fashion photo series

Long time, no blog!

It's not that I haven't been riding. I have. Every day. Everywhere.

It's that my camera is heavy and I haven't been in the mood to carry it everywhere.

However, it is conveniently located in my apartment, so I've started a photo series there.

In addition to gradually incorporating bicycles into my lifestyle over the past two years, I've also started to incorporate fashion. I call myself a "recovering frump". For years, I didn't dress very well. This isn't to say that there was anything wrong with the way I dressed but that it didn't make me feel very good about myself. I made clothing choices based on what I thought I should wear (or what I thought I wanted to wear). Now, I'm working on expressing on the outside a visual representation closer to what I feel like on the inside and dressing in a way that makes me feel great and confidant and ready to face the world every time I walk out the door.

I'm also not very good at posing for photos and not good at taking self-portraits, so put all these factors together and you get a self-portrait fashion & bicycles photo series. Be prepared for the same dusty mirror, red lamp, and wacky angles. Practice, practice, practice, they say!













Getting there. Far from the common image given of bicycling where you have to give up your visual identity in order to ride (case in point: the ubiquitous yellow/blue reflective rain jacket)... who knew you could start cycling and actually get more fashionable?

matinees on rainy days

The weather forecast was looking blah for the weekend, so my friend Melanie and I decided to take in a matinee showing of the movie Never Let Me Go at Tinseltown.

While she hasn't ridden much in the rain yet, Melanie bravely rode to the theatre, even though the skies were threatening to open up. (I did too, having challenged myself to ride through the fall and winter regardless of weather.) By the time the movie was over, the rain had begun. We took refuge in a coffee shop to see if we could wait it out, but it was still spitting by the time our coffee cups were empty.

So we left anyway.

We headed in her direction, along a 98% empty seawall on the south side of False Creek. What a treat! Eventually we split to head in our respective directions home and I enjoyed another stretch of blissfully quiet seawall path on the north side of False Creek. All this while the sky was moody grey and presenting just a medium fall shower.

I arrived home to find an email from Melanie about how positive this cycling-in-the-rain experience had been, despite the fact that beforehand she'd felt like she didn't have the right gear. She been wearing two pairs of tights and simply removed the outer pair after getting home. I'd only been wearing one, but my jacket was longer so compensated for it. Helmets: kept our heads dry. Gloves (the normal kind, nothing cycling-specific): kept our hands warm. Footwear: leather boots were good enough for this level of rain. Shower cap: covered saddle while not riding and covered purse while riding. Dual-purpose!

In summary, she had this to say:
Overall, the experience helped to calm some of my fears of riding in the rain, especially since it took very few adjustments to my regular attire (i.e. throwing a shower cap in my purse).





Experiences like this remind me that even with all the planning and information and advertising in the world, what often makes or breaks the perception of an activity is actually doing it.

Happy cyclists looking just like we always do...even in the drizzle. Ride on!

cycling shoes

Because what is a rear rack for except to carry extra shoes?



Extra new shoes.

rain or whine

Today was "girls night" with a few of my coworkers. On the agenda: drinks at Cactus Club and Eat Pray Love at the Scotiabank Theatre.

Having my bike with me, I walked it from the restaurant to the cinema. There's something elegant about walking a bicycle. It's somewhere to rest your hands, a rolling companion that feels more often like pulling you along than needing to be dragged places. (Funny, isn't it?) Besides, Burrard Street, a margarita, and a light dizzle aren't best of friends.

There were bicycles (more than one!) in the movie, with baskets and even the bell itself got a mention. One was very clearly a brown Electra Amsterdam (and interestingly enough for the theme of the movie: not the "women's" version).

By the time we exited the theatre post-movie, the drizzle had been replaced by plain and simple rain. Rain, rain, rain.

Yesterday I had bought a new, shiny, red raincoat!



Unfortunately, I hadn't worn it to work today.



Fortunately, I live about 7 minutes from the theatre and my green non-waterproof coat held up for that distance.



Unfortunately, there's not much that could be done about the water in my eyes.



Fortunately, I had trusty lights and nobody ran me over.

And because this situation was clearly biased towards the positive, I still have more 'fortunately's left over to add:
Fortunately, it's only September, so it's quite warm and I wasn't uncomfortable even when slightly damp.
Fortunately, I was heading to home, not away from it, which makes getting wet rather irrelevant and actually kind of fun.

Last fall/winter/spring, I avoided the ran and went long periods of time without riding. The bus became, once again, my prison. This year, I refuse to...
a) avoid riding because of the rain, and
b) look frumpy and/or sporty in rain "gear" (rather than rain "wear") that I don't enjoy wearing.

Freedom! The way I see, I can choose to embrace the rain or I can whine about it. This is Vancouver, after all: it's part of culture, our way of life. There are chic rain options out there and I intend to find them. For once I'm actually looking forward to the rain so that I can take my new shiny red rain coat (red! shiny! raincoat!) for a spin.

Freedom in all weather. Bring it on!

it has arrived

Here's a discovery that I am oh-so-very-happy to share...

There's now a Vancouver Cycle Chic blog!

Here's a vibrant example of their content:


Ever since I started following Copenhagen Cycle Chic over a year ago, I've been scouring the internet for like-minded Vancouver cycling blogs or communities that make chic-ness a priority. Found: not much at all.

Being neither exceptionally chic myself nor good with action photography of strangers, I didn't feel qualified to try and start one up myself. Besides, I'm more of the 'quirky personal blog with random photos and stories and opinions and junk' kind of girl. So I waited.

--and waited.

--and apparently wasn't looking in the right place, because Vancouver Cycle Chic started up in July and I didn't find out until now. There are already more stylish shots in 2 months there than I've taken in a year. (Higher quality, too. I think I'll start experimenting with close-ups instead.)

It's a mix of candid shots of strangers riding past unknowingly, mini-interviews of cycling citizens acquiesing to have their photo taken, and miscellaneous other bits of chic bike goodness. With its goal of "Spotlighting Vancouver, Canada's unique, fashionable, sensible, and graceful cyclists and the ground they share with all of us", I think this blog is a fantastic exhibit to raise the profile of the humble bicycle by focusing on possibility: real examples of real Vancouverites, riding what they ride, wearing what they wear.

Go see.

round helmet roundup

It surprises me that people are still surprised by my helmet. Usually I get asked: "Is that a skateboard/snowboard helmet?" It's happened twice in two weeks: once was a coworker (male, used to have a bike but doesn't currently) and once was the girl at the bike rental shop where I recently rented some beach cruisers for my Mom and sister when they were visiting.

I think it's about visibility, because I would say that at least 30-40% of the helmets I see on cyclists these days are the round style. That's not inconsequential at all. And yet ... if you aren't looking, you don't seem to notice. Cyclists are invisible until they get in your way. They're generic "entities" on the road; no one looks close enough to see what kind of helmet or shoes they're wearing. I didn't.

The manufacturer with the most variety is the well-known, well-stocked Nutcase. My preference is for their subtle, classy "Super Solids" line.



I own the purple and have seen it around on a few other people, both women and men.

More stores, however, seem to stock their line of prints.


Another brand that carries an extensive selection of round helmets is Bern. Their Muse line comes with a short, formed brim as part of the shell.


There are more colours and patterns; these are just a few of my favourites. These shots also show the helmets with the snow-sport insert but apparently they come as a typical bicycle helmet as well. Sidenote: if you're in the market for a snow-sport helmet, most of these manufacturers I'm mentioning have options for that as well.



Alternatively, Bern offers a line called Berkeley with a soft brim.


And lastly, a brimless version called Brighton.

Bern divides their helmets into 'Mens' and 'Womens' so I've only shown the Women's lines here. There are comparable versions in their Men's sections which, depending on the size/shape of your head and colour preference, may easily be suitable for some women, too. These definitions are really just suggestions, anyway.

For brand #3, I looked at Mace.


I find that as a whole I like the patterns on their C4 line (above) and Trigger line (below) better than many of the ones by Nutcase. They feel more "grown-up", which, I'll admit, does sound a bit odd coming from me, considering how I'm always talking about how cycling makes me feel like a kid again. That said, there's a difference between feeling like a kid and looking like one, and when I'm going to work in heels and dress pants I just wouldn't feel right with polka dots on my head.



I guess there's just no accounting for taste.

There are a number of brands other than Nutcase, Mace, and Bern that produce round helmets and I hope to cover them in a future post. I have to admit that I've seen a few "sporty"-style helmets here and there that don't look too awful. Usually they've been in black or another subtle colour and suit the person who's wearing them. My preference is still for the rounder shape because (a) that's what our heads are shaped like, and (b) they remind me of scooter and motorcycle helmets, which have a certain romantic/sexy image.

Until our bicycle infrastructure gets considerably safer and the mandatory helmet law goes away, bicycle helmets could use all the positive association they can get. You might as well buy one in a colour/pattern/shape you like.

on floor-length skirts

Mini historical reminder: From the 1800s (when the bicycle was invented) into the early 1900s, women wore nothing but long skirts on bicycles.

Nowadays, thanks to the valiant efforts of many women over the past century, we have significantly more options. (Is this a good time to say that I am eternally grateful with every fibre of my being to all the women who made this happen? Because it's really, really important to me. I like being a person, thanks.)

Perhaps it's because of all these other options that you don't often see long skirts on bicycles anymore. Or maybe because you tend to see floor-length skirts in only one of three categories: (1) boho-style hippy ladies who don't really care much about fashion, (2) formal gowns, and (3) summer maxidresses.

Number 3 -- maxidresses -- is what led me to this post. My skin is extremely fair (and if you ever use the word 'pasty' in front of me you will risk a punch in the nose as I like it this way and put considerable effort into maintaining it) so more coverage means less surface area to slather with sunscreen. Although I'm known to wear full-length pants even on the warmest days of summer, this year I'm experimenting with maxidresses (or, um, 'a' maxidress) as a seasonal alternative.

I don't think I need to remind anybody that my bike is not a step-through (#@$%!) and has no skirtguard. (Skirtguards aren't even standard on all of the old-school European bicycles and still seems to be considered somewhat quaint.) Supposedly a skirtgaurd would keep long skirts or coats out of the back wheel/brakes, so their itself existence did cause me to stop and think about how I would avoid such a scenario. And how I would pedal at all without getting tangled up.



Solution: bunch up the fabric above my knee and fasten with a hair elastic.

Despite that fact that the highest point of leg I'm showing is still far beneath the bottom of most summer shorts, somehow it still felt as if I was "showing some skin". Weird pyschological effect: rational brain overrided by illusion of long slit in dress.

Verict: worked like a charm! It stayed put while riding, I undid-redid it in seconds when I got where I was going, and the dark fabric didn't wrinkle much.

Coincidentally, TorontoVerve just posted a bike+maxidress photo yesterday.



The rest of yesterday afternoon (the day of this experiment) included novel-reading on the beautiful grounds of City Hall with good friends (and you know they're good friends when you can just hang out silently without having to talk) and writing on this seriously sweet (yet unbelievably empty) patio above the Starbucks at the entrance to Granville Island.

Ah, summer. I love you so much.

gelato and summer dresses

I've been quiet for the past week. It's not that I haven't been riding (every day, to work and play!) but that I haven't been taking any photos worth posting or thinking any thoughts more cohesive than: "Sun! Sandals! Bicycle! Novel! Warm!" Ah, July: one of the 2 months that makes November to April worth suffering through.



A day like today is summer at its purest, so Melanie and I broke out the summer dresses, the bicycles, and headed out for a ride. The Trout Lake Farmer's Market was over by the time we reached that side of the city, but we did stop at La Casa Gelato (200+ flavours!). She had Cabernet Sauvignon-flavour (!) and I had Gingerbread. My love of gingerbread is serious; in my opinion it's one of the best parts of the Christmas season. (I know it's July... so what? It's gingerbread-flavoured gelato.)

They have a wonderful little patio area across the street that has stone benches, lights and garlands strung overhead, and loads of flowers.



From there we took the Adanac route on to Science World...



...where you can see the brilliantly striped Cirque du Soleil tents going up.



Such a blue and yellow tent would look wonderful in my backyard, no? (Which backyard? The one that exists in my imagination.) Kooza opens July 22 and I think a viewing is definitely in order.

Doesn't it look similar to the line of the mountains in the distance?

From there we kept our eyes out for a suitably industrial-looking wall to serve as a backdrop for some photo experiments.





The conclusion, after all this, is that walking wouldn't have allowed us to cover so much ground in such a short time, and driving or taking the bus wouldn't have allowed us to be outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and the calm, lovely residential sidestreets and parks. So on a day like this, bicycling is really the only way to go.

Here's to many more!

skirt firsts and a bridge to somewhere

I've never been a skirty person. My favourite style is a pencil skirt, which would be a challenge even if my bicycle was step-through.

Still, I do have a few dresses, and -- emboldened by the fearless lady cycle bloggers of the internet kingdom and my always-stylish, much-skirted friend Melanie -- tried one out today. Oh, the breeze! The first few blocks contained much self-concious skirt-patting-down, but by the time I'd made it to the office, I was starting to care less.

On the way home, I took a long route through Stanley Park to "clock more time" in this new sartorial mode.



"Look up," she said, "It's the sun! I'd forgotten that it exists."

These tights make me feel like doing the can-can. Thank goodness for the civilizing power of cardigans.



Self-portraits have a learning curve. They make it look so easy! While I fiddled with my camera propped up on a bench, my faithful steed took a nap on the path. Poor thing looks awful like that. What's that you say? Where is that kickstand I was talking about getting a few weeks ago?



This is one of my favourite bridges. It's wide and old and oddly empty, as if there ought to be a procession of ladies in bustles and parasols strolling arm in arm across it. Perhaps there are other routes now, more direct and with a water view. Me, I prefer this one: after all, it's not the destination that counts, but the way you take to get there.

a picture is worth...

This blog has been basically photo-less so far, much to my shame because I love photography as a hobby and also love reading other blogs that prominently feature photos as part of their content. To be honest, I'm a a shy person. Taking photos of anything other than the most public (i.e. scenery) or generic (i.e. unowned, inanimate) subjects is a bit daunting. Nevertheless, I'm not one to shy (ha!) away from a challenge to tackle my own limitations, so I've been working on pushing my comfort zone and aiming that camera here, there, and everywhere: my shoes (help, I feel silly!), stranger's bikes (help, I feel awkward!), and other people (help, I feel like a stalker!). Luckily, my brain has (mostly) prevailed over my inner wimp and now I'm starting to have something to show for it.


I shoot with a Canon G10, the most manual model of their compact cameras before you hit the SLRs. Because it's better with wide-angle than telephoto, it's taking me a while to work out how to photograph moving objects without sticking the camera right in their faces. (Paparazzi!) This is one of my best so far.


Bikes themselves are the easiest for me to snap. Besides this one being a "Pugh" (not one I've heard of before, possibly a British brand), it looks so simple and practical. Step-through, upright, chain guard, and no slouch of a rear basket.


These are my favourite shoes to cycle in.

Okay, I confess ... they're actually my favourite shoes altogether and I'm wearing them into the ground. That's what makes me love this discovery of the 'cycle chic' movement so much: I can go twice as far wearing these shoes on my bike than I can walking in them. Stylish and practical. Does it get any better than that?