20th November 2014
Autumn Favourites 2014
Aloha! Today (as you can probably tell by the title) I'm going to be sharing a few of my favourite items this Autumn. When I'm not battling the smell of pumpkin-spiced lattes or heaving my way through piles of fallen orange leaves, these are the things that I've enjoyed most about this season!
I'd also quickly like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience with blog posts over the past two months. It's been very hectic for me recently, though I've got a lot of really great things to come. This week I announced my collaboration with boohoo.com as well as launching the official The Jack Experience mobile optimisation. I promise that I'm now well and truly back on track.
Note: I even ventured outside for this post in order to take pictures of some autumnal-esque leaves for the header image. The things I do for this blog, ey?
1. Sweater Weather
Anyone who knows me will know that a solid 80% of the clothes I own are sweaters. I can't even begin to articulate how heavenly a comfy sweater and a good book are when paired together - the perfect combo! All through summer my arms feel naked, so I'm always ecstatic when the British public finally accept that our annual one week allowance of sunny weather is over and I can stick my favourite jumper on.
Sweaters are an absolute must for Autumn which I couldn't possibly neglect to include in this list. The small collection to the left are from Topman, River Island and Urban Outfitters, for anyone who cares.
2. Nusound Acoustics Headphones (fancy) *
If you're a lover of great music at a great quality, then you'll understand how important a good pair of headphones can be. However while quality is key, it's also very important that your ear-wear of choice doesn't make you look like an air traffic controller.
I received this b-e-a-yootiful pair from the lovely folk at Nusound Acoustics and have never looked back since. They look fantastic and the resonance is insane.
They're available in a range of colours and styles. I'll stop wearing black when they find a darker colour, I suppose.
3. The Book Thief film adaptation
After baking loads of Halloween treats and being sick of even the sight of chocolate (well, almost), my family and I sat down to watch a film. The Book Thief was that in question, and oH MY GOD IT WAS INSANE.
Usually I hate to watch a film without reading the book from which it originates first, though I begrudgingly made an exeption. Telling the story of Nazi Germany in the early 1940s and told through the eyes of death, this a fantastic narrative which is beautifully (albeit sensitively) brought to life through the lens. As a full-time movie nerd and part-time history student, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can't wait to read the book too!
4. Topman coat - it's cold, innit
When the weather decides to be crap and you're forced to face the elements outside of the safety of your warm bedroom, a nice coat is a must. This one (right) was about £80 from Topman, but worth every penny.
I think it's important to own a jacket which can be worn both formally and informally, dependent on what is placed underneath it.
Unfortunately I don't have a better picture, but this one was taken on a photoshoot for The Student Pocket Guide magazine, which I'll be featuring in as an upcoming male blogger next month - snazzy, right?
5. A book of notes (good), many books of notes (better)
When your obsession with writing begins to seep outside of even your own control, you'll need a place to organise and document wandering thoughts.
A good notebook - or a lot of good notebooks in this case - makes me very happy. I have different notebooks for school subjects, blogging ideas and general brain boggles. This helps to collate my thoughts and tame my gallivanting mind.
The little collection to the left include two from Waterstones (roughly £2 each) and one from The Works. The other two were wonderful birthday gifts from my lovely friends Alice and Mae.
6. boohooMAN - fan(tache)tic! *
When I was asked by boohooMAN to collaborate with them on their #Movember campaign, I couldn't have jumped at the chance any quicker.
Not only are they promoting a fantastic cause, their A/W14 collection is awesome too. It's not often I go onto an online shop and would actually wear every single item. Yesterday I received a rather large parcel (honestly, I wondered if a small person had accidentally been packaged) filled with clothing which I cannot wait to wear. You'll find me wearing this range non-stop. Affordable and trendy, this is a brand that everyone should know about. Love it!
7. Autumn playlist
Alongside the rest of the universe, I've been absolutely loving Hozier's Take Me To Church; it's super catchy and a proper full-blast, scream at the top of your lungs tune. Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud and George Ezra's entire album have also been on repeat.
My favourite band in the history of ever (??) Bastille have also sporadically been releasing new music. The Driver and Bad_News are just fantastic and I can't wait to see what else they've got to come with album 3.
Tom Odell's Real Love, Aquilo's I Gave It All and Nothing but Thieves' Wake Up Call are also fab.
8. Thomas Codd London (by Thomas Codd) *
I've been really liking independent brands this season, though one stands out particularly. Set up by the ultra cool Thomas Codd himself (in London, one might assume), the brand focuses on standing out from the crowd with a funky vintage style mixed with contemporary fashion. Their t-shirts have awesome designs; slightly more subdued yet still smart.
Now available on ASOS Marketplace (aka heaven), this is a definite brand to be looking out for in the not-too-distant future who I absolutely adore. That's a definite thumbs up from me, rounding off my Autumn Essentials nicely!
* Products with an asterisk next to the title were sent to me by the companies in question, free of charge. It is important to me that you, as a reader, are aware of this, though I can assure you that all opinions are 100% my own. I will only ever include pieces of which I genuinely enjoy and would recommend. Thank you. *
So there you have it! Autumn has been a rather busy time for me, with the website smashing my initial goals by miles. I've expanded loads and can't explain how much I've really appreciated the lovely feedback returned. It was also my birthday in October, as well as exams and then Halloween - which is basically just an excuse to watch scary films and scoff sweets like there's no tomorrow.
As always, I love you loads and thank you very much for reading. Until next time, goodbye!
By Jack Edwards
