Pacific NWers: black tights and brown shoes - photo proof!

ironkurtin

I'm looking at fashion blogs for San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle... and everyone has black tights with beat-up brown shoes. Someone defend this to me. I don't get it AT ALL.

Scroll down to bottom to skip bike convo.

12 years ago

Dressing

27 replies

Latest reply was from Thistle

Isis

Veteran

Dunno. But did I pass you biking on the Great Northern bike path this morning? Saw someone who looked like you but it took me a couple blocks to place the familiar face!

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I was going up and down past Mopac... you didn't scream WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD at me, did you? Man, Austin has some bike bullies!

12 years ago

Isis

Veteran

Yeah, so it was you!

I would never scream WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD at you. ATX does have some bullies.....

But the part I saw you on actually has a path paralleling Mopac, and you were on the correct part of the path, going North (really trucking, I'd say). I was heading south. It makes me nervous to go north there, even though there is a bike path....is that where someone yelled at you?

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Yeah, two sporty dudes in tight spandex. One yelled WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD! And the other shouted WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?! I was always told to face oncoming traffic.

I pretended not to hear them.

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

*chuckle* @ bike traffic.

A sweeping generalization! I live in Seattle and have not noticed anyone wearing "black tights with beaten up brown shoes". I'm downtown almost every day and hit Madrona - where I live - and Capitol Hill along the way. You can't trust what you see on fashion blogs

12 years ago

Sheila

Veteran

Angie you are so funny but I agree..I do not see this look any where in Seattle...especially West Seattle!

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Thank goodness... it just looks dreadful to me!

12 years ago

Isis

Veteran

IK--the spandex dudes were rude, but bicyclists are supposed to ride in the same direction as traffic:

"A person operating a bicycle, if moving slower than traffic, shall ride
as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.103. By definition, roadway does not include the shoulder of the roadway. Tex. Transp. Code § 541.302."

I think pedestrians face traffic?? Not sure.

No excuse for yelling. Spandex makes some people wierd.

Apologies for derailing on to black tights and brown shoes!

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Isis, that must be different from California. Good to know.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Here's proof, guys - shots of PNW style. Note all the black with the brown shoes!

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12 years ago

cinnamon fern

Veteran

Most of these women are going for cute and quirky, right? I think black tights and brown shoes works for that.

12 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I don't see that much either. But honestly Seattlites aren't dressy, and this is dressy for Seattle.

12 years ago

Liz A.

Veteran

I think it looks ok when there is both black and brown in the outfit itself, but otherwise it looks totally weird! Especially all the open toed looks.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

AG, these looks are dressy...? They seem very casual to me.

12 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

We're the home of REI and Eddie Bauer. They are casual but dressier than what I see on a day to day basis.

12 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

I like black with brown shoes a lot. I think it makes the black look more earthy and less urban. Which would make sense for the area.

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

I actually think these are kind of cute, and I agree with Anna that they look dressier than many looks I see here (because of either the skirts or the cutie shoes).

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh! Minus the high heels, I see outfits like that daily in my neck of the woods (Madrona, Capitol Hill, Madison, Downtown), along with LOTS of straight cropped pants that are rolled at the hem, multi coloured hair, tattoos, flip flops, shorts, t-shirts and polar fleece.

12 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well you do offer a lot of proof with those photos. I think some of these do look cute but it does not seem like a all day/every day kind of look. You will have to break the mold.

12 years ago

rosee

Veteran

I would do charcoal tights with dark brown boots or shoes. The tights can't be too dark and the shoes can't be too light.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Most of these women look quite young to me -- twenty-ish. Not sure it's a definitive sample.

12 years ago

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Gosh, I think most of these are adorable, with 2, 7 and 11 coming in last. I really dig 10. As Rae said, I think it gives a more rugged, earthy edge to otherwise somewhat urban looks. I'm for it.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I'm going to stick with urban and edgy then... I don't do black tights with brown shoes. Bring the black!

12 years ago

Echo

Veteran

IMO, when the brown is not a chocolate that could be mixed up with black (or look like a person got dressed in the dark), it is intentional enough to work. Cognac or whiskey colour work particularly well with black tights, IMO, especially if there is something in a warmer tone on top (either another brown or orange or a neutral). I do not, however, like the look of off-white shoes with black; it is too harsh.

FWIW, I was always taught that one bikes with traffic and walks against it. This is because one can be going at a pretty good clip on a bicycle, and if someone were to hit you, the actual force of impact would be the driver's speed minus the bike's speed, so the force would be lessened. If one were biking toward traffic, one would add the speed of the bike to the speed of the car for force of impact, making the collision far more dangerous.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Biking with traffic and walking/running against it is standard, as far as I know, even in California.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/bro.....ffdl37.htm

I've been really impressed with how courteous people in California are to pedestrians. We were in Santa Rosa last spring and I was blown away by how well I was treated while walking. Thanks, Californians!

12 years ago

Vix

Veteran

IK, better start steeling yourself now for the masses' warm weather variation: buttock-skimming hemlines + knee- or thigh-high socks/tights + back-of-leg tattoos. This here ain't nothing.

12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Super dressy for my neck of the woods. But then Milwaukee isn't exactly known for its fashion.

12 years ago

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