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What to Wear to D.C.’s First Tweed Ride! Words of Advice From Sir. E. Channing

November 12, 2009 by Svetlana

To properly prep for DC’s first Tweed ride we asked Eric Brewer, the singularly sharp dressed “Dissident Display” man, and organizer/ring leader of it all to share some words (and photos from the London rides) of sartorial advice with you, fair readers. Enjoy-ed.

Sensibility, originality and elegance should be the prevailing thoughts when one is searching for suitable attire for DC’s first Tweed Ride. The sudden announcement of a tweed ride has left many folk ill-prepared yet hopeful. Unlike our counterparts in London, there is not a surplus of quality tweed or stockpiles of knickers in the District.
Don’t panic, fellow wheelmen and wheelwomen!
Sorting out proper gear could be easier than you think…

Dandies:

If you find yourself in a thrift store staring at half a dozen tweed blazers priced for the economically under-privilaged, be careful. If you are thinking to yourself, “It’s tweed. It’s cheap. If I find one that fit’s me, I’m set!” Not so fast. The jacket you think fits you probably doesn’t. If it hangs off your shoulders leave it for somebody bigger than you. This occasion calls for fit, above all else. Showing up looking like a hobo in tweed that is too big and smells musty is not going to help you win the heart of any discerning quaintrelle!

If you are having difficulty fashioning yourself a dandy, I would recommend a basic button-up shirt, bow-tie, knit cotton or wool tie, a thin v-neck argyle sweater or simple cardigan and some nice fall season slacks as staples. Add a tweed derby or stingy brimmed hat and you’ve got a look. If you are lucky or resourceful, you might wardrobe yourself in tweed vests and knickers with over the knee knicker or argyle socks. If you are worried about ruining your slacks in your bicycle’s drive train, considering folding the right pant leg of your slacks over and securing them with a leather strap. Simple cuffs could come lose, get caught in your bike chain or even worse, look very unsightly.

Quaintrelles:

You are probably more likely than men to have a pair of knickers at your fingertips and if you wear a dress while riding a step-through bicycle you will probably get an approving nod from the gents. BUT a few of us year-round dandies will not be so easily impressed. A tight fitting contemporary styled skirt won’t flatter your figure while peddling a bike and, more importantly, won’t be fuctional or fun. I imagine the ladies woudl look quite smart in knickers or pleated wool skirts. Embrace the vintage feminine aesthetic with frilly or puffy shouldered tops or form flattering sport coats.

This ride is retro-themed and not for the retrogressive. I’m not inclined to discourage ladies who lean towards a modern look. As long as you understand that modern does not have to be boring or drab, you’ll end up in the right direction. Consider donning the kind of accessories you might normally avoid in a city of worker drones programmed to avoid personal adornment. Flaunt vintage or vintage-inspired hats, feathers, gloves, broaches and bags. Modern and pre-modern fashions offer a wealth of timeless style. If it’s post-modern, it should reference the past in all the right ways!

While turn of the century photographs may have been printed in black and white or sepia tones, the dandies and quaintrelles didn’t avoid color (especially when dye came to the forefront in the late-19th century). The Tweed Ride doesn’t necessarily mean neutrals — the tweed ride doesn’t call for brown, black or gray exclusively — focus on the fit and style as wheelwomen!

In conclusion…

For inspiration prior to the Tweed Ride, consider the pre-auto American era when people viewed bicycles as a dignified mode of transportation or the European perspective of the bicycle as a tool worthy of more than sport and play. Now take that perspective and combine it with the sense of pride people took in appearing elegant during leisure activities. It’s okay to appear as if you put extra effort into combining just the right elements for your look and your intent is to impress. That’s precisely the point. Contemporary urban sartorial nonchalance has no place here. We mean to promote a stylistic sensibility and dignity that predates the notion of status through overt commercial branding. A tweed ride is perfect in that it references a point in time where even in leisurely pursuits people placed an emphasis on looking their best and took pride in the effort of well chosen personal details of their attire.

DETAILS:

Tweed ride happens this Sunday at 11am with a bike ride and ends with a social at MARVIN that afternoon. The reason is pleasure and style. The cause is Arts for the Aging, a terrific local non-profit organization. Follow this link to get to the flyer and all the pertinent details.

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