Cycling & Shopping

Relaxed Sunday Cycle-Chic:

 *Misfits T-shirt: Urban Outfitters

*Skinny Jeans: Topshop

*3D Glasses Necklace: Tatty Devine

*Indian Slipper Shoes: Stratford Market

Me and The Boy headed out on our bikes for the day - I took him (yes - I actually lead the way!) to Columbia Road to meet up with Tyla for lunch and shopping - which was a 1st as I've never carried more than my Handbag, Camera and Lock in Frankie's basket! Although I still need to sort out Panniers for the bike, getting stuff home in the basket was fine - especially when you encounter thoughtful shop owners. I bought a new top and a pair of Vivienne Westwood / Melissa Shoes from Marcos & Trump (which will make an appearance in my Cycle-Chic). The lovely lady who served me clocked my cycle helmet attached to my bag, and without asking, took the shoes out of the box and wrapped them in a shoe-bag for me and just said "for the journey, OK?" I liked this :)

Sunday mornings on Columbia Road are always a lively & pretty affair - and not just because of the flower stalls...

... you can easily get something nice to eat - like cakes in a hodge-podge Vintage Shop that has a crazy tea-room in the back...

... and be entertained by live music on the street!

Cycling on a Sunday is always a good thing :)

Music & Bikes

Another music video that includes the essential combination:

• Girl on bike
• Chic-clothing
• Pretty bike

It's a few years old, but this never fails to raise a smile from me - It's the carefree riding in that outfit that gets me everytime!

A meeting of (Bike)Minded Cyclists...

It's always rather nice when like-minded cyclists come together, and because of that some exciting things are in the pipeline here at Vélo-City-Girl... I'm currently working with Bikeminded on a fabulous new project!

Bikeminded is a fantastic campaign by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It's a cycling resource for residents and aims to encourage more residents of the Borough to get on two wheels and experience more of the area (a brilliant example of this being their recently launched 'Bike Heros' project).

I cycled to Nude Espresso on Hanbury Street to meet-up with the lovely Kathryn of Bikeminded a couple of weeks ago to discuss ideas for the project, which I'm very excited to say will include some of VCG's favourite things: Cycling, Coffee, Cakes and a touch of fashion. 

I must say, as soon as I saw Kathryn arrive on that amazing Electra Bike I was blown away by how stylish she is... and I'm sure you'll agree!

Over a lovely sweet Pancake Lunch and some delicious flat whites (thanks Nude Espresso!) we were both bouncing ideas off one another and noting everything down! 

(these were amazing...)

The ideas that we came up with have filled me with utter excitement and already things are in motion for later this year. More details will follow in due course so keep your eyes on VCG for more news and of course over on Bikeminded, who can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Ridin' in the Rain...

My excitement of finally being able to cycle to work again (back in my normal office after having to move out for a major refurb) is what probably caused me to neglect checking the weather report before leaving home this morning. This meant that I pulled the rookie-move of not being quite rain-proof on my Pashley! When I left it wasn't raining - then the sky collapsed over East London at lunchtime, and I knew I was gonna be a bit screwed!

Leaving the office there was not a drop of rain, so I gathered evidence in the Cycle-Shed of a dry, but unprepared Lady Vélo...

Rookie-exhibit A: Lack of waterproof jacket / poncho. The Cardigan you see me in? That's all the cover I had over the sleeveless top I was wearing.

Rookie-exhibit B: Footwear. Yeah - strappy sandals. Possibly the brightest thing in East London this afternoon for the lack of sunshine... but not exactly great foot-coverage.

About 15 minutes into my ride - along came the rain! It wasn't too bad as I was pretty close to home at this point, but that shower came down heavy and fast. I made it to my door, with a bit of a wet saddle...

... and a rainy-chic look!

 Strange thing is I actually kinda enjoyed it. Riding always puts me in a good mood, so it was hard to be pissed-off about the weather. And besides - I had to get my feathers wet in the rain at some point :)

Time For Some Cycle-Chic at the LOOK Magazine Show AW11...

Although still in its early days, it's been an amazing 17 months on Vélo-City-Girl. Since launching my blog back in March 2010, it has passed 18,000 views & has an increasing readership and loyal followers (also via my Twitter account) who I treasure. I've interviewed Victoria Pendleton, written reviews for CycleChic, contributed to This Big City on why London is one of the most fashionable cities for cycle chic and have been featured by London based art-jewellers Tatty Devine. So, to be given the opportunity to report from the front row at the LOOK Magazine AW11 Show at Westfield Stratford City would be an amazing chance for this blogging fashionista on a Pashley...

I believe there is no reason why Fashion & Cycling can't go hand-in-hand and also feel that riding on a regular basis doesn't mean having to sacrifice the latest trends & styles. London is one of the most fashionable cities in the world, and with around half a million journeys made by bicycle here each day, there is a huge captive audience of female cyclists out there seeking inspiration & advice on how to keep it chic on two wheels. With statistics like this, it should come as no surprise that keeping it stylish while cycling is fast becoming a fashion movement in its own right.

To wave the cycling-fashion flag for this slightly underrepresented audience at London Fashion Week would be a huge coupe not only for Vélo-City-Girl, but for LOOK by introducing a whole new audience of style seekers to the Magazine.

As a dedicated and passionate fashion blogger, I believe I should be on the front row of the LOOK AW11 Show in September! I am always on the hunt for the latest trends, as well as doing my own "Bike Wardrobe Remixing" of different styles in order to bring inspiration and advice to other female cyclists out there. It's all about keeping it fresh, individual & eye-catching, something I believe I do well... and something which was recognised when I recently completed a Photo-Shoot with renowned photographer Horst Friedrichs for his latest book which will showcase the best of London's Cycle Fashion!

Being given the chance to showcase London as a growing cycle-fashion hotspot would be an absolute dream. It would also be especially poignant for me as a local girl from Newham: reporting live from the front row for LOOK Magazine from the brand new Westfield at Stratford City... as a budding fashion blogger from the area, this would be a huge achievement.

So, you've read my entry & know what me and my blog are all about... fancy giving me the chance to show you what I can do?

Sunday Cycle Fun!

This morning I cycled to Columbia Road Flower Market, to meet up with my good friend Tyla for a Photography shoot of the Market being set up. Nothing too unusual sounding about this - other than I left my house at 04:10a.m and completed my 1st cycle from Canning Town to another part of London and back... alone!

Although I've cycled part of that route before, I've never done it solo - nor done anything like that on my Pashley before sunrise! It was fantastic & so peaceful. Seeing East London before it was "awake" from the Vélo-view was also an eye opener... from the odd Fox scuttling back home, to late shift workers & lads returning from a night out - so interesting to observe! It was also awesome to ride without getting spooked by too much traffic! Cycling in London still makes me nervous, but this was another boost for my confidence in getting out there and doing it!

I arrived at Columbia Road at 5a.m and was quite pleased that I did the journey in under an hour! The Stall Holders had just started to set up, so it was straight to work with the D80.

All that cycling made me hungry, so it was time to take a break and grab breakfast. This came in the form of what was essentially a fried breakfast in a Bagel! Seriously - this was one of the nicest Bagels I've ever had - and washed down with a Mug of tea, it was delicious!

It was back to shooting and chatting away with the Stall Holders - who are such a friendly group of people! I'm sure they thought we were slightly insane early-birds, but all the same it was a fantastic experience from beginning to end. Of course, I can't blog this trip without a mention of the Wardrobe for the day:

Top: Dorothy Perkins

Baxter Skinny Jeans: Topshop

Swallow Earrings: Tatty Devine

Necklace: Topshop

Bracelets: New Look / Topshop

Ring: Orelia Jewellery

Ballet Pumps: Primark
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Peonie Flowers - Columbia Road Flower Market :)

There really is noting better than seeing London by bike so early in the morning - it was such a fantastic feeling, and if you haven't already - I highly recommend cycling to Columbia Road Market. I have to add a huge "thank you" to the Stall Holders, who kindly kept an eye on our locked bikes while we were taking pictures, eating breakfast and getting to know them all!

The whole set from today's Cycle can be viewed here.