Closest to cycling chic & why I can't get into cycling chic

[Susan]

Does the term "cyclingchic" refer to cycling in very chic clothes (like, say a delicate dress or a prom dress) or to just cycling in ordinary everyday clothes that you would wear to work?

If you don't wear everyday clothes when cycling (I'm talking about cycling for transportation, commuting), isn't it strange to run around in cycling clothes all day long? Or do you change everytime? What if you just go for a coffee or to the cinema?
It just doesn't sound very practical to me.

Maybe it just depends on what you do or how far you go? When we use our bikes to get into the city, doing groceries, going out, commuting etc., we always wear ordinary street clothes. But that is in a 10 mile radius most of the time.
For cycling as sport, where it gets really sweaty and the rides are longer, we always wear proper cycling clothes.
If it's something in between (a trip to the shopping mall a bit outside of the city) I sometimes wear a Merino shirt underneath so that I don't end up sweaty and slip it off/change the shirt when I reach the destination.

When I shop certain kind of street clothes, like winter jackets, I take into consideration if the are suited for cycling, if they are warm enough when it's freezing and if I can move enough etc. I use clips if my trousers are wide enough to get caught in the chain.
When setting up my everyday-bike, I used a mixte frame so that I would be able to wear skirts without hassle, used pedals that won't destroy my shoes etc.
I have to say that it never happened to me that I destroyed any of my clothes while cycling.