Tweedride outfit inspiration

 

 

This Sunday I will partake in the Tweedride in Urtecht. Next to the bikes the dresscode is an important part of the event. So in this post some outfit inspiration.

I love this picture of a woman in a very stylish cycling outfit. It was taken in 1938 by one of the Séeberger brothers who made 'steetstyle' photo's  in France in the first half of the 20th century. Maybe this photograph was taken at the 'Journée Mondaine de la Bicyclette' a fashionable event that was organised in Paris in the late 30's. I don't know a lot about it but I could immagine it to be a kind of precedent of the Tweedrides of today.  I found some more photo's of it (also by the Séeberger brothers) in the French fashion magazine L'Officiel. Their archive is accessible online but unfortunately the pictures cannot be copied. Do have a look, amazing source:

http://patrimoine.editionsjalou.com/lofficiel-de-la-mode-sommairepatrimoine-13.html

 

The couture cycling gear in the Séeberger pictures is a for cry from what an average person would have worn cycling.

 

 

The Dutch notoriously do everything by bike. So what to what were upper-middle class Dutch women advised to wear when riding a bike? This article from a Dutch fashion magazine from 1937 decribes it as following:

'Riding bikes is our national sport. What does the Dutchwoman do when the first spring winds blow? She will go for a a short bikeride. And when she is very sporty she will make it quite a long ride!
For a birkeride like that she will need a practical comfortable little suit. It is true we don't need an entire biking outfit when we go to work, bring our children to school, or do some shopping by bike in the city. But when we are making a truly long bikeride and want to enjoy it as much as possible then a simple blouse and pantskirt in which we can move freely is the thing to wear.'

The picture next to the article shows some examples:

 

 

Another article also gives advice about clothes when going to the countryside to cycle, walk or camp.

 

'Your traveling outfit should be practical and simple. No white collars and cuffs, no bows or other dainty decorations, but clothes that are meant to last'.

 

The woman in the picture is wearing practical culottes but also a dainty hat! Now that IS inspiring to me :)  The text underneath the header glorifies the bike, how fitting for a Tweedride!

 

I love all of these outfits!

 

 

 

The pictures of tweed jackets with plain skirts are the inspiration for my actual outfit. This will be my first Tweedride in tweed (I just did not have anything in tweed to wear before exept a very warm coat). Below a little preview of what my outfit is going to look like on Sunday:

 

 

 

Just to get an idea: here are a few pictures of what I wore on the last two Dutch Tweedrides in The Hague and Rotterdam.

 

 

 

I am looking forward to the ride on Sunday! The weather is supposed to be quite good and not too warm (which is a good thing when wearing tweed).

More on my entire oufit and the event in a next post!