So Ladies…
…Let’s talk about fashion. Or not.
Because I’m not much of a fashionista. And never have been.
I have gotten a little better since then. But my life doesn’t revolve around clothes. I really enjoy looking looking like crap some days.
Or a bit dirty and grungy.
And some times I even dress up (and look like Lovely Bicycle on accident.)
However when I started biking I didn’t know what to do about clothes. Or bikes. Or anything. I just wanted to try it. I didn’t see anyone on a bike who looked like any version of me. As a newbie, this was all I really knew about cyclists:
You may have noted that neither of these figures appear to be women. And I knew I was not an athlete or a hipster. Or a man.
So when I came across a certain European street-style blog of stylishly dressed women riding bicycles I signed right up. I went and bought the Dutchiest bike I could find in Los Angeles (which was actually made in China) and a bunch of flouncy dresses from H&M and promptly started biking up and down Sunset Boulevard leaving a trail of bolts and washers behind me.
But as I got more confident about with bicycle commuting, I realized something bothered me about this bike sheek culture.
It was just another stereotype.
So I moved on. I agree about wearing ordinary clothes when I bike. But now I wear my ordinary clothes which don’t happen to be dresses or heels or terribly stylish most of the time– my biking does not revolve around fashion.
I love this post.
I’m conflicted on the bicycle chic thing myself. I do love showing people that you can ride a bicycle in (a slightly modified version of) your everyday clothes, whether they’re fashionable or not. And most days I wear boring clothes, but there are times I pull out all the stops and dress up, heels and all, and I bike in that too. (It sure is easier for me to bicycle in heels than to walk in them.)
But nobody should feel obligated to dress up to get on a bicycle–whether “dress up” means padded shorts and a jersey or a stylish dress and heels.
And depending on where I’m going and the weather, I’ve been known to wear a nice dress and my ugly rain jacket, just like I’ve been known to wear hole-y jeans and my favorite swishy coat.
I dunno. I guess my ideal is for people to stop worrying about it in any direction and just wear what they want!
But I do LOVE the last comic. Best satire of him I’ve seen so far.
I really dislike the comments I get when people hear that I ride a bicycle. They assume it’s a beach cruiser. No, it isn’t. Then they guess that it’s a “fixie”. Wrong again. I have a road bike. I don’t have a basket that I carry flowers in for show. I don’t ride in skirts nor do I ride in heeled shoes, ever. I commute, and I don’t ride for attention. I wear what’s comfortable for me and whatever is appropriate for the weather. If women want to be glamorous on a bicycle, that’s their choice. Regardless, I hope many of us can change how people see women on bikes.
What, no stockings and garters under that dress? So un-chic!
Cycle Chic captures beautiful outfits and beautiful moments, all with the fashion angle. Fashion and people are the subject. It’s about fashion. Sartorialist.com is on foot specifically shooting fashionable pedestrians to spotlight personal style, but no one is complaining that he should shoot more plain clothes people. Also, yes, the majority of these outfits are, in fact, normal in Denmark and in most of Europe. I spent half a year photographing bikers in France, Spain, Germany, UK and I was amazed that 4 in 5 people had such great style. No effort, it’s just what’s in their closet. It was a different world of normal than in North America. I dare you to go tell the thousands of women wearing heels and men wearing suits in Denmark that they aren’t normal! No one from CC wil tell you how to dress–you may have just mistakenly got inspired by a European way of biking that doesn’t match the type of cycling available in your city. You’ll see that the Canadian or American or South American CC sites have fashion differences from the European ones, but they showcase the same idea: great, personal style.
We are just celebrating cycling normalcy (ie, not sport biking) and couture in whichever city we are in–and every city is different. It’s just a photography blog about fashion and bikes–chill. I don’t let Sartorialist make me feel bad about not having a Prada suit–I just like the pictures. There are plenty of blogs that showcase regular folks. Plenty of blogs for everyone.
David’s last comment here is really bang on. The photographers at CCC do not have to work so hard to get the photos they do. It really is an accurate representation of what people wear there. No one is out there preening for the cameras. And photographers are not lurking in bushes like some creep. I realize there is some satire involved here but maybe there is something else going on…envy perhaps…no one pointing a camera your way? Anyway, if you don’t like cycle chic then why are you looking? Because I can guarantee you that those who like it and advocate it are not spending a minute on any road warrior websites. Just sayin!