Fashion Thursday: Vulpine Bike Apparel...

The world of cycling fashion has a new face on the block, and it's certainly one to be excited about.

Long anticipated and much spoken about amongst the cycling scene, Vulpine Bike Apparel has launched -  and its founder Nick Hussey has brought something rather special to the market.
A true labour of love, Hussey states that Vulpine was "borne out of love and frustration"; his love for cycling which goes back to his childhood days and his frustration of cycling clothing being "stuck in a Lycra-warp for 30 years".

Being a leisure rider on my Pashley, I've never felt the need to dress in 'high performance cycling clothing' to ride, but the ethos of Vulpine (that clothing should work off the bike as well as on it) struck a chord with me, especially after having the chance to see some of the pieces up-close and personal...

With the performance characteristics of high-end sportswear, there isn't a touch of Lycra in sight; we're talking about garments made from the finest Merino Wool and incredible attention to detail from the stitching right down to the buttons and fastenings.

From what I've seen so far and with more designs to come (including a dedicated Women's range) Vulpine has a lot to offer. I'm especially impressed at how it blended in with my everyday wear. I love being able to mix and match within my wardrobe and it was easily achieved with the pieces I tried. Practical (digging the back pocket on the Top to keep my keys in!) and rather beautiful, I predict big things for Vulpine.

Website: Vulpine.cc
All photos by Paul Calver Photography

Fashion Thursday: Madness of Marni...

You know what I'm like when it comes to bold accessories: you can never have too many in your life... so when the Marni at H&M collaboration was announced, I was more than interested to see if their jewellery range would live up to the true Marni standard.

Those chunky bracelets, big statement necklaces, ribbons, wood, beads & acrylic magic... it was all there. The preview confirmed the capsule collection was gorgeous; and at a more affordable price, I had to have some of it. As I've been planning out my Spring Cycling wardrobe already (which consists of me spying random items I love and mixing them up with what I already have), throwing in some of the bobby-dazzlers from Marni would be perfect... the fact I could already see them going well with the black of the Pashley and catching the glimmer of the sun as I cycled through the city was indication enough of how much these were a "WANT".

Then came the Madness: actually getting hold of it. At home in my Sick Bed (yet again) there was no way I was going to make it to the store - even if I was in the rudest of health and could have cycled to one, it was not happening. The only thing for it was to go online. Having to be awake early anyway for a Docs appointment, I set my alarm to be up in time for the launch... well, I was up an hour before to make sure I could get online. Sat up in bed, MacBook Pro on lap and Lemsip in hand, I logged into my account... and waited. Everything was running smoothly - the connection hadn't fallen over & just as it hit 9am the store opened... I clicked and got THIS:

It didn't matter where you were, an orderly queue was to be formed. I had no idea that it was even possible to queue online! As I waited patiently* at my screen, I read through tweets of other MarniMadhatters like myself, some who had already swooped in and got theirs in store; the lovely @MsGolightly over in Rome who I bet queued in style & two new cycling friends on twitter @loisdesigns and @Kristy_Kristy who were first in the queue of their local H&M!

I have to admit, the idea of queueing to get onto a website was a tad ridiculous, but I carried on waiting anyway, while trying not to fall asleep under the heaviness of this rotten Cold. An hour and a half later (yes, I know!) and I was in. It was straight to the accessories and nothing else... and by the power of Paracetamol and a strong Index Finger, I got what I was after!

I'm over the moon with getting what I was after, but the pandemonium that came with it was insane. I take my hat off to those who actually did the proper queueing thing outside... now, I need to crawl back under my duvet, shake off this Cold and await delivery of my Marni.

*refreshing like a lunatic ;) 

Tights about Town...

As the dark winter becomes a distant memory, the time has come to start pedalling towards Spring and put some colour into my cycling wardrobe.

What better way to welcome the bright days than with Fashion Tights? They are a fantastic way to inject a splash of colour when riding. There is a whole world of alternative tights out there, some of which are guaranteed to put a smile on your legs...

"Schneewichen" & "Otto" - Les Queues de Sardines

If you haven't come across them before, I suggest seeking out independent French label Les Queues de Sardines. Embracing bold graphic prints with a sometimes wickedly dark slice of humour (the Schneewichen tights will give you a clue), LQDS have some fantastic designs in their collection. If you're after an unusual yet stylish edge, they are certainly worth checking out, and are very comfy to cycle in too.

"Crystal Lux" & "Leon" - Bebaroque

Bebaroque Tights are all about opulence and luxury in the world of hosiery. From Swarovski Crystal embellishments to prints that give the appearance of having tattooed legs, Bebaroque provides a unique and beautiful twist to accessorising with your legs on two wheels.

Bring me sunshine...

How perfect is this to brighten up a grey day?

Flowers have a knack of making a girl happy, so when this one arrived at my office today, it sure put a smile on my face.

This big Sunflower will be taking pride of place on my Marsupial Grass-Shopper Pannier, replacing the (sadly lost) Lisianthus flowers I had on it before.

Thank you Marsupial for the injection of sunshine into my afternoon - this certainly has me thinking about Spring cycling.

Fashion Thursday: Tatty Devine at Selfridges

Selfridges currently have a new store-wide initiative - the Words Words Words season, which is in "celebration of the beauty of words and the joy of writing". Being a blogger, my interest in this was already piqued - but when I found out Tatty Devine would be in residence with a pop-up shop (and making customised name necklaces on the spot) I simply had to pay a visit.

Greeted by gigantic Name Necklaces hanging on the walls and jars of their signature Plectrums and fastenings on display, the TD installation Concept Store is fantastic, allowing you wander around the mini workshop and watch how it's all done...

I had chat with Kara and Becca, two of the lovely technicians from Team Tatty about the pop-up shop, where a staggering thirty three necklaces have been made in one day alone! After finally deciding on the colour, font and charm (there are a lot of options), it was now in their hands to create my necklace, right before my eyes...

Watching my necklace being made from start to finish was brilliant. Any long time fans of Tatty Devine will really love this, and if you're new to the cult brand, this really is something to check out.

... and the name necklace I had made?

Well, you know how I like to ride on my Pashley - so this was only appropriate!

(Further pictures can be viewed via flickr, courtesy of Ian James)

The Tatty Devine pop-up shop will feature in the Words Words Words concept store until the end of February. Name necklaces prices start from £27.50, with further customisation options available. 

Cycle Style Video...

Still courtesy of F.Milovac on Vimeo.

With just over a month to go, the excitement for the release of Cycle Style is building up... and the promo video for the book is now online!

Meeting with Filip Milovac in December to do my bit for the shoot was an absolute blast, so seeing the finished product earlier this week was fantastic. Filip & Horst have done an amazing job with this, incorporating some of the portraits that will be included in Cycle Style.

Enjoy the video - and see if you can spot some familiar faces in there too...


Cycle Style from Filip Milovac on Vimeo.

Spring in my step...

Spring-time Cycling in London may seem like a distant dream at the moment, but there is no harm in getting ready for it starting now. Besides, January is the best time to pick up some serious fashion bargains - especially if you're not a slave to 'Seasons' & like me, will happily wear clothing and accessories that make you feel good, no matter when they came out.

My 1st piece of bargain hunting came via of one of my favourite online shopping haunts, Net-A-Porter...

You can't beat the feeling of glamour when one of their big black boxes turns up, right?

The joy in the box - Swedish Hasbeens!

Even though I don't "do" Heels on a regular basis, I've wanted a pair of these for ages. They went in the NAP sale, reduced to £48 - I HAD TO!!!

With wooden 4.1 inch high heels and 1.2 inch high platforms, they actually make for a comfortable shoe. Granted, I've been walking around my house in them to break them in, but I plan on doing some cycling in these too!

Look out for them on the Pashley when the weather changes... I can't wait.