June 11th, 2009 § §
15 June 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Gray tank – Hanes
- Plaid button down – J.Crew
- Charcoal walking shorts – Gap, remixed
- Black sandals – Target, remixed a lot
- Yellow bag – Garage sale find
Endnotes:
I’m reunited with Nerp! How I’ve missed my little bike! Nerp resides at my fiance’s house and since I don’t have a bike rack on my car, I have no way of transporting him* back and forth with me. But we’re together again at last! To celebrate, T. and I rode our bikes to our movie date last night. We rode to a friend’s house, where he and his girlfriend joined us on their bikes, and we all rode and chatted and savored the evening air on our way to the dollar theatre. Dottie was my inspiration for this, since she and her husband go on regular bike dates and it was as fun as she promised it would be!
Today, I’m riding Nerp around town and I’m also carrying my new/old yellow bag. This is my find from our garage sale adventure on Saturday. It’s the only thing I got and I spent a whopping One Dollar on it. I loved the yellow color, the vintage cut and spacious size of it, but it was in the most deplorable condition. The “before” shots don’t fully reveal how dirty and dingy it looked and I was about to pass it up when T. convinced me that we could clean it and give it a second chance at life.
T. suggested I mix Mr. Clean with water to dilute it and use a brush to scrub the plastic (faux-leather) exterior clean. The Mr. Clean solution worked magic, just see the difference for yourself:
Before and After:
What really got me was this clasp that looks just like the enclosures on my first school bag in the first grade. The only label on this bag is the embossed “Sears” right below the clasp. So here my question to you: Is this what one might call vintage? How do you know when something is vintage and not just old? What makes an item deserving of the “vintage” label and by what standards do you call it that? Please enlighten me!
Vintage or not, I love this cheery yellow bag and it’s large enough to hold my laptop and just the right size to fit in my bike basket. S.
*Yes, Nerp is a “he” although he may look like a ‘girl’ bike – Nerp doesn’t believe in gender-normative appearances and refuses to be bullied into looking masculine just because he identifies as such.
Category: Beltless, It's in the Bag, Our Best Flatware, Research Casual, The Short of It, Vélocouture
Tags: Bermuda shorts > bike commute > cycling > how to clean old bags > S. > summer style > yellow > yellow bag
May 20th, 2009 § §
20 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Blue polo – Old Navy
- Orange-red cardi – Zara, remixed endlessly
- Fuschia cord skirt – Gap, remixed
- Blue sandals – Birkenstock
- Fuschia and black cord bag – Old Navy
- Bike – “Nerp”
Endnotes:
Check this out! I am such a nerd and coffee fiend. I decided I wouldn’t spend money on decking out my bike until I spend the summer using it enough to justify the upgrades (like fenders, a chain guard, etc), but I just couldn’t help myself with this one and I got a “coffee cup holder” to attach to my handle bars. Now I can still get my coffee to go and enjoy it on my bike. T. made fun and said that I was “yuppie-fying” my bike, but I’ve come to terms with that and have no qualms with it while I’m sipping my delicious coffee on the go.
Blue Birkies, originally uploaded by academichic.
As for today’s flats – these little blue Birkies were a gift from a friend in Germany last summer. I would have never picked these out for myself, yet found myself loving them! If you’ve ever owned a pair of Birkenstocks, you know how comfortable and foot-friendly they are. Traditional Birkies were always rather plain, but nowadays the company makes such cool designs and has such fun colors, that comfortable is no longer synonymous with boring.
On a somewhat related note, we’ve received several reader comments and emails from those of you in the Sciences, noting that while you may be in academia, our outfits do not always translate well to a lab setting. We would like to experiment (get it, experiment?) with this challenge next week and create a sampling of outfits that are both stylish and lab-friendly. So to prepare for that, we need your help! Since different labs have varying dress codes, we would like you to tell us what your dress restrictions are. We’re looking forward to your input! S.
20 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Post Script: After T. took my picture this morning, he insisted that I wear my helmet since I was riding to a farther away coffee shop than my usual neighborhood one and this ride would involve some more high-traffic roads. So I did, for his sake. A. and I have had several bike helmet conversations lately since we both have tenuous relationships with our hair and I’ve been wondering how I feel about the whole helmet thing. But I think I will continue to wear mine as I did today, since a little hair damage is probably better than head damage. And really, I’m at the coffee shop now and it can’t look that bad because no one’s pointed and laughed yet. (Do all of you who bike commute wear helmets?)
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Our Best Flatware, Skirting the Issue, Vélocouture
Tags: academic fashion > bike commute > birkenstock > coffee > cycling > S. > style
May 14th, 2009 § §
14 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- White button-down – American Eagle
- Blue cami – BR, remixed
- Green cord skirt – thrifted, remixed
- Silk tie – thrifted
- Sandals – Target, remixed many many times
Endnotes:
First of, thank you to all the wonderful readers who’ve chimed in this past week with words of advice and tips for me as I venture into bike-commuting! It’s been so helpful to get your tips and also your stories of encouragement (especially to all who assured me that biking in heels and skirts is more than doable).
Thanks to Chrissy and Megan’s advice, I got a bunch of clothes pins and used one to pin the front of my skirt to the back, essentially creating a temporary pair of shorts to help preserve my modesty while riding. I think I will toss a couple in each bag and purse I have so that they’re just handy when I need one.
Skirt Holders, originally uploaded by academichic.
And check out my new basket! I went with a back of the bike version because I fear that my laptop and books would be somewhat heavy and throw off my steering balance at the front if placed in a basket up there. This is actually just a storage basket we picket up at Target. Last night, my fiance added the back rack off a free Craigslist bike we got a while back (that’s out of commission) to my bike, fastened this $10 storage basket with tie straps, and we added a $5 water bottle holder also from Target. We pimped my ride for only $15 – definitely student budget friendly!
Silk tie detail, originally uploaded by academichic.
It’s been a long day of writing at home for me today and my brain is fried. So what better way to unwind than by taking a little bike ride with T. to a local sandwich place for dinner? I’m tossing my bag in my new basket and my cares to the wind! S.
Category: Our Best Flatware, Skirting the Issue, Vélocouture
Tags: belted > bike commute > cycling > S. > sandals > skirt length > summer style > white button down
May 12th, 2009 § §
12 May 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Lace trim cami – Ann Taylor, remixed
- Red-orange top – Zara
- Green skirt – Old Navy, remixed
- Green loafers – Anne Klein, remixed a lot lately
- Tiny flower brooch – thrifted
- Bike – we named it “Nerp” last night
Endnotes:
As it turns out, this week is Bike to Work week all around the US (or is this 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 that wearing a backpack may not be the best way to transport my books, laptop, and few purchases. I got home with the back of my shirt completely soaked! So I’m now in the market for a bike basket or a pannier… stay tuned for its debut!
Following my continued exploration of inspiring bike-chic blogs, I present you with a few more links today: This is the Sartorialist on bike and so far my favorite street-wear-meets-bike-chic blog: Copenhagencyclechic. I also enjoyed perusing London Cycle Chic, the San Francisco based Vélo Vogue, and the lovely Toronto Bike Chic site.
In terms of personal blogs, I’m really enjoying reading about Dottie and Trisha’s bike commuting adventures, especially since their start-up stories make me feel like I can do this too.
Today I’m taking a cue from all this reading I’ve been doing and biking in a skirt. My main hesitation (other than sucking at biking) has been style-concerned when it came to embracing a bike-commuter life style. Yes, I know it’s shallow, but I know I’m not alone in this. I want to be able to wear the same outfits and shoes I would wear commuting by car, foot, or public transport when traveling by bike. So I’m trying it out today with a skirt. To come later – once I’m a bit more practiced – wedges and heels!
And on the subject of heels, I just wanted to draw your attention to some new categories we’ve added. Based on several reader comments and questions, we’ve retro-organized all of our pictures under these three new categories: Beltless, Reaching New Heights, and Our Best Flatware. We’ve already embraced a week without belting to respond to a reader challenge and we will soon do the same with a week without heels. For now, if you’re interested in all our flat-footwared-looks thus far, check out Our Best Flatware, and if you love a good platform, see Reaching New Heights! S.
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Our Best Flatware, Skirting the Issue, Vélocouture
Tags: bike commute > cycling > fashion > floral > floral skirt > green > S. > style
May 11th, 2009 § §
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.
Category: Beltless, Our Best Flatware, Pants Please, Vélocouture
Tags: actionwipes > bike commute > cycling > fashion > gingham > loafers > S. > style
