What to wear while riding a bike is the subject of continuing consideration in New York. Students at the Fashion Institute of Technology recently competed to design stylish yet bike-friendly clothes. The results are sleek and functional–you can see sketches in the accompanying audio slide show. One quibble: one of the students says “people don’t think to bike in their regular outfits.” Actually a lot of people do, especially on short commuter hops. I bike in heels all the time; it’s a lot easier than walking in them. I really don’t want to wear clothes that make me feel like an extra from Blade Runner just because I’m on a bike.
Given the push the city is giving on biking in Chicago, this seems like a perfect challenge for local designers. Maybe Chicago Fashion Resource can team up with the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, and it looks like they’re still working on the Web site) or Critical Mass? How about it, Melissa Gamble?