Mobile Fashion: Exploring Cycle Chic

Posted on | October 13, 2009 | 21 Comments

I recently put out a Call For Papers asking for your best cycle chic submissions. I received some lovely entries and have added some of my favorite cycle chic images from the interwebs to share with you as well. Enjoy the following eye candy that more than proves how fashion, fitness, and eco-friendly living go beautifully together:

The lovely Miss Sarah, who blogs about style and cycling on Girls and Bicycles (among motherhood and other things), has been showing fellow Canadians a thing or two about traveling in style. I love this gorgeous dress and that she’s not afraid to don it while cycling to her brunch date.

Similarly, the lovely Cosmo who co-blogs at Lost Angeles Cycle Chic, proves that showing up on a bike for your date is just the thing to do. I’m sure you’re date was as impressed as we are! (You can also find Cosmo’s fashion blog at I Do It Cosmo Style).

Fellow German-based Kasmeneo shows off his wonderful cycling and everyday style in his Flickr set and in the Velocouture group pool. Kasmeneo’s funky and wonderfully color-driven outfits not only question the notion that cycling can’t be stylish but also challenges gendered fashion as a construct.

Trisha and Dottie prove that you can have fun discovering a new town by bike and maintain your sense of fashion with this snapshot from their trip to Littlehampton, England. While Trisha is rocking the skinny jeans with a fabulous ruffle trim blouse, Dottie is looking very chic in a lovely dress and scarf combo.

And speaking of biking in dresses, check out this rockin’ picture sent in by Gee from Curitiba, Brazil. Gee’s blog Curitiba Cycle Chic aims to demonstrate, in her own words, “sustainable mobility with style.” Right on!

Brazilians aren’t the only ones who cycle in chic dresses: San Francisco moms do it too! If you’re familiar with cycling blogs, then you’re already well aware of Change Your Life: Ride a Bike! written by Adrienne (above) and Meligrosa (below). This is my favorite picture of Adrienne in her stylish wrap dress with her son on the back of the bike. I think it more than exudes confidence, style, sustainable living practices and good role modeling.

Not only is Meligrosa the talented co-blogger of Change Your Life: Ride a Bike! but you can also find her wonderful photography and chronicles of her rides through San Francisco at Bikes and the City.

Moving further north to the chilly climate of Minnesota, brings us to one of my favorite Velocouturists Mamichan. Biking to work in the busy city of Minneapolis, Mamichan proves that you can stay true to your professional wardrobe and still get around by bike. Mamichan has also committed to sustainable fashion choices by supporting local designers and crafters, showcasing her unique and wonderful style choices in her Flickr set.

Making yet another geographical jump, brings us to the talented writer and style blogger Jane in England, who is also likely to be found wearing a gorgeous dress while commuting around town on her bike. Jane, of the one-year-shopping-ban-project, also tackles sustainable living practices by using her bike whenever possible.

The lovely and always colorfully dressed Franca of Scotland has also been posting increasing images of her with her bike, venturing into the world of everyday dressing while bike commuting. If you’re looking for someone to inspire some awesomely bold and beautiful color combinations in your own approach to fashion, then Franca’s blog Oranges and Apples is a must-read for you.

I myself have recently rediscovered how much fun a bike can be and have challenged my own assumptions about the incongruences of fashion and fitness. You can find my cycle chic posts here, to which I hope to be able to add more to in the near future (am still bike-less in Munich but have received several offers of bike loans). I also want to direct you to the Velocouture Flickr group if you’re not already familiar with it, which is a constant source of inspiration, as well as the many style and bike blogs out there which are easily found by perusing any of the blogrolls of the cycle chic blogs named in this post.

What I especially loved about compiling this collection of images is the internationality of its sources: England, Brazil, US, Scotland, Germany, Canada… I love seeing how all over the world people are embracing sustainable living practices and consciously posting their efforts for others to feel inspired. Finding these examples on the internet pushed me to pull out my long neglected bike and attempt my first bike-in-a-skirt adventure. I hope that this post will similarly serve as a starting point or inspiration for someone else reading it and that it will add to the ever growing velocouture and eco-conscious living movement. S.

3 September 2009 – Day

Posted on | September 4, 2009 | 6 Comments

3 September 2009 – Day, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

Yesterday was spent running errands and getting organized in terms of my upcoming departure to Germany. Since I don’t know how soon after my arrival in Munich I will be able to get a bike, I’m relishing my last few days cycling about town to the post office, the campus library, and the grocery store. I found this jersey skirt and these wedges very easy to bike in: the stretchy-ness of the fabric allows for easy movement while the weight of this heavier jersey prevents it from flying up and exposing me to the world.

There is not much else to say about yesterday’s “day” look other that it was incredibly comfortable while still managing to appear put-together. I love it when those two criteria come together. S.

1 September 2009 – Bumblebee

Posted on | September 1, 2009 | 11 Comments

1 September 2009 – Bumblebee, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

While doing our color challenges, I think we all became acutely aware of what colors we wear frequently and which ones are lacking in our closets. E. wears yellow beautifully but both A. and I realized that we harbored somewhat of a fear of yellow garments. I own plenty of yellow accessories, but yellow tops or skirts to be worn in large blocks of color next to my skin were a lacking.

So on our last few shopping trips together, A. and I have been on a mission to see if we can find that one yellow item that works with our pigment. We both quickly ruled out any citrusy yellows or any pale yellows and have since been on a quest for the perfect mustard yellow. Well, my dears, I think I’ve got it! I found this ruffled Sam & Max top on my last trip to TJMaxx and it’s just the right shade of saturated mustard yellow that I don’t look sallow or jaundiced in it. Perseverance pays off!

This will also make a great fall or winter layering piece, adding interest with the ruffled neckline under a cardi or blazer. Multi-seasonal pieces are great when you don’t have a ton of money to spend on separate seasonal wardrobes and something I’m becoming increasingly conscious of when shopping. How about you? What color are you trying to incorporate into your wardrobe or what’s your favorite across-the-seasons item? S.

S. Gets Married: The Collected Works

Posted on | August 18, 2009 | 20 Comments

Discover, originally uploaded by academichic.

The Background Story:

Initially, T. and I had a bigger wedding planned for next year. We felt that it was expected of us by family and by friends who’d invited us to their weddings to reciprocate with a similar event. With both of us being knee-deep in PhD work and my getting ready to spend a research year abroad, the bigger wedding in the works was growing into a on-going financial and time-sucking burden. But we both felt that it was what we had to do.

The moment we both admitted to each other (and ourselves!) that we were willing to risk disappointing others to make ourselves happy with this, we knew we wanted to cancel the bigger event in the works and just elope.

(more…)

17 August 2009 – Monochrome

Posted on | August 17, 2009 | 8 Comments

17 August 2009 – Monochrome, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

I’m easing into our week of Monochrome and Split Complementaries with a simple gray and black outfit. I don’t wear monochromatic neutrals a whole lot, but when I do, I’m always struck with how elegant and sophisticated this kind of color simplicity looks. Monikulus, one of my favorite wardrobe_remixers, is the queen of grays and blacks and gorgeous monochromatic ensembles – just check out her Flickr set here if you’re ever in need of inspiration.

For my one pop of color, you may have noticed Nerp’s new bright pink basket. My other basket broke last week, so I was due for an upgrade. I’ve been inspired by the wonderful Julie Mack, another wardrobe_remix favorite, to go for a colorful milk crate after seeing how cute her bright red one is. As if Nerp wasn’t metrosexual enough, now he’s also sporting a pretty pink basket … but he likes it. He’s now the brightest and prettiest of all the bikes amid the bike rack crowd on campus. S.

11 August 2009

Posted on | August 11, 2009 | 12 Comments

11 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

For this week’s color review, we’re experimenting with triads (as E. did today) and analogous colors. When it comes to analogous pairings, A. is the queen of greens and blues. I’m usually more drawn to the warmer color combos, like purple and red or red and orange. Today I’m meeting A. half way and combining purple with blue – a neither cool nor warm color mix that creates a beautifully balanced result.

As for the shoes, I’m going to join E. in raving about my new pointy flats although they’re no superb yellow snakeskin like hers but still pretty cool in their own rights. I had been wanting to add another patterned flat to my collection since I practically lived in my black and white damask ones this spring. I was also repeatedly inspired by E’s use of her patterned flats to spruce up many an outfit during her pregnancy when she felt like her shrinking wardrobe was becoming an increasing style challenge. Her patterned flats were not only comfortable but also gave her looks that pop of visual interest that she could not always count on from her clothes. Well, lesson learned: patterned flats is where it’s at.

And on a technical ‘cycle chic’ side note: I discovered today that it’s not very easy to hop on a bike when wearing a pencil skirt. Pencil skirts do not exactly allow for much hopping or peddling. This one allowed for more movement once I undid the bottom button, but I think in the future I may have to avoid narrow cut skirts for my bike commute. Fellow bike commuters, any tips or thoughts? S.

31 July 2009 – Friday Casual

Posted on | July 31, 2009 | 1 Comment

31 July 2009 – Friday Casual, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

Today’s Complimentary Color pairing is a recent favorite of mine: orange and blue! I fell in love with orange-and-blue back in January when E. posted this photo only the third week into this project of ours. I instantly loved the way these two colors played off each other and have been a believer ever since.

Incidentally, as I spent a happy morning coffee time perusing other style blogs, I came across this gorgeous blue and orange combination sported by one of the lovely ladies of Sisters and Dresses. She’s also wearing a shorts and tailored top combo, but with an entirely different effect than my version thereof. Check out her post for more orange and blue style inspiration!  S.

5 July 2009 – One Last Spin

Posted on | July 5, 2009 | 13 Comments

5 July 2009 – Last Spin , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

• Fuschia scarf – J.Crew
• Purple tank - Banana Republic
• Cuffed skinnies – Abercrombie, thrifted
• Orange gladiators – American Eagle
• “Pride” necklace – garage sale find

Endnotes:

This morning, I took Nerp for one last spin around the neighborhood before heading back to academichic central for a few days and then on to visit my parents for a week. I figured I’d get one last ride in before being without a bike for a couple of weeks. I tell you, this cycling thing is addictive!

Since I spent a significant portion of my day in the car today, I needed an outfit that was no-fuss and accommodating to my schedule. Flat shoes for ease and comfort while loading and unloading my car and light layers to combat the heat were a must. So I drew my inspiration from the cute outfits A. and her sister L. sported just last week and put together this purple tank with my cuffed skinnies. I added a hair scarf for both the fun detail it provides and the function it serves in keeping my hair out of my face and off my neck in this brutal heat.

These flat gladiator sandals have become a staple in my summer wardrobe and I’m surprised how often I wear them given that they are a bright punchy orange. But if you follow this blog, you know that neither of us three shies away from a bright and colorful shoe! I used to think that all I needed was a black and a brown shoe for each season and I’d have my bases covered. But why stick to brown and black when there are so many more fun options out there?

We recently received a reader email asking us how we know when to pair a colorful shoe with our outfits and whether there is a good rule of thumb for how to combine colored footwear with colors in the garments. Before we try to develop a methodology of our own on this subject, I’d like to pose these questions to you: Do you play it safe with you shoes or are you also a fan of the colorful and patterned variety? If so, what’s your ‘rule of thumb’ when incorporating a colorful shoe into your outfit? And when do you make colorful footwear work and when do you decidedly steer away from it? S.

30 June 2009

Posted on | June 30, 2009 | 12 Comments

 30 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Brown tank – J.Crew, remixed
• Jersey dress – BR Outlet 
• Brown woven belt – F21, remixed
• Gladiator wedges – Target, remixed 
• Bangle – Big Lots, remixed

Endnotes:

As much fun as our road trip was, it’s now back to reality and back to work. On our drive home yesterday, I complied my to-do list for the week and today I’m at the library and dutifully tackling it. After a week of much sitting in a car, it felt great to hop on my bike and pedal to campus. And increasingly a believer in the Velocouture movement, I’m seeing that you really can wear what you’d wear regularly and still bike commute. I wanted to wear this summery jersey dress today and my gladiator wedges and I was not to be deterred by my mode of transportation.

I know I’ve said this before, but one of my main concerns about biking was that I would have to change the way I dress and to sacrifice my style in order to do so. Fortunately, there are a growing number of chic cycle blogs like Lets Go Ride a Bike (no, really, check out this post!), Girls and Bicycles, and all of the Sartorialist-style bike blogs I listed in my previous posts here  that showed me otherwise!  So with laptop (in my back basket) and iced coffee in tow, I was out the door and to the library, where – if you’ll excuse me – I really should get to work now. S.

25 June 2009 – Colorado

Posted on | June 25, 2009 | 5 Comments

 25 June 2009 – Evening, originally uploaded by academichic.

25 June 2009 – Morning, originally uploaded by academichic.

Morning:

• Fuschia running shorts – Old Navy
• Blue technical top – St. Louis marathon
• Running Shoes – Brooks

Endnotes:

I have a confession to make. I cheated on Nerp today. This morning, T. and another friend and I rented bikes and went on a beautiful 20 mile bike ride from Breckenridge to Frisco (Colorado) and back. We looped around scenic bike paths and trails and enjoyed the most amazing view of snow capped mountains in the distance.

 

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Three feminist PhD candidates at a Midwest university, on a crusade against the ill-fitting polyester suit of academic yore.

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