Big Day Out: Brooks Saddles and Vélobici...

A couple of weeks ago, me and The Boy had the pleasure of visiting the Brooks Saddle Factory! Thanks to the brilliant organisation by twitter friends @CraftieDutchie & @_Blixa_, the plan was to get together with some fellow twitter-cycling friends and have a tour around the plant, along with a cycle-stop or two for lunch and drinks.

It was a big day out for sure: a 06:30am meet with the lovely @thefixedfactor was arranged outside of the RFH, to load up our bikes into the van we'd hired with him. Although it was an insanely early start (setting off from East London at 05:20am), it was so worth it... just to see London bathed in those dusky hues...

...and of course having such clear roads was a treat.

A few hours later (and a few sleeps in the van for me), we arrived in Smethwick and met up with the rest of the cycling-crew:

From left to right: @offthelevel, @cycleslikeagirl, @evilgordon, @CraftyDutchie, @thefixedfactor, @_Blixa_, @grobelaar, @EdwardHealey - wonderful to put real faces & bikes to twitter handles after all this time!


Stepping into the factory was amazing: it's an intimate operation, with just under 50 people working the production line - all of whom are at different work stations but all knew one another. This isn't something that occurs often in a workplace, and was magical to see...

(Courtesy of @_Blixa_)

Steeped in tradition, there is an overwhelming sense of pride with each Saddle made by the Brooks team. I love every element of my Pashley, so it was very special to see where my B66s was made, and meeting people from the team who would have worked on it. 

Our two hours at Brooks was fascinating: meeting the workers & seeing how much effort goes into each piece and has made me appreciate my Saddle even more.

After a quick pub-stop, me, The Boy and @thefixedfactor I  headed off with @_blixa_, who had organised a meet-up and cycle through Market Bosworth with Chris Puttnam, one of the founders of Vélobici, and his friend Matthew. Another British company, Velobici make high-end cycling clothing and accessories - all of which are designed to be used for "cycling, socialising or working". This is something that strikes a chord with me when it comes to cycle-style, so it was a pleasure to meet Chris & discuss the ethos of his clothing!

Market Bosworth is a beautiful town to cycle though; so peaceful and picturesque...

I had a lot of fun cycling with the fellas, but as you can see, my Pashley isn't quite the calibre of speed machines they were on! There were also some false flats that caught me right out... it was quite an effort for me! My legs were certainly worked by the end of that ride - damn! 

A lovely and very generous surprise at the end of the ride was dinner at The Black Horse Restaurant, owned by Chris' brother Mike. Joined by Matthew's lovely wife & kids, we gathered in the bar for a very special preview of the upcoming new line from Vélobici (stunning!) and then sat down for 'Pie and Wine night'... oh my gosh, did I NEED this...

(Pie shot courtesy of Ian James)

This was the perfect ending to a wonderful day out on the bikes: A massive thank you goes to Chris for his immense generosity, thank you Brooks for having us and showing us the workings of your factory and a special thank you to @_blixa_ & @Craftydutchie for organising such a brilliant day! 

More photos from the day can be viewed here.

Many thanks to The Boy for photographic assistance again x

VCG in Marie Claire...

Marie Claire, May 2012.

This is one of the last things I would have even dreamt of happening when I started this blog two years ago... a mention in Marie Claire Magazine! VCG has popped-up in the 'Reporter' section of MC, which highlights the "trends, people and places" on their radar for the month.

It's always fantastic to see cycling & fashion being recognised as something that is possible, so having Vélo-City-Girl sited as one of the "go-to Brit blogs for cycle style tips" is rather amazing for me. From comments on the blog, to messages on twitter from girls who are getting back on bicycles, it's touching to know that my little corner of the internet is inspiring women out there & is being enjoyed....

Massive love to you all... and keep on riding in style! x

Rolling in the Spring...

The sun came out to play last Sunday.

We had a lazy morning.

Then decided to head out and roll with the sunshine.

The Boy rode in Red.

This Lady rode in ice cream ripple colours.

Lillies were out on the Pond.

Boy being... well, a 'boy' on his bike.

A slow cycle home in the evening light.

Finished with a Gingery delight.

London in the Spring on our bikes.

Welcome back.

Cover Girl: Cycle Style...

From an email I received from Horst A. Friedrichs back in May 2011 which lead to some amazing photo-shoots & meetings: fast forward to March 2012 and 'Cycle Style' the book has been published... with a rather familiar 'Lady' with a Pashley on the back cover... 

At the risk of sounding like a gushing mess, this is one of the best things to have happened to me! I was over the moon when Horst asked me to be a part of his project, but being the cover girl on the book has completely blown me away.

The book is beautiful, with its varied mix of London Cyclists across 192 pages. Horst has done such an amazing job on this and Prestel have produced a fantastic publication...

Some of my favourite cycling friends and style icons are in the book, including the lovely Fleur de Geurre with a red Pashley Britannia

... and it's also rather nice to say I'm in the same book as one of my favourite designers who embraces cycling with such passion... 

Mr Paul Smith! 

It has been a brilliant experience and of course, The Boy played a major part in all of this too. He came along to the Shoots, took photos for me to use on the blog and made a friend in Horst too, something which clearly didn't go unnoticed by the man himself... 

Seeing Ian being 'thanked' in the book was a rather special thing indeed.

With the official 'launch party' for Cycle Style coming up in a couple of weeks, it'll be fabulous to see Horst again, and meet-up with fellow cyclists in the book. Of course a blog post on that will follow, but in the meantime, get your hands on a copy of Cycle Style :) 

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: 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.

Twirling in Tweed: The Rugby London Tweed Run...

Me, capturing the "Spirit" of the day...

What-ho Dames & Chaps! The Boy and I attended the Rugby London Tweed Run last Saturday - all of my last minute dashing around on Friday fell into place, so we were both more than ready for the day... phew! I'll give a quick run-down of my attire for the day - elements of which you'll see in more pictures:

Dress: Runaround Sue by Vivien of Holloway

Red Elastic Belt: Vivien of Holloway

Tweed Jacket: H&M

Pheasant Feather Brooch: Katherine Butler

Red-Seamed Stockings: Jonathan Astor

Heels: Aldo

Necklace: Dorothy Perkins

Hair Corsage: Made by me!

Rose Ring: H&M
Brown Leather Kelly Bag - Vintage

Pearl Earrings: TopShop

Nails: Thanks to O.P.I at Selfridges

(You may have noticed that the fabulous hat I bought for the day is not featured - I got my Twists re-done on the Wednesday & my hair was too big for the hat!) 

Once again, the Weather-Gods looked down on the event, as we were blessed with bright skies & crisp winter air for the day... if it had rained, I suspect there would have been a lot of damp Tweed cycling through London! Arriving at the meeting point, we were greeted with a sea of beautiful outfits and bicycles. Being in Covent Garden, there was even more of a tourist-attraction element to the day, with many people pulling out cameras and phones, snapping away. The Tweed-Runners make for a rather dashing display, so I'm sure the tourists must have enjoyed seeing us!

Ralph Lauren laid on breakfast for us all, which was a rather nice touch indeed. Men (who I'm sure were all models!) dressed in the Rugby RL colours were on hand to dish out savouries, cakes, teas & coffees to fuel us up for the ride. I must admit to being a bit too excited to eat my Muffin - there was so much going on around me, there was no room for an appetite to build up! 

After the official Tweed Run photo was taken on the steps of the Rugby Store, we had the chance to quickly catch-up with some familiar faces and meet other people taking part...

Tony and Victor, the stylish brothers  who I met last year, helping each other get ready

I loved her Brogues and bright Lipstick - sadly we didn't catch her name!

The 'Vintage News' team, looking spiffing while covering the event

The Dapper-Chaps of The Guvnors Assembly

Setting off, the route for the ride was great, taking in a few more of the tourist attractions of London. Making our way through Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and past Buckingham Palace (where we certainly got a lot of tourist attention!), we arrived for our Tea Stop in Chelsea. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea were the sponsors of the Stop this year - they provided a wonderful spread, including some tasty little Cupcakes, and of course a nice drop of tea in China cups...

It's not Lady V unless she's drinking Tea...

It was also another chance to stop and have a good catch-up with friends on the ride with us too... and get some photos of them looking glamorous...

The Lovely Loughton Brothers John and Jim, who Piped-Up for the day

Kathryn King of BikemindedRBKC, looking like a Matinee Idol! I loved her vintage Fur Stole

With Kathryn, the gorgeous Jemma of "Help! My Chain Came Off" and the Dapper Mark Ames of the "i b i k e l o n d o n" blog

During the Tea Stop, I had the pleasure of meeting Fleur de Guerre, who is absolutely stunning and simply oozes elegance and grace!

Strike a pose ladies...

The kind of accessorising that I love - when your Pashley Matches your Outfit!

Fleur looked beautiful in her Ralph Lauren velvet jacket, H&M Blouse, Tarantula Clothing Capris & those lovely red leather gloves and tights! I must admit to having the nicest Hat-Envy...!

We finished the Tweed Run at the exclusive Caledonian Club in Belgravia. It was the ultimate luxury end to the day - an opulent members-only club, with some very expensive Whisky, Teas and live entertainment which was fantastic!

The shin-dig at the Caledonian also gave me the chance to finally meet one of the founders of the Tweed Run, Ted Young-Ing...

Another spectacular suit from Mr Tweed Run himself

After attending the last ride in April and having a blast, it was fantastic to say hello and have a chat with one of the forces behind such a fabulous event.

You can view more photos from the day on my Flickr Stream - again, a massive thank you to The Boy for being my brilliant Photographer for the day and for my blog!

It was a brilliant day from start to finish, and already I can't wait for the next one in April... is it crazy that I've already started thinking about my outfit for the day?! Pip-Pip!

Coffee | Cycle | Saturday: New Faces & New Places...

I've fallen in love with cycling early on crisp winter mornings... they are the perfect weather setting for the darker months: cool & fresh air in your lungs, bright skies and a sense of peace and quiet all around you. 

You get to take in a bit more of this crazy-busy city when it's quiet - like being able to stop and take shots like this of the ever changing London Skyline & not be disturbed! The slight chill in the air is also a great opportunity to layer-up... and who says you have to wear drab colours in the winter? Me and my chosen Cycle Wardrobe for the day certainly didn't agree with that - inject colours into a cold day!

Headscarf: Tie Rack

Knitted Cardigan: Topshop

V-Neck Jumper: M&S

"LadyVélo" Name Necklace - Tatty Devine

Handbag: Vintage Mulberry

Tweed Shorts: Zara

Tights: John Lewis

Brogues: Topshop

Me and The Boy were greeted with such conditions last weekend, as we headed out for a long overdue CoffeeCycleSaturday. Fellow caffeine fiend & friend Simon cycled in from Surbiton to meet us, and we were joined by a new member of CCS - the lovely Jo Halstead of Vélos and Vagabonds! 

With a new route to explore and a new Coffee and Cake stop to visit, we had a busy day of cycling ahead of us. Before meeting up in Prufrock Coffee, I needed to take an bit of an unusual detour - I had to stop in Soho to pick up a new phone...

After being contacted by Nokia a couple of weeks ago via the blog, I was invited to their London HQ to collect a Lumia 800 to use, review & keep... yes, that's right - VCG is getting a bit more tech-savvy! I ended up being filmed throughout the morning about my experience, so keep an eye out just in case I turn up on the Nokia website! Filming and phone-fun done, we met up with Simon and Jo, fuelled up on Prufrock goodness and then made our way out of the City.

Our new route for this CCC was along Hertford Union Canal - a pleasant stretch of waterway in Tower Hamlets. I put my hand up and admit that I'd never even walked along Union Canal before, so it was interesting to check it out via bike. We were not the only cyclists who had the same idea on a lovely Saturday though...

Fantastic as it was seeing other riders out and about along the stretch, it was also a maneuvering-mash up trying to cycle along it! I wouldn't rule out seeing it by bike again as it's beautiful, but an advance warning to any others reading this thinking about doing it: be prepared for a lot of human and two-wheeled traffic! Coming off the towpath, we arrived at Victoria Park - another place in London that I haven't explored before on the Pashley... and haven't been to since I was a child.

There was certainly plenty of space for us all to cycle together for this part of the day. The Park was beautiful - autumn leaves scattered around, more happy people on bikes & lots of cute dogs to be spotted (Jo is also a lover of Sausage Dogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs like me...) so that brought lots of smiles to our faces!

After a leisurely and enjoyable cycle around the green spaces, we'd built up a suitable thirst and an appetite - perfect timing to ride over to our Coffee & Cake Stop for the afternoon!

A new one for the CCS team and for VCG - allow me to introduce you to Zealand Road Coffee. Located near to Roman Road Market, this is one of the newest Coffee Houses in East London & already has a firm local following...

With a relaxed atmosphere, it's an ideal place for cyclists to stop of and refuel - good coffee, sandwiches and of course damned good cakes are important to me ...

... ZRC certainly gets the Lady Vélo & CoffeeCycleSaturday seal of approval!

It was a wonderful day of Cycling and absolutely delightful to meet Jo. Another CCS is being planned around another part of London. Lets hope the crisp weather remains this way :)