Bicycles in Fashion! Ellen Von Unwerth - Vogue Nippon

(photo: Ellen Von Unwerth for Vogue Nippon)

Ellen Von Unwerth is one of my all time favorite fashion photographers ! - I absolutely love it when she turns her eye to a view with a bicycle included. This is images appears in the June issue of Vogue Nippon. Enjoy!

Jesse Autumn's Bicycle and MUSIC! - a Cafe Day

You may remember seeing this bicycle and it's rider Jesse before - that is if you've been reading this blog for awhile...

Well as is often the case I spotted the bicycle well before seeing the bicycle's owner! I was so drawn to the contents inside the basket, those lovely strawberry print linens, well I just got giddy admiring them- so vintage, so perfect.

Next simply turn around (Shelly) and there was Jesse herself - a stones throw away seated at a charming outdoor cafe table at Lulu's where she was contently painting away...

As it turns out Jesse is an artist and musician. The best part of our chance meeting was the CD Jesse gave me. It's her brand new release. What a surprise I was in for! I have been listening to her CD non stop. I can't recommend it enough. It's so delicate, haunting, romantic. My BF says Jesse kinda reminds him of Tori Amos while for me she reminds me distantly of a female Nick Drake*.

"beautiful emotive and ethereal acoustic alternative folk/pop on piano, harp, organ, and glockenspiel" -- via her facebook page

Besides, the first track on Jesse Autumn Live EP is entitled 'November 5' (that's my birthday) and it is sooo pretty.

Jesse Autum's CD - go ahead and click it!

(*Why does someone always have to remind you of someone else anyway??!!)

Meet the Little 'Foldie' Bicycle - Panda Shots

Meet my darling little vintage Raleigh (folding) Bicycle-- followed by a series of (my first ever) panda shots taken with my new(ish) camera.

Oh, this last shot is of the dinner, we so thoroughly enjoyed at the end of a great and fun day. just had to share :)

Yes, it really fun riding around and finally starting to get the hang of taking panda shots--especially since I was all thumbs before with no talent for managing panda shots at all. Now however my new(ish) camera has this fantastic swiveling viewer on it making it SO much easier for me than my old camera was. Funny how the little things, like simply figuring out how to do panda shots can make me excited like a little kid....

Surfers, Boards, Bikes, Pleasure Point

(you naughty surfer boy!)

This past weekend it was all about vintage long boards, Pleasure Point and living the beach life. Enjoy!

Style Alert

Today I spied this bike from way down at the end of the block. The owner had a style that made me take notice as well. I think it was his red soled shoes, the cool tinted eye wear he had on.

I learned his bike was a 1970's Italian racing bike. Bottecchia.
My, oh my...

Bike In Discount - Happy Earth Day

John & Yoko- a faded photo sits waiting on the counter inside ...

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Pacific Coast Highway at the turn off for Swanton Berry Farms - with not much traffic this particular day on The Slow Coast...

First of all Happy Earth Day - Hope your day was glorious!!

The photos I'm sharing today are all from Swanton Berry Farm.
As you can see from the first photo a discount is given to anyone who bikes in which is just the kind of Earth Friendly discount I like!

How to Organize a Tweed Ride

Just today I was contacted for advice on how to organize a Tweed Ride. Now I'd already given advice to a couple of others wondering the same exact thing...but alas I couldn't locate those prior emails I'd written.

What you see below is the verbatim reiteration of the email I sent off earlier today;

"Regarding how to organize a Tweed Ride, you can start by gleaning bits of info from other ride organizers by reading all the comments under The Tweed Report.

So far, setting up your face book is good! People really seem to like FB. Or you can put up your own localized Tweed Ride Blog for your ride. If you click on each of the invites it will give you an idea as to how others have set up their rides.

More random thoughts----People love winning prizes, so giving away prizes and finding prize sponsors are good. Making it into a Charity Ride and doing an auction is also being done. Contacting all your local papers and TV news station helps get the word out as well.

As far as the ride goes I’d encourage attracting newbie riders. I see yours is xx miles. Try to have an option for slow pokes (I’m a slow poke). Some rides turn into races with all the fit young (mainly) men in the lead and the slow pokes getting left lost in the dust thus wind up frustrated….so this is something to think about.

Also if you see a past ride that seems to match what you are trying to achieve with your ride, why not try contacting the ride organizers for feedback regarding what they think made their ride as successful as it was. Hopefully they’d be happy to share info with you. If you do go that route and get any particularly sage advice please let me know!!!!

Hope this helps!!!!"

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Project Runway, Design Cycle Chic Wear, Oh My Gosh

(illustration by Garance for Celine)

The above is an example of CYCLE CHIC design wear by none other than Pheobe Philo for Celine....which I previously posted about before here.

Now for the Project Runway part. Recently I was contacted by the people who cast for Project Runway--would I want to submit an application resulting in a possible audition for the show? Hmmmm. ...the deadline is here, and guess what-- I didn't get my application in. So next season I will give it a go!!

In the meantime I am so incredibly flattered that I was even contacted at all and so aghast at my own procrastination. I also think that Celine's designs in the above illustration is beautifully simple but hits it.

So now it's time to get out my sketchbook and sketch up a storm, and really think about what it would be like to go on Project Runway with the chance to win all that money to back a line and launch it.

Bicycle Fun in SF - Sunday Streets

These are a couple of photos from the recent Sunday Streets in SF.
What a Fun Bike Day!! More to tell in another story, on another day....

What Wood You Make of This Bicycle?

Not sure what to make of this ingenious but complexing wood bicycle. I love finding DIY bicycles, hand built bicycles, and pimped out / styled out bicycles....but this one?

What to Wear to a Spring/Summer Tweed Ride - For the Ladies

(photo credit: diaryofavintagegirl.com)

A few weeks back I began to lament over just what to wear to a Tweed Ride with the temperatures rising daily to summer heat levels. I wasn't alone. This exact discussion popped up in the comments field of The Tweed Report I maintain. Briefly too, I touched upon the topic in the tail end of this recent post where I pondered over the possibilities of a "non Tweed" - Tweed Ride...

At any rate I'd pretty much made up my mind to forget the Tweed, and instead go for a linen ensemble, or possibly a vintage 40's floral dress. I was preparing to write this 'What to Wear to a Spring/Summer Tweed Ride' post last week. So imagine my sheer delight (whilst perusing some recent photos of the London Tweed Run) - I discovered Diary of a Vintage Girl. She chose vintage (but of course-natch!!) a floral dress...

(photo credit: diaryofavintagegirl.com)

She also delightfully writes about her London Tweed Run experience;

"I didn't know very many of the participants, and, because the ride was organised by the London Fixed-Gear and Single Speed cycling forums, a lot of the entrants were actual 'proper' cyclists, who have well-maintained equipment and are actually fit. But they don't wear tweed or vintage on a daily basis! So they had one advantage over us, and we had one over them! I think we set ourselves apart by starting with gin, stopping for gin and drinking gin most of the way across London!"

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So think floral, think vintage. Consider a linen ensemble (I am), or even try a seersucker look. Khaki works wonders too - see middle girl in the top photo. Why not use Tweed accents, as in a pair of Tweed spats, or a Tweed DIY flower for instance to pin on your lapel or wear on your bicycle helmet and/or bonnet, or perhaps in your hair. London Tweed Run participants all wore Tweed arm bands as well, so why not be creative with a DIY Tweed arm band. Let's keep the creative ideas going!

London Tweed Ride - Featured on Deutsche Welle!

(via tindonkey / source: euromaxx featured on DW )

So if you still aren't familiar with just what's going on with all these Tweed Rides- then watch this. London Tweed Ride 2010. This is so fantastic.

Cute and Mainstream -- It's ALL Good!

This just in via Cycle Chic Nola...Thanks for catching this one! Cute and mainstream is how Cycle Chic Nola calls it. I agree.