Wearing: Shanghai Springtime Cycling Chic

Back, in April, I joined Jorth's #30DaysofCycleChic for the days I rode my bike through Shanghai, our new home! Initially I wanted to document a little moment of my life on the streets (as I love the streetscapes and all the places we end up) but also show that bike riding isn't just about lycra... and as I went along, I of course realised that everyone in Shanghai rides bikes and scooters and no one wears lycra! So my intentions were then to see what I was wearing through springtime in Shanghai and then my parents came and then it was MMM and taking photos all the time of your outfit can get tiring. I don't know how those Outfit Of The Day people/fashion queens do it.

However, here is my life in the Shanghai springtime, lots of photos, and lots of handmade starting to creep in... so I'm happy. 

So there were 30 days of cycle chic, but not 30 photographs... Husbie took a few of these, mostly the ones I'm cracking up because he's a tease.. And you can see the variety of the weather!!!

We don't have a car, or driver (!) or scooter here in Shanghai, so we ride most days. We can take Uber (I've just figured that one out in the last month) or taxi's if the weather is bad, and also there are a few subway stations, but they're not super close to us. They are cheap though... usually 3-4 kuai to ride, so less than 50 cents a trip. But pedal power is always free!

Now I've got these photos of myself, my next goal is to collect up the best styles to ride in... that's why I've been sewing thicker hems on some dresses and skirts to see what is nice. It's NOT nice to have a light skirt fly up in your face when you're pedalling around town!

Do you ride? What's your best normal everyday outfit for riding? 

Sew Weekly: Neon Bike Dress

Happy Christmas Eve AND/OR Saturday to you! Just got back to Gippsland for a small family gathering, and wanted to step in real quick to the interwebz to say HI! xoxo

The penultimate Sew Weekly theme for 2011 was simply: Do Whatever. Anything Goes! I was pretty happy with this theme, because I've been curious about making some cycling gear that reflects my casual modern/vintage flair & the usual attire is pretty body hugging and probably very practical, but not for me.

(Would you describe my style as casual modern/vintage flair? I have no idea, just made that one up!)

So hence the Bike Apron! I used a vintage Butterick pattern, and made it from Spotlight's fluro nylon fabric (I found it up the back of the Braybrook/Maidstone store, and how would you spell fluro incidentally? Flouro? Fluoro? Oh boy.) and it was a breeze to work with. I added faux glass buttons to get a more 'reflective' look and attached a small loop on the right shoulder, so I can add a little itty bitty light for when I ride at nighttime.

Do you like it?

It's the BEST! (And totally serves it's purpose of standing out and looking bright on the roads.) AND, I've been overwhelmed by the attention it's received at Sew Weekly! My full post explains a bit more about making it, but was Facebooked and Tweeted by Frankie Magazine! Over-bloody-whelming. How sweet of them! If you're wondering Mena why you had so many Australian clicks on my post, it's because Frankie has over 125,000 Facebook friends! YIKES.

As mentioned, I'm STOKED with the dress, but I'm overwhelmed by your positive feedback. YAY! I love that vintage style and cycling can go together, and something this bright can be considered cool!

You could call it a Bike Pinnie, a Bike Apron or BAPRON, a Cycling Suit ... I'm going with Bike Apron for now! And, I have a feeling they'll be one of the first things I'll make up in 2012 for my etsy store (that has been sad and bare)! I have a few ideas about making it a bit better, and now that I'm a total designer (LOLZ, I've made one patternless dress, and now I'm a designer) I can totes make my own pattern!

Wishing you a darling holiday season, with safe travels and darling hugs with loved ones. If I don't check in tomorrow, I'll see you through the week, as I'm planning on showing you my Cambodian photos! Watch out! It's slideshow night from my holidays!

xoxo to you

(and thanks for being such a dream to virtually hang out with!)