Better, Updated Prints and Colors

Demand for updated looks forces fierce competition amongst girl brands; the Result is Great New looks for Every Woman

I admit that previously I’ve shied away from Terry and Shiela Moon prints, often finding the them one to several seasons out of date, in comparison to regular ready to wear fashion. But in these days of “Style.com on your iphone”, and “Tevo’d Project Runway”, gone is the lag in Style that Main St had with Fashion Ave., NYC; middle America is catching up and and has its own set of fashionistas, and they DO ride bikes. It goes without saying that they have the same style/color demands for their bike fashion as any other girl, “off-bike”. So where do we find good technical clothes, that look and feel so fierce, that you look forward to wearing it as much as your favorite dress? Yet because it is afterall, active wear, this clothing is special, in that it must have wicking capability while not “storing” smell, and the fabric and stitching must be soft next to the skin, even for us girls. In looking at these women built bike clothing companies, I’m just sure these ladies are listening to the masses.

For those who haven’t caught up yet, Blacks, greys, browns and whites, with splashes of bold, vivid Spring colors will be very popular next Spring. It would be very easy to translate this kind of palette into bike clothing, as it’s easy to make it pop, or stand out quickly, without being garish.

Two companies took full advantage of this, and you should know about them. You will not believe that that some of this clothing is bike clothing. I hope you are as delighted by these collections as I.

TERRY

Armed with her favorite Haute Couture prints and colors, forward thinking Olga of Terry Bicycles helped convince her designers to try something bolder, yet more mature; the result is a magnificent collection of prints, rivaled only by Shiela Moon, this year. Terry still has the same pink and vivid pink for their own kit, but they have stopped “mainlining” pink and we are happy to see the recovery process from this years-long addiction. The permanent pink palette has been replaced by by the Spring 2009 RTW palette, including interesting choices in brown and grey.
Favorites are the updated schraeder tank in black/grey, and the “tri like a girl” shimmel in cappuccino brown; both well constructed, sleeveless pieces. The Euro Tank will be available in the new “bike love” print.
Since last year’s tunic was a success, they’ve added in other colors and styles, including the “rotations” (a black with white design), and the “treads” print, pictured here from the Urban Trends Fashion Show. (This picture is used with permission from the blog “The Debut Effect” by Cassondra. Please visit her website for Interbike report).

Terry treads print over Capris

Terry tri shimmel in cappuccino

Eurohalter

SHIELA MOON

It looks like Shiela Moon has pushed Pedal Power into a bright new era, with bright bold new prints that are more risky and fun than EVER, but reminiscent of the POP ART of the 1960’s, with hints of “laugh-in” prints from the groovy stylings of old Peter Max.
Wasting no time with RTW colors, the solids far more on trend from the Haute Couture collections of Spring 2009. Dark brown, black, grey, and (yes the timely) ballet pink are the main staples for colors, with pop colors for accent.

At this time I must rave about her Fall/Spring commuter collection, with enough shorts Jackets, dresses, and Capris to create an entire “Stealth Commuter” wardrobe. That is, once you step off the bike, no one would ever know you took a bike to work. Her Britches are both cute, and very well made and comes in a herringbone wool blend that I just adore,. They are a classic enough style, so they’ll last through the trends of the next few seasons. I’m considering selling my car to try to live a greener life, and this is just the collection to make me feel good about that lifestyle choice. The added “lingerie” liner is a downright brilliant idea (I’ll try to find a pic).

Goldie mesh top with britches shorts

Barb & friend: Barb is wearing the Petticoat dress and jacket