OK my fashion friends, I turn to you to share my excitement for my new boots. Hurray new boots!
I've wanted boots for years now, and finally found a pair that meet all my exceedingly strict requirements. They're Balenciaga(!), and the leather used is just incredible. These cows must be another breed from the ones I normally encounter. I didn't want a boot with an elastic gusset - these boots fit perfectly from the foot (Euro 39.5 for this tallish girl, no larger, no smaller) to my sporty calf. I couldn't get a better fit bespoke. I also got them in a complicated second-hand arrangement, I would feel guilty buying boots this nice brand-new but these are guilt-free and it makes the perfect fit a miracle. I like to think that Nicolas Ghesquière would be happy to see them on a bike.
Those of you more into the bicycle accessories will notice that I have a new front rack. I'm very excited about this as now I can carry my famous French chocolate cake on my bike when you ask me over for dinner. The rack is made in the USA by Blackburn. I'm now looking for a silver rear rack to replace the black one. Not an urgent search, it's a fashion whim only, and I waited years to get the boots...
28 comments:
nice look!
two things:
I searched all over for a silver rack, and i think it'll probably come down to Nitto or Surly for you. I ended up with this cheap option, (picture links broken!) which looks pretty good, but I'm not sure how happy I am with it yet. There's also racklady's handmade ones.
as for the boots, is it actually comfortable riding with a heel that high? Not being a high-heel wearing man, i don't know, but it seems the angle would start hurting the feet after a few miles.
the last link was broken, so here's what i meant to send:
Yay boots! Those are fantastic :) I've been looking for a pair of ankle boots (beatle boots) for a long time too, but can never find any that fit me - I guess guys in the 1960's all had tiny feet.
Enjoy the boots, they look great!
Gorgeous! I'd be tempted to wear them every day. Love the coat, too.
JPTwins, it is actually easier to ride in a heel this high than to walk - I didn't have boots like this for a while because I was walking the 3.5 miles to work and it just wasn't an option. Now with the bike high heels are open to me again.
There are three silver rear racks at a bike shop which shall remain nameless until I get out there and get mine. :)
Lynn - thanks! It's from the Gap, a Christmas present from my mom, and I changed the buttons for elkhorn ones from my husband's old coat.
The great thing about the Gap coats is that they come in 'extra-long' so the sleeves are long enough even when stretched to the handlebars.
Portlandize,
There's something about the hunt though, isn't there? Then when you bag your prey there's such euphoria.
I've been reading your blog for some time now and really enjoy the articles.
I have to say- wow, those are some really beautiful boots! Are the soles non-skid? Not one to bike in heels myself (as I'm male), I've wondered if your feet would slip off the pedals. I've read a some articles on how easy it is to cycle in heels.
Be safe in those nice boots!
yeah, the hunt is fun :) and in the meantime, I do have some great wingtips and patent leather shoes that do quite well on a bike :)
cheers!
Anonymous, the soles are leather, and they do slip a bit. My mother would call that the price of being pretty - and in the grand scheme of things they don't slip that much. I can still pedal as fast as the guy in the fluorescent jacket who took me for a slow poke this morning and passed me at the stoplight. We started again and he kept looking over his shoulder in dismay, I was right behind him.
:)
The boots are nice, but the bike rocks!
Charlotte,
I've worn slippery soled shoes, and my feet have gone flying off the pedals in the past. You're probably much more graceful than I am while pedaling. I, for one, wouldn't have judged you to be too slow - boots or no boots. :>
Passing someone too quickly only to find they're not as slow as you might think ... I try to be careful w/that. I commute on the bike paths in DC. I found myself passing and being passed by a woman who must have though we were on the Tour de France. This went on for 10 minutes before our paths went different ways and she shouted something rude. Wasn't a good way to start the day - but it beats driving, though.
The bike and the boots rock!
Hey Brian,
Thanks for stopping by. I should qualify that I have no problem with people who pass me while traveling. I'll move over to make it easier. I'm not a fan of the pass-at-a-red though. This morning I just hugged his wheel until it was time for me to turn. I didn't pass him back (though I could have).
As for the lady on your commute, can you imagine if she were in a car? A very scary thought!
Love the outfit -- on you and the bike. Nothing like finding that perfect pair of black boots.
ride on hottie! ride on ;)
Woah, nice boots! And Balenciaga!! Great find. My boots slip, too. A tip for slippery soles (which you may have heard before) is to wrap a thick rubber band around your pedal. Viola, wear whatever shoes you want. Unrelated question: are those Hojo fenders? Hard to see. If so, what do you think of 'em?
You all are so nice!
Dottie, they are Honjo fenders and if you ignore the fender line on the rear fender they're great. That one will be fixed when I get my new rear rack, I'm too lazy to do it 'till then. My husband was influenced by his French bike while installing my fenders...
Anyway, I really like them. They've gotten dull with age, so I'm glad I got the hammered ones which are still good-looking when beat up. I got the leather washers from Vélo Orange and my fenders do not rattle too much. When first installed they were only perceptible on cobblestones. Now the rear fender rattles but I hope to fix that with my plan, which is to install it the way the instructions dictate, rather than the way the French mechanic patched together my husband's French bike from the 50s. I will say that the entire time we lived in France we were happily impressed with the resourcefulness of mechanics. They will not tell you that this does not work with that. They will find a way to make it work well enough, one way or another... In this case, a rattling way.
Few comments if I might:
Boots: Those _are_ nice, classy and elegant, a perfectly fashionable coupling of the lady to the machine.
Bike overall: You've assembled a quite handsome bicycle there. Last fall I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the handlebars, but now that I see what type brake levers you chose I think the combination is pretty neat. Looks snazzy. Still tho, bends you down lower than I'd've set up for a city bike. Good choice of pedals for a city bike, same ones I put on my daughter's blue Raleigh daily commuter when she found that the rubber block style were too slippery on wet days.
Front rack: Looks good and I especially like the way it attaches around the fork crown with the brake bolt. The older style that attaches the rear with a yoke to the top of the steering tube gets in the way if you want to use a center-pull front brake.
A silver rear rack: Yes, black is fine for the mountain bike set, but silver on a gorgeous Dawes is the way it ought be done. Kinda akin to serving tea in china rather than plastic.
Elegant transportation there girl, classy.
alf
"complicated second-hand arrangement" you say.. I'd expect nothing less from you :D
copenhagencyclechic would no doubt approve of your boots and heels.
Cold snap here in Montréal but going up to 9c in a couple of days, and Raleigh Sprite is coming home from the bike doc's with a new freewheel and chain, and an early-spring tuneup.
Too fabulous! Congrats on the recent acquisition. Balenciaga is to die for:)
I'd definitely turn around and check you out! Yow!
Hey-
What kind of bars and levers do you have? They look great...as do the boots.
Hey Sam,
Here's a link to the bars, I also got the Soma levers at Velo Orange.
Send photos if you install them! We'd love to see your ride.
Charlotte, What is that pannier on your bike? The leather details look Carradice-like, but as far as I know Carradice does not make laptop panniers.
Oh, and please share how you mount and dismount a diamond frame wearing a jean pencil skirt!
Filigree, that is my Carradice Bike Bureau.
As for the jean skirt, it's A-line and I lean the bike over. No problem!
Oh, I see - you have the older style Bike Bureau. I like yours very much, but not the newer style. Too bad.
Now that's what i call a perfect combination..I love to wear them too.
Post a Comment