Riding a bike around New York City can be fun, healthy and good for the environment. It's also one of those things, like shopping at the farmer's market or never leaving Brooklyn, that people get all huffy and righteous about to the point where we want to deck them. Well now at least they'll be well dressed! Hudson Urban Bicycles is having a fashion show that revolves around “fashion-forward clothing designed with the bicyclist in mind.” Next Saturday, models will be riding up and down the catwalk, which will probably have a really “clever” bike-lane motif, at HUB starting at 9 and ending at midnight.
This plan is perfect for combining the superficiality of a fashion show with the self-inflating ego boost that some people get from a bike. Shouldn’t there be some kind of moratorium on fashion shows for at least three months after Fashion Week so that New York can recover in peace? The problem isn’t just with the fashion people, I’m also afraid of how cyclists will react. I’m sure the majority people who ride bikes are not pompous jerks, but I’ve heard the phrase “It’s not a mode of transportation, it’s a lifestyle,” enough to worry that giving cyclists their own clothing line is asking for trouble.
Imagine what will happen if bike-style catches on fire. Will it be hip for non-riders to wear the gear if it becomes the next big thing? Could a bike chain become a necessary accessory to sling around your neck as you swipe into the train station? Will the L train be packed with girls who wear, from bottom to top, rain boots, leggings without pants, a large T-shirt, elbow pads, and a helmet?
marlo
