I don't tend to go on about bikes so much on the blog, but I actually love bikes. I think cycling is, depending on the city, the best way of getting around. In Barcelona it's perfect; allowing you to skip out on the hot and crowded metro and whizz down the cycle lanes with the wind in your hair. In fact, my reason for being in Barcelona the last couple of months is to study their four year old bike-share program, Bicing. Accordingly, I've been riding the public bicycles for several weeks, but finally drew a line under my research and got back to my old love... this little mountain bike on the craptacular side of vintage that I bought second hand in 2007. It just keeps going, and nobody tries to steal it.
These are my third pair of very Catalan shoes. Known as "espardenyes catalanes," they are worn by dancers of the traditional Sardana (most boring dance on the planet) and were also made famous by Dalí, who wore them all around.
And behind me is Barcelona's Arc de Triomf, made of brick and built for the Expo in 1888. I definitely prefer it to its more famous Parisian cousin, but then I'm biased. ; )
Photos by Albert
Topshop breton top, Billabong shorts (gift), Catalan Espardenyes, Sunglasses from Sanborns, Mexico
P.S. While this was an outfit I wore for a bike ride, I should say that I cycle in basically all my outfits. Since my main form of transportation is by bicycle, all my dresses and the majority of my shoes get ridden in. Another reason for a chic yet sensible wardrobe!
P.P.S. Just for fun, a few other bicycle posts:
Last Day in Guadalajara
Old Faithful
I'm Walking on Sunshine
Bicycles and Picnics and Beer, oh my!
45 comments:
I do like your top! And the shoes have a lot of character.... Must research pictures of Dali in them now ;)
As for bikes- I always envy people who have guts to ride them! I am too scared of cars...
your bike is pretty awesome, makes you seem so sportsy :-D your outfit is love! the shoooooes so amazing!
BTW I have done pics on location before, don't mock me :( :D
I really need to start bike riding again...but its too far for me to ride it to work and I'm too lazy to just go out for bike rides, haha
http://www.closet-fashionista.com/
Summer bike rides are the best! Loved to see Sanborns Mexico ha ha such a coincidence I'm here having coffee and getting my post for tomorrow ready :P
Cess O. <3 The Outfit Diaries
Those shoes are awesome. We have a tandem bike that hubby is in the process of redoing (it was his grandparents), so it's currently hanging in our basement. However, they are working on a biking trail to connect our little town to the bigger town down the road (using old the old RR line), and we're hoping to put the bike to good use on that. :-)
Looks like fun!! Love your striped top.
I love the backdrop, as it's perfect for your casual day ensemble. I love the top and shoes. Thanks for providing info on your surroundings as well. Great post!
Sarah Jane R.
www.sarahjanerstyle.com
stripes are awesome
visit me if you have a mo :)
www.fantailflo.com
super cute! i love this! STRIPES ARE SO AMAZING! :)
xx
natalieoffduty.blogspot.com
I LOVE the brick Arc. It's awesome.
I am convinced that you wore that shirt for me, because I love stripes, and I love purple!!!
i'd love to live in a town that i could use a bike as main transportation. :) love your striped top!
x
Oh my bike is just like that! A handed down hand-me-down. Sometimes I don't even bother locking it up - amazing. Although it is not really the greatest thing for hilly Sydney!
I love these shoes - and really enjoyed your last post. I would love to be one of those girls who gets around on sky high platforms, but honestly, I have no idea how they do it? Maybe their feet are built differently, because I would need a personal driver if I had to wear them for more than 10 meters. I love a good pair of sturdy shoes - particularly when they have some special significance. I say lets bring them back!
Bicycles are great. They are motorcycles without a motor. What I love about both are the wind in your face and the delicate act of balancing yourself, especially in turns. Your outfit is cute, but you must get tired of hearing that. :)
aww, lovely photos and I SO miss having a bike, although it's on my gotta get it list ...it seems like a perfectly idyllic way to get around. And your cycling outfit is just lovely, those shoes are fantastic. xx veronika
Oo I love how you're framed by the arc in that first photo. You look so perfectly European! I love your simple but classic outfit & those amazing shoes! Yet another post that makes me long to visit Barcelona..
It seems like Barcelona is the place for footwear. Touching on your last post, I very much like how all three pairs you have exemplify Catalan culture and appear unassuming and practical.
Emily you have so many pairs of these lovely espardenyes...I quite love them. Yes, cycling beats the crowded train for sure! Great cycling outfit! Oh and we have a little Arc de triomf in Brooklyn too :) Lovely photos
What a gorgeous outfit, I definitely have to get myself a pair of those shoes.
cool shoes--I'm always curious about your research. Most American cities do not have bicycle lanes...
Cool biking look! I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't ridden a bike since I flew over the handlebars of my banana-seater at age seven and split my lip open, requiring stitches. However, if I lived in a bike-friendly city and not the L.A. area, I would make myself start riding again.
My friend Natasha just got back from a trip to Barcelona, and I told her about your blog. She asked me if you wrote anything about Barcelona style, so I told her about your last post and the espardenyes, and she started laughing and said, "Oh, yeah, EVERYONE wears those shoes!"
Those shoes....are....so amazing. Must go to Barcelona now.
Just kidding, I wouldn't visit such an amazing place just for the shoes but seriously, those are adorable<3
Oh espardenyes <3
to dance Sardana or Rock and Roll!!!!
Such a wonderful, simple, summery outfit. I love the striped top and those cool shoes. Great scenery too!
@Closet Fashionista: I hear you; I was way too lazy (and frankly scared) to bike to school in London.
@Carrie: biking by the old railway sounds lovely; it's nice if you don't have to be in traffic!
@Cess: that is a coincidence! Hehe, Sanborns..
@Rebeccak: I think a lot of the girls in heels do drive everywhere. It is 100% not possible with my lifestyle to wear heels, although I suppose I could actually cycle in them...
@Shybiker: I've actually never been on a motorcycle, except the back of someone's Vespa once, but that was awesome!
@ Monique: I did go a bit overboard on the espardenyes, yes. I'm now paying for it trying to keep my suitcase within the weight limit...
@Terri: Hmm, I think a lot more will be getting cycle lanes. There is definitely a bit of a cycling revolution happening, and while in some ways it's a bit of a yuppy, gentrified revolution, I still think it's a good thing.
@Heather: that's awesome! I've thought about writing about Barcelona style before, but always felt I should take pictures to go along with it. I'd say it breaks down into some categories: boring (jeans tucked into boots stuff), European arty chic (a lot of my middle aged students had impeccably cut jackets and lovely artistic statement necklaces), eco-hippie (mullets with dreads and harem pants), the Latin American immigrants (tight jeans and tops) and the expat Europeans (simple dresses). Oh, and Barcelona housewife, of course, as in my previous post! ; D
Glad to hear Barcelona is a great city for cycling - that is one of my foremost concerns about a city...when I visited Dubrovnik this summer, I didn't love it as much as I would had it been cycling friendly! I love the unusual colours of your breton shirt, and the shoes...was very interested with your previous post about typical Spanish shoes and wanting to fit in sometimes. I think I will find the same in Germany.
Love the simple outfit, those espardenyes are pretty awesome! I love bike riding but wouldn't dare do so in London, it's practically suicide! I loved biking around Seville, they have a similar bike thing called Sevici. :) xx
Ha ha, "the craptacular side of vintage"! I wish I had a bike in Bath sometimes, but it's pretty hilly, cobbled in most places, there are far too many one-way streets, and I live in the middle of town, so I tend to walk everywhere! But on a sunny Saturday I definitely get the urge...
aaw don't say that, saradana isn't boring! I actually had sardanes two hours a week, mandatory, at school. We went to contests with our espardenyes indeed :)
Love your outfit too, nice combo.
Oh biking is so much fun to it, but I have not been biking since they attempted to steal my bike and instead they did break it. Sigh, sometimes things like that can be so annoying.
I really like that arch also in the background, got to say that the colour seems more charming then the one in Paris.
I would love to bike anywhere I like, but my stupid city doesn't really find bike lanes to be necessary. That's America for you. I remember a classmate from Holland asking why we didn't have bike lanes in the US and I looked at her like she was crazy! Never heard of such a thing. Then she said, "and you wonder why Americans are so overweight compared to the rest of the world". Ouch. But she was kinda right. hehe..
Wow...stylish ! the prefect recipe !
great snaps, i would love to cycle to and from work, but I'm just too scared.
http://blogoftheprettythings.blogspot.com/
xxx
I've never done a cycling post even though I cycle more or less everday. My bike is just not very nice...need a new one!
Your shoes are lovely! Much prettier than the normal esprandillos (I don't think this is how you spell it ;)).
what a great reason to be in spain! barcelona is one of my most favorite cities in the world. i don't think i rode a bike any of the times i was there.
Ay quiero una bicicleta :( de verdad muy a menudo siento unos deseos enormes de tener una, pero vivo extremadamente lejos de donde estudio y trabajo, asi que seria imposible, nada me queda cerca :(
Te ves linda, me gustan las rayas, me enloquecen ;)
QUe estés bien.
Nos vemos!
adorable!
biking is the number one way to get around boston, for sure. i've been biking around all summer and it's definitely quite the work out!
barcelona looks so lovely. as do you!!
i miss being able to bike to work and whatnot! living in the countryside has its perks, but i'm not like my crazy boss who rides 20miles to work! back in the day i definitely rode around in high heels, although yours look much more practical ;) (and awesome!)
also, i think i might agree--that Arc is so lovely!
Goodness, I wish I could bike around, by New York City drivers are not very bike friendly, and I'm too much of a wimp to test them. Maybe I'll try to bike a bit during my vacation? Hmm.
Anyway, this is a wonderful look! I love the "Catalan shoes" and your cute striped top.
I love biking! I was hopping to do a lot more of it this summer, but I don't live in a great area for biking. :(
Your outfit is adorable! So casual and chic - perfect for a bike ride! <3
Those shoes!! So so cute. And I pretty much adore any thing Dali ever wore. He's one of my favorite iconic characters and artist for sure.
My city is built on a hill so it's a challenge for cyclist but great for your butt!
Virginie ♥
@Virginie: I hear you... Vancouver is pretty disastrous for cycling, especially my parents' mountain suburb. You need to be an athlete to get to my house...
I was instantly drawn to your shoes and the how the striped shirt really compliments them. I kind of wish now that I did ride my bike more often, it's been neglected in the last few years.
I adore this look. Preptastic.
You look absolutely adorable! I love those shoes and the little fun fact about Dali! :) Barcelona looks beautiful, I'm super jealous!
Firstly, you look hot in those shorts! Secondly, those dances wear really cute shoes!
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