Everyone has their own type of style, whether its wearing large vintage sweaters as dresses or Hawaiian shirts tucked into high waisted jean shorts. Style helps us define ourselves, from rebel to fun-seeker.. In my three photos, plus the extra outtake, I am expressing who I am through my clothes and fashion. I am not just a regular girl in high school, I am me. One of my most important style influences has been my bike and the bike culture I was raised into. Ever since I can remember, my family has been on bikes or toted by bikes. In my younger years , my brother and I would ride in the Burley or the baby seat on the back of the bike; later we progressed to a trailer bike with the neon orange flag sticking out of the back. My neighbors, who were my same age, always invited me to go biking with them starting from the age of 5 and I sadly did not know how to ride a bike then. At age 8, my dad taught me, a favour I can never repay him enough for, and now I am very capable of riding around my city. Now I ride my moms’ hand me down Centurion, from 1983 – older than me by more than 10 years, which allows me to take myself where I want to go. I ride to friends’ houses, the animal shelter for volunteering, the grocery school, the library and just for fun.

It is important for me to look stylish when biking, as at any given time, and I am glad that I am fully able to. As seen in all of the pictures, I can wear dresses and even heels on a bike. The stockings do not get caught in my chains and my toe clips provide extra balance if I am wearing more difficult-to-bike-in shoes.

Here are my photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/69480942@N05/

In outfit one, I have a red cross body purse, which keeps my hands free, and allows me to bring all of my personal items if I do not want to bring a pannier. I am also wearing some cowboy boots (,I am in Texas after all), and a matching high waisted belt. You can also see me carrying one of my chickens as an accessory (which is shown escaping in the outtake). There is nothing you can’t do on a bike. I am able to go to the feed store and carry home 50lb bags of food just for my babies strapped to my rack. This outfit is one that I would also wear when going out with my friends during the day or maybe to one of the local coffee shops.

In outfit two, I am wearing an Indian top that can either be worn as a dress or as a shirt with long pants. I am also wearing heels that I am fully capable of riding a bike with, and my tights which I simply adore. This is the type of outfit I would wear anywhere, I am fully functional of riding in a dress, although the lower middle bar of the PUBLIC bike would be much more convenient when wearing dresses and skirts.

In this last outfit, I am wearing my regular going out or just dressing up outfit. I have on my Doc Martens which make me feel like a bad A, and tights. This outfit is made fully practical for biking with the addition of shorts underneath the dress-shirt. Like the other outfits, these clothes, besides the shoes, were bought at thrift stores or given as hand-me-downs. I like being an individual so I try and support local places, like Savers and Goodwill, instead of malls (and it’s not like they have bike racks at the mall anyways).

I would greatly enjoy owning a PUBLIC bike because it would make me feel even more fab biking around town. This bike would also make it a lot easier for me to go out in long skirts and dresses because of the lower bar, and the fender. I love my old bike, but the colours of the PUBLIC bikes are much cuter. I would love to say “Hey, see that gorgeous orange bike, it’s mine.”