CUTE commuter gear???

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

i pretty much do wear whatever I want... have been for the past couple years... and it works but that's not the problem... My clothes work but it would just be nice to have something that's really geared towards day to day life riding around everywhere you go.

In terms of my commute, I ride my bike everywhere I go in combination with taking the BART subway which allows bikes. I take it to do groceries, go to school, work when I'm working, shop, go to friends houses and parties and shows, pretty much anytime I leave the house I'm on my bike. Which is all the time. So what I'm looking for is something wearable everywhere you go whilst still being bike related... not so much for neccessity, but more for comfort and convenience, and maybe a little girly bike pride.

I mean obviously you can wear normal clothes but I was just looking for something just a little bit more geared towards city life on a bike. The smallest details are so handy sometimes, like button/pocket placement or an extra lock loop here or a roll up button there.

Ok, I 'm trying to understand...what you mean is that you are not commuting to work and changing into work clothes, then changing into biking clothes to ride home from work...right?
What you do mean is cute clothes that you can wear while riding your bike everywhere, and that would be comfortable to ride in but still cute and acceptable off the bike, right?
That allows a different type of answer, since we are not really talking about only commuting to work and back now.

To me what works for everyday on/off bike activities is wearing capri leggings or tights (with a lightweight chamois pad if I'm riding longer than 10 miles), with a cute short skirt and then any kind of tops I need for the weather. I tend to like thin merino wool tops- they breathe yet keep me warm and don't get sweaty or stinky. i don't ride in heavy rain if I can avoid it. Wool works well in drizzle however, as it dries quickly and doesn't get cold when wet. You can often find great bargains in quality wool items at the Salvation Army or Goodwill...just read the labels.

As examples (and keep in mind that I'm 54, not as young as you by a long shot), here is a Terry Spinnaker capri with light chamois pad (intended for spin classes, which I don't do) with a Sheila Moon skirt and bolero over a SmartWool base layer top:
example 1
And here is a warmer outfit of short skirt with warm winter biking tights and a merino wool zip top over wool base layer:
example 2
So, for me if I want to look 'cute' i just wear a short skirt over whatever black biking shorts/capris/leggings I want, and I wear whatever tops I want with that. I do often wear screaming yellow vest however, or some bright color in traffic.
It's just my own thing.
In general, if you don't like the look of Lycra biking gear, you should just avoid it! Some people find it uncomfortable to ride on jean seams, however.

One problem is that most of the cheap biking gear is often not the most stylish. Sometimes we can make a stylish outfit just by combining non-stylish things in a cool way though. Try striped knee socks, or a kooky thrift store striped wool vest, for instance...instant stylin' outfit. But you probably know that anyway.

Don't forget your helmet...they don't sell used brains in thrift stores.

[shootingstar]

I mean obviously you can wear normal clothes but I was just looking for something just a little bit more geared towards city life on a bike. The smallest details are so handy sometimes, like button/pocket placement or an extra lock loop here or a roll up button there.

As for the rain gear, thanks for the tip! You're right, it is baggy and not breathable... I didn't realize that even the more expensive clothing had that problem too. I love Eden's idea of altering wool dress pants. I might try making something using that kind of fabric... maybe spray 'em down with that water repellant spray for good measure...hmmmm.....

Still think the area of more citified, fashionable, weather-practical clothing without changing them at workplace, would be a great fashion design niche for you! As you can from our remarks, there's still lots more room for someone to manufacture a fabric one day is waterproof AND breathable.

I would agree that every detail on clothing when cycling can make a difference...that's why I don't like wearing jeans while cycling, it's the frickin' French seams. I'm the person that prefers to have my butt crack/back covered and not have it get cool if top is too short.

The only "cute" thing I wear is ..a lycra skort..which isn't the cheapest as you may know. Everything else is typical cycling wear.

As an aside, love to see some of the non-cycling fashion wear that you may design for your assignments... I used to sew a great deal before cycling. Have a mother who used sometimes to draft classic pants, tops for us ...without using a pattern. I also have a cousin who took a course on pattern drafting.

[uforgot]

Personally, I'm looking forward to the Ivona Urban cycling wear, as featured by Momentum in say...3 years?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Personally, I'm looking forward to the Ivona Urban cycling wear, as featured by Momentum in say...3 years?

With Ivona's user name, I think she would be a big hit designing for the roller derby women.