Spotlight on: Cycle Chic Munich

Posted on | May 17, 2010 | 17 Comments

Sources:

On L.F. (top left):

White top, skinny belt, leggings: H&M
Black flats – Aldo
Sunglasses – Ray Ban

On A (top center):

Blue top – Gap
Necklace – Powell’s Home and Garden
Black cardi – H&M
Leggings – Gap
Sandals – Chaco

On me (top right):

Green top – ON, thrifted in Portland
Pendant – Anthropologie
Tweed shorts – thrifted in Munich
Footless tights – Target
Flats – Palladium
Sunglasses – H&M

On L.M. (second photo, left):

Top – Tianello
Pants – Gander Mountain
Flats – Rogue
Bracelet – Original by Monica Hansmeyer
Hat – small shop in Munich

Endnotes:

Last week, some friends of mine came into town and we did what anyone with any fondness for cycling and the outdoors should do: we rented bikes and explored the city of Munich on two wheels.

Munich is an extremely bike friendly city. There are so. many. bikes. everywhere. And locals ride all year round; through rain or snow, in business suits and heels, and on everything from road bikes to cruisers to the odd tandem, and with no shortage of kid-purposed bike attachments. Reason #348 why I love this city.

I borrowed my friend L’s husband’s bike (we’re the two with the mountain bikes), and my friend A. and her mom L. rented two cruisers from Radius Tours and Bike Rental. They were pleasantly surprised in how great of a shape their rentals were and how comfortable to ride all day long. We conveniently picked them up right at the central train station, from where we were within a short ride to all the main attractions we had planned. Their bikes were reasonably priced and A. received a 10% student discount with her student ID. With bikes, sunglasses, and snacks in check, we were off for our adventure…

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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.

Sources:

All remixed:

Leaf cardigan – J.Jill
Pale pink top – TJMaxx
Brown skirt - Old Navy
Gray wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com
Necklace – Big Lots

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.

Sources:

Yellow ruffle top – Sam & Max, via TJMaxx
Black capris – Younique Jeans, via TJMaxx, remixed
Black flats – Kenneth Cole, remixed
Bracelet – gift from friend, remixed

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.

17 August 2009 – Monochrome

Posted on | August 17, 2009 | 8 Comments

17 August 2009 – Monochrome, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

Necklace – World Market
Gray tank – Filene’s Basement
Black walking shorts – Old Navy
Flips-flops – Target
Bracelet – gift from dad
Green tote – Kenneth Cole Reaction
Bike – Nerp

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.

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.

19 June 2009 – Coffee Date

Posted on | June 19, 2009 | 6 Comments

19 June 2009 – Coffee Date, originlly uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On S (all remixed but dress!):

Dress – Ann Taylor, thrifted in San Fran recently!
Yellow belt – J.Crew
Yellow bag – Garage Sale find
Black cardi – thrifted
Sandals – Target
Bangle – Big Lots

On Erika:

Top – Anthropologie
Skirt – J. Crew
Sandals – Merrell
Pearl necklace – Gift from parents
Sand bracelet – Souvenir from South Korea

Endnotes:

Today I got to have a coffee date with one of our lovely readers, Erika, who’s also a fellow PhD in the Humanities. Erika’s hometown happens to be the same city in which T. resides – and what a happy coincidence for me because I got to spend a wonderful afternoon with her at one of the local coffee shops. We had a great time chatting about everything from philosophy to skirt lengths to cycling in Paris and body dysmorphia in dogs. Unfortunately, Erika returns to the city of her current university and I’ll be forced to once more spend my days reading and working, instead of pleasantly chit-chatting about the consequences of riding bikes the wrong way down a six-lane street in France or about the aesthetic appeal of Hamilton, Ontario (not much!).

Then, Erika allowed me to exploit her wonderful sense of style for our site:

After a well spent couple of hours, I had to take off since T. and I had plans to attend a work-related function for him. Since today was spent meeting Erika and then T’s colleagues, I figured it was the right time to pull out the other item I thrifted at the Haight Street Goodwill in San Francisco on my recent trip there: this bright pink halter dress. For a summery color mix, I added a mustard yellow belt, my new favorite yellow bag and, of course, Nerp.

Thanks, Erika, for a great coffee date! S.

16 June 2009 – Rainy day bike ride

Posted on | June 16, 2009 | 17 Comments

16 June 2009 – Rainy day bike ride, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except necklace and umbrella:

Purple top - Old Navy
Black linen skirt – H&M
Pink pumps – Antonio Melani
Bangle – Big Lots
Wood and glass necklace – made by me
Umbrella – Totes, bought in San Fran last week b/c it called for rain (and then of course it didn’t rain at all)
Yellow vintage bag – Sears brand, Garage sale find

Endnotes:

As E. already mentioned, it’s been a rainy dreary day here in the Midwest. But I too had errands to run that had to happen today and all of which were in rideable distance from me. And since I’ve just been reunited with Nerp, I really did not want to use the car to get around town just because the weather had developed an anti-Nerp agenda this week. So I thought I’d be clever and time my departure between bursts of rain and off I went.

But of course the moment I got out the door, a slow and steady drizzle started that continued for my entire four mile ride. Oh well, I still enjoyed the fresh flowers, the scent of summer, the adrenaline from riding in the rain like a kid in total abandonment – and my helmet proved extremely helpful in providing frizz-control by shielding much of my hair from the rain.

While in Salzburg, I would see cyclists all the time who could ride one-handed in the rain while holding an umbrella in the other. Tell me, fellow cyclists, what do you do in the rain? I only pulled out the umbrella while walking between stops, but definitely could not pull the one-handed-bike-with-umbrella stint around traffic.

Now I’m snugly tucked away in a booth at a coffee shop and hoping for a second chance at timing my ride home. And while I’m sipping my delicious hot mocha, I get to enjoy this view of the storefront across the street. (Nerp is really smitten with that lovely be-flowered bike on display):

Bikey store front window, originally uploaded by academichic.

20 May 2009

Posted on | May 20, 2009 | 19 Comments

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?)

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