Sunshine and Shoots...

Last Sunday the Sun was shining and London was glowing....the weather was finally perfect for the Photo Shoot with Horst Friedrichs to go ahead!

It didn't go quite according to plan on the 1st attempt earlier this month, so you can imagine our joy when the City decided to give us the light, at last. Thanks to The Boy being the brilliant photographer he is, he took some pictures of what was going on behind the scenes for the blog - thank you so much Sir for these!

It was lovely to see Horst again & also meet his assistant Filip, who bought me my favourite flowers (Peonies) to put in my Pashley Basket for the photos :) 

The scene was very different to the Rainy Day that we experienced earlier this month - which also allowed us to do the shoot in two different outfits. The 1st one was quite relaxed and went a little something like this:

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Necklace: Tatty Devine

Vest Top / High Waisted Shorts / Sandals: Topshop

Yellow Bangle: Camden Market

Ring: Tatty Devine

... and then for the 2nd outfit, there was a slight change in style:

Sunglasses: Tatty Devine for John Lewis

"LadyVélo" name necklace: Tatty Devine

Dress: LAFrock

Ring: Dorothy Perkins

Mary Jane Shoes: Vivienne Westwood

Spot the unexpected visitor who decided he wanted to be in the photos?

His name was Taco, and I could have easily put him in my basket and taken him home!

For a few more behind the scenes shots of the day taken by The Boy, the set can be viewed here - once again, thank you so much for these Sir :)

I can not wait to see Horst's photos from Sunday, and too see his book come together. It's such a fantastic project & I'm honoured that he asked me to be a part of it. 

Get a Grip: The Gropes Family Gathering...

When it comes to looking stylish on two wheels, it's not just about the cyclist looking good - the machine should also have a touch of style to it too. So when I was invited to the the launch party for the Gropes online shop, I had to be there to check out the gorgeous Leather Handlebar Grips & finally meet the man behind them.

Akira Chatani (Nonusual) held the "Gropes and Friends" gathering at the beautiful Family Tree Boutique in Exmouth Market. Those in attendance included Mechanical Alchemist and tokyobike, who made a stunning bespoke bicycle exclusively for the night.

The main event of the evening was the chance to win a special Golden Gropes Trophy.

Made of Handlebars covered in golden Gropes Leather, this was certainly an original piece for any cycle enthusiasts wall: like hunting down the ultimate Gropes - reminiscent of prized mounted Stag-Horns! I entered the draw for these but didn't win - gutted, as I would have put these on my Bedroom / Workspace Door!

As well as there being fabulous bike accessories for me to check out, there were some beautiful machines and stylish cyclists on view too... 

As soon as I saw him, I had to get a shot! Photographer Yu Fujiwara arrived to the event on his Purple tokyobike single speed bike. Now, you know that I love my Pashley but I have to pay the tokyobike pop-up shop a visit when I'm in the area later this week for my tattoo consultation...

It was a brilliant evening, with the chance to meet like minded fashion & cycling enthusiasts, and of course to meet Akira and witness his passion for what he does so well. 

My set of photos from the evening can be viewed here - and make sure you check out the Gropes Online Shop too.

Brighton Bikes...

Got back home today from a lovely long weekend in Brighton. The trip wasn't cycling based, but that didn't stop me from noticing Bikes around town. I spotted another example of Bikes & Advertising together in the shop window of Hunted:

With it being Menswear there wasn't much shopping I could do, but their display made me smile all the same.

I'd like to go back to Brighton and see some of it by bike. There were plenty of people on two wheels and taking advantage of the cycle route along the seafront... I imagine that must be lovely in the sunshine (the weather was not kind over the weekend), so doing that is on my list of places to ride...

... also, massive "Well Done!" to the cyclists who did the London to Brighton ride on Sunday - in that weather, I really do take my hat off to you all :) 

Bikes by Night in London...

Where in this City could you see Penny Farthings racing one moment, watch Elite Cyclists in full speed the next, AND check out beautiful cycling accessories and clothing? At the London Nocturne of course!

Me and The Boy went to Smithfields Market on Saturday afternoon to see the event for the first time. We weren't on our Bikes, but were certainly in the cycling spirit. The atmosphere was fantastic: such a brilliant vibe & the support from the crowds to every rider taking part was electric... I'd never heard so many Cowbells in my life! It was also excellent to bump into some familiar faces & put faces to twitter names on the day too - one of which was this fella...

... @alien8 :) He was at the Nocturne working the Press & Technical Areas, and took a fantastic series of shots for bikehugger.com. If you want to get a feel of the action and thrills of the night, do go and have a look at his set of fantastic photos, here :)

In between watching races, I had a wander around the Expo Areas. There were some wonderful vintage bikes on display which caught my attention

... but there was one stand in particular that I simply had to visit for my love of fashion on two wheels: the fabulous Cyclodelic were at the Nocturne!

When it comes to combining fashion with cycling in style, Cyclodelic are seriously on it! I have been searching for a beautiful and original Saddle Bag for the Pashley & was especially taken with the designs they had on display...

It was so wonderful to meet Amy and to have a look at pieces from Cyclodelic's beautiful new collection, which should be available from their online store within the next week. Do have a look at their site & the blog as linked... I suspect some shopping is going to happen... :)

The London Nocturne is a fantastic event, which is a must for anyone with even the smallest interest in Cycling - no matter what level of cyclist you are, there is something for everyone there. Great atmosphere, beautiful fashion & a brilliant way to meet like minded people - and catch up with cycling buddies! See you there next year - perhaps on a Penny Farthing 'eh? ;) 

Photo-shoots and Smiles...

So, I don't get to say very this often: I was recently invited to feature in a Photo-shoot about cycling & fashion in London!

I was contacted by Internationally renowned Photographer Horst A. Freidrichs, to feature in a book he is working on which focuses on the fashion culture of cyclists in the City. To say I was excited would be an understatement! The First thing on my agenda: decide the outfits. With it being June and there was blazing sunshine last Saturday, I'd decided on these for a summer-cyclist feel:

Vest Top: Topshop

Floral Hot Pant Shorts: Topshop
Ballet Pumps: Topshop

"LadyVélo" Name Necklace: Tatty Devine

Earrings: Chanel

Vest Top: Dorothy Perkins
Wide Belt: Oasis
Skirt: Dorothy Perkins
Necklace: Tatty Devine
Sandals: Accessorize

The location Horst chose for us was was Jones' Diary, just off Columbia Rd Flower Market (which is one of my favourite Markets in London). Now remember I said that last Saturday was "blazing" Sunshine? Well, Sunday didn't quite follow that weather pattern. It rained...

... and rained

...and rained

... but we ended up having one of the nicest Sunday afternoons!

Despite the downpour, our spirits were high - there was great energy surrounding the shoot, and we were still hopeful of a break in the rain. We didn't know it at the time, but the shelter we took on Ezra Street was next to Lily Vanilli, who opened their Bakery for the first time that day. Watching from their shop & feeling sorry for us waiting in the Courtyard, they came out and gave us delicious Cupcakes to keep us going!

... how sweet of them was that?!

The rain didn't really ease up, but we decided to get some test shots of the day. Natural light was beginning to fade (mainly behind more black clouds) so dashing out from the dry, we set up and did a few shots...

None of the outfit changes happened - it was way too wet for summer shorts & skirts... but I guess what I had on became my cycle wardrobe for the day, right?

Jacket: Gap

Breton Stripe Top: Topshop

Jeans: Topshop

"Lady Leigh" Necklace & Earrings Set: Tatty Devine

Ring: Dorothy Perkins

Lady & Dog Brooch: Tatty Devine

Another session has been penciled into the diary with Horst - fingers crossed the Sun will be shining for that. Wardrobe planning is in process for this one, and the whole thing will be blogged about when it happens. 

Massive Thank you to Horst for asking me to take part in this & for making it so much fun, and to The Boy, for taking the photos of me and Horst in action for my blog.... it's appreciated :)

Coffee | Cycle | Saturday

    Grobelaar | Lady Vélo | The Fixed Factor

Last weekend saw the 1st CoffeeCycleSaturday Ride: saddle up on a Saturday, have a brew at some of the best Coffee Houses in town and enjoy the ride & anything that happens along the way. The Boy planned the route, marking off the Coffee Stops for the day. We set off early and cycled towards Bermondsey. There was a slight delay getting there, thanks to Tower Bridge doing this...

I'd never seen this in action before, even though I've lived in London all my life! I have to be a geek and admit that this was pretty cool to watch. Bridge down, we made it south of the river and met Simon for our first stop: Maltby Street for St John Doughnuts and Monmouth Coffee...

Safe to assume the verdict is "GOOD" from these expressions :)

Caffeine & Custard munched, we moved on cycling through an almost silent City of London. I absolutely love the City when it's like that: hardly anyone around, the chance to cruise on the bike & quiet roads...

... quiet enough for me to lay flat on my back under the Gherkin to take this.

Shoreditch was next on the Run: Nude Espresso. This was a new place for us, but from the moment we pulled up I had a good feeling about the place...

 Seal of approval has been given to the Flat White here for sure.

So, I was in Shoreditch and doing rather well in resisting the temptation to urge the fellas to take a detour from what I thought was the plotted path. Turns out The Boy had included a sweet & sneaky stop on the map for me. The Mega Sale was on. I'd already done a bumper shopping session online on Friday when it launched. But it would have been rude not to go in, right...? 

It was absolutely lovely to pop into Tatty Devine and finally meet the ladies :)

And yes, more shopping happened!

A mention for the Bike Outfit for the day:
Earrings: Vivienne Westwood
T-Shirt: New Breed Girl @Topshop
Necklace: Tatty Devine (from my collection, innit)
Jeans: Diesel
Trainers: Converse
Handbag (in the Basket) - Longchamp

Laden with pretty shiny things in my Basket, our wheels rolled on. 

Being powered by more Coffee than food, brunch needed to happen. Broadway Market & London Fields was the next destination - a busy place on a Saturday, but ideal for bike spotting and a tasty Croque-Monsieur too...

After relaxing on the grass, it was back on the Saddle again for the final Coffee stop, at a place that is becoming a firm favourite when out and about in East London... Prufrock at Present:

Three Feet and a Flat White.

CoffeeCycleSaturday's are certainly fun - and of course there is no chance of you feeling tired when you're knocking back the beans! Another of these rides needs to happen soon methinks.