11 May 2009 – Vélo Chic, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Pink gingham button down – American Eagle 
• Dark wash jeans – ON Flirt, remixed 
• Green loafers – Anne Klein, remixed 
• Bike – Mongoose 
• Backpack – Timbuk2, borrowed from fiance

Endnotes:

I’m joining the Vélocouture movement this summer and attempting to travel by bike as much as possible. I’ve been inspired by the bike-happy pictures of fellow remixer Mamichan, who bikes to work and still looks stylish and beautiful while doing so; case in point here, here, and here (and these are just a few of my favorites).

I’ve started out small by biking to a nearby coffee shop for my daily work session out of the house. I borrowed my fiance’s backpack, found my old bike lock, and set off through back roads and on sidewalks just last week. (I know you’re not supposed to ride on sidewalks, but I think it’s best I provisionally do so for everyone’s sake who’s on the road with me!) 

I’m not a skilled cyclist but I love biking and love the concept behind vélocouture.  And if you need any more convincing that you can still look stylish and wear just about anything while commuting by bike, just check out this girl’s Flickr set or this young mom’s Flickr manifesto.  Do you bike to work or around town? Or is cycling something you reserve for trails and weekend outings? Do you own a bike at all?

On a related note, the lovely Kaylyn of Dawley Style asked on a recent post for advice on how to work-out during your lunch hour and clean back up for work afterwards. A crafty reader replied suggesting baby wipes, and incidentally, while obsessively perusing bike-chic blogs over the weekend, I came across this highly endorsed product by a bike commuter who swears by them: Actionwipes! In the company’s own words: “Your face is not a baby’s butt, don’t wipe it like one”. Check out these “full body wet wipes for rinse free bathing” and let me know how you like them!  Plus, check out the comments section here, the owners of Actionwipes are offering a 15% discount with the special promo code: SKIRT.  Happy wiping! S. 

 

11 May 2009 – Me and my Bike, originally uploaded by academichic.

17 Responses to “11 May 2009 – Vélo Chic”

1. Sal
   May 11th, 2009 @ 9:45 am

   Hurrah! You’re gonna love biking, S, it’s the only way to fly. I bike 12 miles round trip to work when weather permits, and LOVE IT. My favorite kind of exercise.

   Tho I’ll admit to wearing my sweats when biking. I’m too protective of my good garb to join the Vélocouture movement.

2. Diana
   May 11th, 2009 @ 9:58 am

   I love this! I’m an avid cyclist, and while I don’t bike commute (yet) I do ride my bike for small trips within two miles of my house, and frequently take longer outings on the weekend with my boyfriend. One area of my wardrobe that I’ve been trying to work on is finding cycle chic clothes that are comfortable and stylish. I’ll definitely be hitting up the links you’ve posted!

3. Cosmo
   May 11th, 2009 @ 10:34 am

   I love to ride my bike, but I don’t actually ride very often. I live in a really hilly neighborhood and I am so out of shape I am afraid if I leave my house I won’t ever make it home again. I do however choose my bikes based on whether or not I could wear a skirt and ride without flashing everyone. My hubby is huge into cycling though and I am trying to get him into bike chic which is a huge project.

4. Kaylyn
   May 11th, 2009 @ 1:37 pm

   First: Thanks so much for the link! I can’t wait to try out the action wipes. I got paid Saturday and I can’t think of a better way to spend money! haha
   Second: You are going to have so much fun biking! When I lived closer to my office I would bike to and from work. Talk about waking up! I was recently going to get back into biking at least around town (after a few moves my bike had finally come out of storage and was begging to be ridden) but when I went to my back yard to ride, I found nothing but empty space. My bike had been stolen! Sad, but I’ve moved on and am hiking.
   And finally, you look super cute today! :)

5. Goober
   May 11th, 2009 @ 5:00 pm

   I have a cruiser style bike and I love riding it around town, especially this time of year when it’s not too hot. I even have a little wicker basket that attaches to the front.

6. Megan
   May 11th, 2009 @ 5:18 pm

   That is so great that you are biking! In grad school, I biked everywhere as did everyone else. In fact, it was almost socially unacceptable to drive anywhere in that town! Where I live now, my job is eight mountainous miles away and I really miss biking. Driving is such a drag after biking for so long! Here is a little hint: I picked up a rack to go over the back wheel and attached a milk crate to it with some heavy duty zip ties. Hook some bungy cords over the top and you can throw everything in there- I even got to where I would put my laptop in the crate (there is nothing I hate more than carrying a backpack). Also, if you are feeling in the skirt/dress mood but not in the flashing the entire world mood, you can clip the front of your skirt to the back of your skirt with one of those binder clip things, it works great and doesn’t look too obviously strange. Good luck with the biking!

7. S.
   May 11th, 2009 @ 5:38 pm

   @Megan – wow, thanks for those useful tips! I was actually thinking of making a little milk crate addition to the back, but the skirt trick is a new one!

   @ all – thanks for your enthusiasm! I’ve been loving not taking my car out and attempting to get places by bike instead. I’m still hesitant and new to this, but am definitely loving it!

8. BoutiqueGirl
   May 12th, 2009 @ 3:30 am

   I love this look! My bf bikes to and from work and I walk as I do not have a bike but I think I am going to get one in time for the warmer months!

9. Beth Dunn
   May 12th, 2009 @ 7:50 am

   Love the shoes! xoxo

10. Hannah
    May 12th, 2009 @ 9:08 am

    If you want something that looks a little more classy than a milk crate there are tons of pannier bags on the market. Knog for example makes a laptop messenger bag with clips for attaching to a bike rack, and it has a really wide comfortable strap. It is very sturdy and safe, and then you get the advantage of not having a backpack but you also have something to carry your stuff in once you get off the bike.
    My boyfriend and I try to ride our bikes everywhere and we even have grocery panniers for going shopping!

11. 12 May 2009 : academichic
    May 12th, 2009 @ 11:43 am

    [...] an international phenomenon?). So I’m very timely with my experiment of commuting by bike. Yesterday, after leaving the coffee shop,  I ran some errands such as going to the post office and the grocery store on my bike and found [...]

12. futurelint
    May 13th, 2009 @ 8:26 am

    ooh, good for you! I have THREE bikes and take them a lot of places (including work a few days a week – depends on the season and weather). You’ve inspired me to take some pics with my bikes, they are pretty awesome!

13. S.
    May 13th, 2009 @ 8:46 am

    Yay, futurelint, can’t wait to see your bike shots! That’s awesome how much you cycle!

14. Daily Outfit: Cycle Chic « Simple Elegance
    May 14th, 2009 @ 7:15 am

    [...] Diana Velocouture is a recent style movement brought to my attention by S. over at Academichic in two recent posts.  I was so excited to hear about this, because I’ve already been cycling [...]

15. charlotte
    June 17th, 2009 @ 12:25 pm

    In the spirit of this blog (and because I know what grad student stipends are like) I’d like to point out that you can use thrifted baskets zip-tied to a rack if you’re looking for more style than an egg crate and less expense than a bike bag. Though I love my eBay bike bag.

16. charlotte
    June 17th, 2009 @ 1:22 pm

    OK, one more comment:
    I modified a backpack for my sister, to make an inexpensive bike bag. I guess you’d call this a “remixed” bag, I’ve been calling it “upcycled” because I like your definition of remixed and this is different.

17. admin
    June 17th, 2009 @ 5:56 pm

    Thanks for some really great tips and pictures, Charlotte! I love the converted backpack to pannier and the idea of using a basket with tie straps as a DIY solution! Great tips! :)

    S.

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