't imagine a soldier having an 85" waist, and I don't see how it would work as a double-wrap belt because the keepers are too narrow and there are no holes for the first 'wrap'. It has been made by joining two lengths together and the join looks to be original, so I'm wondering if it was actually a strap for securing something such as a trunk? I've tried searching for information, but I've turned up a blank so far.

Anyway, I hope it doesn't turn out to be some super-rare thing, as I have converted it to a standard length belt. This involved cutting the original stitched joint, cutting the belt itself just after the keeper, and then stitching the two pieces together using the original holes in each piece. These holes didn't line up very well, but with the help of some black waxed thread, a needle, a steel thimble and some brute force, I managed to bodge stitch it....

I'm really happy with the way it looks and feels. It's like wearing my own little piece of history!

 

Bund strap

I picked up this nice little 'bund' strap for my aviator watch project on ebay. It cost me the princely sum of £6 including postage and I love how it looks on the watch. I hope it will look even better when I have aged it a little and even better still when I team it up with the aged version of the watch.

 

Monday's attire

A Bank Holiday spent with friends called for a casual outfit so I chose a variation on one I tried before:

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Purple t-shirt, Jack & Jones grey sweatshirt, John White loafers, Purple socks.

Sunday's attire

Easter Sunday with the family gave me a chance to wear the shirt I bought on Friday

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Olive Green 'Penguin' shirt, Sainsburys 'Grandad' shirt,  John White loafers, Green socks

 

Saturday's attire

For today's exciting grocery shop, I wore a subtle variation of yesterday's outfit....

I got to wear the 'reverse' version of my Breton shirt (Blue with narrow white stripes, rather than white with narrow blue)

Dark Blue Matalan jeans, 'Breton' style long-sleeved T-shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Farah CPO Overshirt, Orange socks.

Friday's attire

Friday was a  Bank Holiday, so we did the traditional British thing.... We went shopping!

For this I chose to wear:

Dark Blue Matalan jeans, 'Breton' style long-sleeved T-shirt, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Farah CPO Overshirt, Royal blue socks.

 

Saturday's attire

Another Saturday...Another pub lunch!

Tommy Hilfiger 'Hudson' jeans, Pale blue Jack & Jones 'Oxford' shirt, Blue V-neck sweater, Baracuta 'Waterloo' boots, Orange socks.

Aviator watch

I took a punt on a bargain basement aviator watch that I saw online from the German company Westfalia tools. I thought it would provide a cheap base for my planned WW2 style watch that I mentioned previously.

Anyway, it turned up and it's great! It feels a lot more expensive than it's £19.99 price-tag. It is a big 47mm in diameter and has a nice 'onion' crown (the winder). The hands and the numbers are lumed and glow nicely when they've been exposed to light and it has a basic Quartz movement (ie battery powered)  I know it's cheap, but this way I don't mind if I mess up my attempt to age it. Well that's not true...I like it so much, I just ordered another one in case I do just that and make a mess of it, but actually I think it's going to be a good foundation for my little project....