evoking movement

Amy Thompson's Plastic Analogue collection (above) is subtle in colour yet powerful in play of translucency and movement...

Flat pack construction techniques create an alternative and unique method of manipulating exaggerated armour inspired polypropylene structures into contemporary interlocking garments and accessories, whilst sections of specially designed lenticular lenses are used to provide visually hypnotic and oscillating patterns that spin and change colour according to which angle the garment is viewed at.

Even at a stand still - gradients give the sensation of movement. As motion and bicycles go hand in hand - powder coated frames and current fashion trends provide nice examples...

Calvin Klein / Van Noten / Peter Pilotto

Prade Linea Rossa Patent Gradient Sneaker / Lacoste Stealth Collection

Bike Style: A Bicycle Fashion Show... photos + videos

Last Saturday evening HUDSON URBAN BICYCLE (THE HUB), in the Village, hosted NYC's first cycling fashion show. It was well worth the hike through pouring rain to check out.

Scaffolding was built up above the ground floor to create a cat walk overhead complete with a ramp leading down to the stage + the two huge flood lights casted amazing shadows...

umbrella as prop

VIDEO>>> bike folding action

reflective sidewalls

saddle bag by Basil

getting carried away

slick backwards entrance

VIDEO>>> dance party finale

reinforced

A few weeks back I mentioned the need for reinforcement in apparel for the urban cyclist.

While not for cycling per se, some items which appear to be able to handle all types of wear and tear...

DiveWise's 3-Finger Glass Reinforced Gloves

Filson's Shelter Cloth Brush Pants

Foot the Coacher's leather uppers w/ completely waterproof rubberized lower

with clothing on my mind...

via notcouture

the perfect sweatshirt when you start over heating, with a sewn in tank, by Free People

+

what if it included rear pockets like on this sweatshirt by Nari/Furi from Japan!

via pedalconsumption

Bike Style: A Bicycle Fashion Show - THIS Saturday

'Cycle Chic' in NYC...

HUDSON URBAN BICYCLES (a.k.a. The HUB) is hosting a commuter cyclist fashion show which will include Brooks, Reiss, Lela Rose, Sheila Moon (who has a lot of tweed this season for women) and Osloh

Saturday, October 24th

9pm - 12am, show starts at 10

71 Morton Street, b/w Greenwich & Hudson, NYC

The HUB was founded by George Bliss in 1995, with the goal of creating a community center bound by the concept of conscientious transportation. The HUB specializes in new Dutch and European bicycles, vintage American and English cycles, bicycle attire and accessories, repairs, and rentals. Open daily from 10am to 8pm.

via The HUBlog

rainlegs

Rainlegs protect the upper legs against rain, wind and the cold. The product has been manufactured from wind and water resistant parachute material. The leg protectors are open on the back of the legs, so that no condensation can take place and clothes will stay dry.

Who would have guessed rain rear could be sexy?

Designed & distributed in the Netherlands but for those of us in the USofA they are available [here]

masking with 'bio-accessories'

like when riding behind a truck or along the Queensboro Bridge...

Bio-accessories is a series of wearable couture pieces which mask the unpleasant sights, sounds and scents of the city in an attempt to bring some of the natural world back into civil living. As a concept, Bio-accessories comments on the political responsibility we have to green our cities and suggests a personal rather than municipal approach to environmentalism. This personal connection with each piece, and its living organism, creates an ecological interaction with the wearer, a symbiotic relationship.

By Ben Landau and Brittany Veitch based in Melbourne, Australia via Coroflot

signal in print

Made by EloiCollective, based in Cambridge, and available online

Get your signal on. Designed to facilitate communication and create dialogue between bicyclists & automobiles. 100% organic cotton long sleeve t-shirt. Screen-printed with fluorescent green plastisol-free ink. Typographic illustration by Mary Banas.

+ Eloi Collective donates 5% of sales to LivableStreets, a non-profit organization that challenges people to think differently about urban transportation and to demand a system that balances transit, walking, and biking with automobiles.

Thanks, Sara!

glowing in the dark

Glow in the dark seems eternally fascinating in both nature and products - so here is an excuse to use this image... these Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms are so incredibly magical. They pop up Japan during the rainy season (and all over the internet). These mushrooms glow due to a chemical reaction involving luciferin (a pigment contained in them)... and emit visible light.
via Jim on Light

Just a couple years back MPK Co. came out with a material, Litoenergy, which can be injection molded or added to paint that emits light for 12 YEARS without needing electricity OR sun exposure. It gives off continuous illumination and is said to be non-toxic and cheap.
via TreeHugger

Part of Kanye West's Nike Shoe Collection. Designed for the club culture but so nice for an evening bike ride - perhaps even more so coming home from a club.
via NiceKicks.com

Wondering if they use Litoenergy... and if this stuff is so cheap, why are we not seeing more of it?

by the seat of your pants

You bike a lot.

Your pants wear out. Fast.

Re: Womens Apparel

Since most women don't opt to wear Carhartts day in and day out, these might be a nice solution for the colder months ahead... Wool Riding Britches by Shelia Moon which have a reinforced seat for riding, a high waist (awesome) and pleats at the knee for mobility. I have friends who take their pants to the tailors to have them patch up the seat of their pants but am fond of how my friend Sara reinforced her jeans with navy blue leather patches herself.

For womens cycling wear Team Estrogen is generally awesome.

(new) helmets + (new) lights + (new) little carrier

Naturally Core77 has great coverage of the recent EUROBIKE show which had more than a thousand exhibitors from 42 countries. Here are some items included in Core's photo gallery hitting the market this year which I could not resist posting... Catlike Whisper Plus with the most beautiful vents (from Spain)

Viva Bikes helmet composed of fiberglass and leather (from Denmark)

Axa Basta remote control to help find your bike! (from the Netherlands)

Fibre Flare bike light sticks are just cool - versatile w/ a touch of 80's - checkout the U-Tube video of them in action (from Australia)

Fahrer little clutch which can be mounted in a number of ways onto your frame (from Germany)

Interior photos via Core77's photo gallery

hello convenience

Once off your bike and out and about in the city, how frustrating is it dealing with a bike helmet? I always end up cramming mine into my bag (or purse) so found these designs which address this very issue refreshing...

During EUROBIKE 2009, which took place in Germany earlier this month, Dahon unveiled their Pango helmet. Once FOLDED (!) the helmet takes up half the space of a regular one becoming insanely compact. Here's the video showing how easily it folds.

Then there is the much talked about helmet Fuseproject was commissioned by NYC's DOT to design. While there are helmets on the market that have large enough ventilation holes that allow to be U-Locked, Fuseproject's NYC Helmet design ensures that it can be with its design. Also, its polystyrene shell appears strong enough that it could be left out on the city streets and handle the elements.

Top two photos via Dahon & bottom via Fuseproject