Cycling love: care less on fashion off-bike?

[shootingstar]

You know ever since I started cycling alot about 14 years ago, I spend less time hunting down non-cycling fashion clothes.

It's probably because I simply spend more time on the bike instead of window shopping while walking along or hanging out in malls.

My love for cycling actually coincided in suddenly stopping my sewing of my own clothing. I used to sew nearly my entire wardrobe (ie. tailored suits for work, etc.)

While true that keeping/becoming fit and more trim, might generate renewal of off-bike fashion and other cool chick outfits that you would have hesitated before to wear, I just find I'm more interested in spending time/effort of remaining healthy and fit: it's the new fashion at this stage of life for me. :o

I still enjoy watching fashion runway shows on tv. I consider it more from the standpoint of art, technical mastery to create some incredible outfits and do still love colour, design and texture of fabric. This is more appeal to my artistic/creative non-cycling side, rather than the chick love of fashion.

[Zen]

That's why I love those Title 9 clothes. Some of them you could wear to work.

[KnottedYet]

my fashion sense ossified in the 1980's.

My saving grace is probably that I shop through stores like Ibex and Title 9 and TE, bike stuff that I figure I can also wear to work... so I'm sort of fashionable just by default (thank you store buyers, I'm borrowing your fashion sense.)

[kelownagirl]

I live in jeans, jeans, and more jeans. Dressy tops and heels if I'm going out.

[DirtDiva]

Meh. I'd much rather spend the money on something pretty for one of my bikes. :D

[onimity]

Hmmm, yea, I know what you mean. I have a bit of a reputation for pointy shoes and dressing up, but since I started commuting to work by bike I've started moving toward things that fold up easily into my messenger bag and one of the three pair of shoes I keep under my desk at the office.

The other problem is that my body shape has changed and a lot of my more fashionable clothing doesn't work so much. I put down muscle rather easily and Cavalli doesn't make jeans to fit cyclist quads. :mad: On the other hand, I've lost a good deal of volume on my waist/upper thighs, so the waist and butt of a lot of my pants look really lousy and sloppy. I find that I don't stop to shop so much riding my bike home, either.

That's actually one thing that I'm hoping to find a better balance with in the new year; I really like fashion & dressing well, but I am really pleased with my bike commute too & the time I spend riding on weekends.

Anne

[elk]

Today I am wearing wool tip to toe...and I have managed to make it look like "me"...a short skirt over a pair of capris and a LS crew on top with a red merino sweater. It is it's own style....and suits me as well as anything ever did!!!
But then I have never been a pointy toe/tailored suit kinda gal...

[shootingstar]

Hmmm, yea, I know what you mean. I have a bit of a reputation for pointy shoes and dressing up, but since I started commuting to work by bike I've started moving toward things that fold up easily into my messenger bag and one of the three pair of shoes I keep under my desk at the office.

The other problem is that my body shape has changed and a lot of my more fashionable clothing doesn't work so much. I put down muscle rather easily and Cavalli doesn't make jeans to fit cyclist quads. :mad: On the other hand, I've lost a good deal of volume on my waist/upper thighs, so the waist and butt of a lot of my pants look really lousy and sloppy. I find that I don't stop to shop so much riding my bike home, either.

Bike commuting has changed what I choose to buy abit to wear for work since some stuff is difficult to fold up without causing creases that are difficult to shake out.

I currently work at a construction site for an engineering firm where it's been more jeans and casual pants. Previously I worked in more formal workplaces where there was (and still is) a dress code. While jeans are great, I'm finding it masks weight gain.....unless I spend yet more hrs. trying to find jeans that are tighter and aren't hipsters.

Not even sure why people like hipsters,..allows your gut to hang over and expand slowly.

[sundial]

Almost all of my clothes have a little splatter of paint somewhere. Even my shoes.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My biking clothes are now almost no different from my everyday clothes- except for wearing either chamois or non-chamois.

I always used to wear black leggings or capris anyway- even before discovering biking.
Now if it cool for everyday I wear wool leggings, maybe a short skirt, merino tops and wool jackets, hiking boots, etc. If I'm going biking I'll just take off the skirt and put on chamois tights and maybe add a screaming yellow vest or windbreaker.
In summer it's everyday black capris, perhaps a short skirt, tank tops or loose cotton tops and sneakers. To go biking I'll change to chamois capris, lose the skirt again and throw on a screaming yellow top of some sort.
The stretchy black tights/capris are the basis of most all my outfits, biking or not.
It's all slowly morphing into the same look. Luckily, I work at home and so I don't need to conform to any office attire rules.

[elk]

oh yea...work...i have found myself lately wondering if my Ibex is OK to wear to work....and decided I wanted to keep my ibex for me!!
(i teach college and you can pretty much wear whatever...!!)

One thing I really love about the Ibex etc/wool lines is that they don''t look much like "jock" clothes.

[surgtech1956]

I wear 'scrubs' at work, so I can wear whatever I want to work. I've always been into comfortable clothes. To me dressing up are dockers, oxford style shirts, and a blazer or dockers and a polo style shirt. I am acquiring more and more cycling clothes.

[shootingstar]

Almost all of my clothes have a little splatter of paint somewhere. Even my shoes.

Well, I have some blobs of block paint ink and it's black splattered on an expensive cycling jacket. How on earth that happened, don't know. Obviously I wasn't alert where I placed my stuff at an art painting course that I was taking.

But I still wear the jacket. It's loved. Cycling makes you like that, a love for great functional, (flattering would be nice) clothing to do the sport. But in the end, it's not what you wear, it's how you perform and how much you love to do it nearly daily. :)

One thing for certain, I have no interest in keeping up with purse styles. I carry around my bike pannier half of the time with my money, etc. The current carpetbag leather purses are useless for me. I was so excited to find a classy, small dressy handbag for a dressy outfit. The criteria that it could fit my bike pannier and it was lightweight was a huge factor!

[Dianyla]

Not that I ever spent much money on civilian clothes anyways, but since getting seriously into cycling most of my clothing budget goes to athletic clothing items. Also, something about cycling wear scratches my wardrobe itch for cute, or matching, or stylish, or whatever garments. Now that I'm getting my fashion needs met this way, I am a lot less focused on looking good at work or anywhere else. :p

[Brandi]

I live in jeans, jeans, and more jeans. Dressy tops and heels if I'm going out.
Ditto! I do like a cool off the wall different t-shirt too! I am attracted to strange patterns and unusual designs. I am kinda known for that. I wear some wacky stuff some times. But I am an artist, my husband says that gives me the ok to do that!

[lauraelmore1033]

I have heel spurs and have to have the kind of arch support found only in athletic shoes (and very expensive shoes from The Walking Store which I am to cheap to buy), so most of my wardrobe consists of casual wear that "goes" with my sneaks. I'm sure I'm quite the make-over waiting to happen.

[indysteel]

I have to say that being more toned and fit has renewed my love of clothes, so I've probably bought more over the last few years than I would have otherwise. I have to dress up to some degree at work because of the nature of my job. I try to avoid the standard issue suit, however. More and more, I find myself living in knee-length skirts. In the summer, I pair them with dressy sandles (skipping the pantyhose) and in the winter, it's tights and tall, heeled boots.

I've always loved skirts, but I find them easier to fit into than pants. My thighs--quads and hamstrings--go through several permutations sizewise throughout the year, making pants a little hit and miss. As long as I don't gain/lose much overall weight, however, the skirts adapt better.

One thing I have noticed since I started riding is how much I avoid having to style my hair. When I ride, I just put my hair back in a headband and ponytail. Well, that's bled into my off-bike life, too. While I still style my hair for work, I'm much more apt to just blow it dry and put it back in a headband on weekends. I probably look like a grown up version of Alice in Wonderland, but it takes five minutes and is much easier. I just don't have the energy after along ride to care that much. I'm going to start growing out my bangs after Christmas with the hope of having hair that's essentially all one length at some point. That'll make life even easier.

[KnottedYet]

Longish hair in one length is a huge time-saver!

When I had 1 1/2 inch spikes all over my head, it was easy to handle, but I had to fuss with it a lot and get it cut every month to keep the spikes perky.

Now that it's all one length (chin length or so) it's sooooo easy to care for. Gel or clips or dambanas or headbands or just tuck it behind my ears. It's much less effected by helmet-head, too.

[sundial]

Same here. At one time I had really short hair--think Annie Lenox of the Eurythmics. :eek: Initially, it was the easiest haircut I had, but growing it out was a real pain. My favorite hairstyle that I wore for years was shoulder length hair, parted on the side, no bangs. It was versatile and if I worked out, I just pulled it back into a ponytail. At work I put it in a French twist.

[onimity]

Totally agreed on longish hair, no bangs. I shower when I get to work, put a little bit of product in it and it looks great, 5 minutes. I have some natural curl, so shorter lengths get out of control quickly for me. What is a slight wave when long is a cowlick when short! :eek:

I went shopping the other day and it was really depressing.

I have some Macy's gift certificates to use and thought I'd get a nice pair of jeans and something nice to wear for an upcoming speaking engagement. I can't fit into most of my suits (w/ pants) thanks to the fact that my waist is thinner and my legs are larger, so the pants on the larger end of my normal range are baggy to the point of falling off, and the pants on the thin end of the range stretch unflatteringly over my quads. After 3 hours of shopping I determined that this is just how they make clothing for women. :confused:

I got some new North Face fleeces :) and figured I'd wait on jeans until I get back from Patagonia as I'm sure to change body shape even further. Not that it's going to be any easier to wedge my calves into the knees of jeans then! :( I figured at least I have a skirt suit that I can wear for the presentation...

So on the way home I fell of my bike (actually, I crashed into a Vietnamese restaurant by the grocery store!) and got a massive bruise on my left knee that is going to be readily apparent with the just-above-the-knee skirt. My sister says I should use some concealer on the bruise and wear the skirt. Has anyone done this that can give me tips?

And can anyone recommend a designer that makes clothes for women that are tall (5'10"), thin, AND have muscles? It seems that pants in my size (butt, waist) are either too short or too tight on my quads. :(

Anne

[elk]

You could also wear dark tights instead of stockings to hide your bruise...

I wonder if there is any woman who doesn't get really depressed when she goes shopping?!?!

[elk]

I have heel spurs and have to have the kind of arch support found only in athletic shoes (and very expensive shoes from The Walking Store which I am to cheap to buy), so most of my wardrobe consists of casual wear that "goes" with my sneaks. I'm sure I'm quite the make-over waiting to happen.

Have you got a Foot Solutions store near you? They are awesome. They might have an insert you can put in any shoe...

[chakra]

I'm with you on the skirt vs pant thing - I am petite, but plump these days(heard of the Freshman 15 lbs? Well, I have the grad school 30!) so my solution has been mid-thigh or knee-length dresses/tunics with boot-cut yoga style pants underneath. I have several of thesesmart, logo-free ones, from bluecanoe.com. They wash so well, last a coupla years:

http://www.bluecanoe.com/e-store/prod_details.asp?pcid=310163292092&pid=3111818353594.

You can wear all-black, or tone it so they match well, it looks really smart, covers all parts you don't like, can emphasize a slender waist and all the good bits, and is really great on a bike and in cooler weather (maybe not for long rides, but on a short commute, unless you go with a lot of wool for durability and any sweat issues ;) ).

Anyway, that is my answer for dressy or dinner on a bike and just to look a bit girly without being hampered. And if I am feeling a bit chubby.

Yeah, it is hard to find clothing that fits me in the waist and thighs. Clothes just are not designed with curves or muscles in mind.

Anyhoo, HTH.

Chakra

Who really should be writing papers but this is the next best thing to actually *riding* my bike which I can't do cos I have to write papers! *sigh*

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

.....I figured at least I have a skirt suit that I can wear for the presentation...
So on the way home I fell of my bike (actually, I crashed into a Vietnamese restaurant by the grocery store!) and got a massive bruise on my left knee that is going to be readily apparent with the just-above-the-knee skirt. My sister says I should use some concealer on the bruise and wear the skirt. Has anyone done this that can give me tips?
Anne

If it were me I'd just wear my biking bruise proudly on my knee, skirt suit, presentation or not. What's so wrong with having a biking booboo that it needs to be hidden? I think it's great and shows you are an active person. If it's really gross or scabby you can just tape a little gauze square on it. ;)

[kelownagirl]

I agree Lisa - I like my bruises and scars so I can brag. Sometimes I give up on the grease marks and leave them too. :D :D

[Geonz]

I'm with you on the skirt vs pant thing - I am petite, but plump these days(heard of the Freshman 15 lbs? Well, I have the grad school 30!) so my solution has been mid-thigh or knee-length dresses/tunics with boot-cut yoga style pants underneath. I have several of thesesmart, logo-free ones, from bluecanoe.com. They wash so well, last a coupla years:

http://www.bluecanoe.com/e-store/prod_details.asp?pcid=310163292092&pid=3111818353594.

You can wear all-black, or tone it so they match well, it looks really smart, covers all parts you don't like, can emphasize a slender waist and all the good bits, and is really great on a bike and in cooler weather (maybe not for long rides, but on a short commute, unless you go with a lot of wool for durability and any sweat issues ;) ).

Anyway, that is my answer for dressy or dinner on a bike and just to look a bit girly without being hampered. And if I am feeling a bit chubby.

Yeah, it is hard to find clothing that fits me in the waist and thighs. Clothes just are not designed with curves or muscles in mind.

Anyhoo, HTH.

Chakra

Who really should be writing papers but this is the next best thing to actually *riding* my bike which I can't do cos I have to write papers! *sigh*

Hmmm.... looks like they'd fall down to me! I can just picture those wide legs snatching my chain and just tugging them off...

[chakra]

Um, well I use those velcro band thingies when riding! I should have said!:D

Chakra

But the M size is pretty nice and snug, on me at least (size ten).