Two things made me finally put these thoughts out in the open: the first one being when I was searching for examples of styling the read flared dress for Ingunn, I went through my folder with all the WIWs from the past. That was some trip down the memory lane! I enjoyed looking through my old style file and loved what I saw... skirts, dresses, heeled shoes, blouses.

Then today, as I was thinking about what to wear for the Fuchsia Friday, I instantly remembered the lovely pencil skirt I bought and enjoyed wearing last winter. True, I'd be warm as it's made of wool, but it would be impractical to wear it because I use the bike as my main form of transport.

A-cycle
Before, I used the car to get out and about. And I worked full time in an office, where my own challenging of the environmental norm didn't go unnoticed. Any type of shoes were an option as long as I could walk in them and I could wear anything I wanted. Work suitable, of course. After discovering YLF, I discovered my style direction / comfort zone / younameit and I had defined to myself what I enjoy about my own and other people's styles.

B-cycle
These days it is a different story. Following our move to a place with completely different life-style and my current status of SAHM+MOTG, I walk a little but mostly cycle everywhere and I love everything about it: the freedom it gives me, everyday exercise, the routes I take I vary as I like, no parking issues, I can stop to admire things and move on - when I want, as long as I want.
Naturally, my wardrobe choices are determined by these changes in the form of transport. For me cycling is all about comfort. Skinnies are perfect (the more stretch the better), tucked in the boots they don't get in the way; bootlegs, on the other hand, flutter like a flag in the wind, so right now mine go almost unworn. But I adore the skinnies, so that's fine. In the summer I could try different tops, but now - in the winter - I wear mostly turtlenecks ; compared to button-downs they are quicker and easier to launder and (not) iron. Not to mention the most important thing of keeping my neck warm.
I wear blazers, but not nearly as much as before - they are not necessarily the first layering option for me.

So, where does it leave me?
The silhouette I wear nowadays is a lot more relaxed, I have fewer dressing formulas than before and I wear only a subset of my wardrobe. I haven't ventured into the bacpacks except for the gym gear and I only use messenger bags - anything else is not practical and is too fussy to handle.

Not a single heeled shoe in sight!
Nor skirt either...

If I notice the signs of getting bored, I swap something - scarf/hat/gloves/bag for some other color/pattern. I have learnt to enjoy in these small changes. I am rediscovering things I've learnt here, as they now mean even more. Personal style is a reflection of a lifestyle and needs to adapt to it, and while I now wear mostly casual clothes I still try and inject some of my personality and preferences in my outfits, no matter how subtle (or invisible to others) those details are. I will never loose my preference for polish and elegance.

I also enjoy other people's outfits even more and the thought that goes behind the outfits I see around me. I love seeing chic ladies on the bikes around me, with carefully chosen scarves and boots, or simply enjoy admiring someone's outfit while I queue at the checkouts.
My sartorial diet is not unbearable because you ladies look fab and provide enough evidence of all sorts of fabness and creativity - living vicariously through you I do get a lot of enjoyment in the combinations that are currently impractical for me.

In a few months time...
There are some big issues that we are currently wrapping up leaving me no time or energy for much else, but I'm getting ready to start applying for jobs. I don't quite know what's out there and how long it will take me to find something, but I do partly want to go back to work so the other part of my wardrobe gets back in rotation. Crazy, no?

Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. Btw, do you pay attention to how much the form of transport determines your outfit choices or even style?

Photo 1: Before a.k.a. A-cycle (driving around in the car)
Photo 1: Now a.k.a. B-cycle (cycling and not wanting a car)