On The Street.....Vintage Biker
I was a little surprised by how many of the survey responders mentioned that they shop a lot on Ebay.
For a guy like this, Ebay has been a dream - he told me that the original '20's golf pants with original paper tags still attached were from Ebay. Tall socks (hard to find?, apparently) are also a treasured find on Ebay. I knew this guy was really living the dream when, as we spoke, he took out paper and rolled his own cigarette (cigarette?, yeah , pretty sure).
New York magazine is doing a piece on people who are really into vintage and this gentleman is in it - I can't wait to read it. The only thing that is unsettling about the "vintage lovers" is that they are so often overboard - The music, the furniture, the clothes. For me, what would have made this outfit better, would be if he was listening to Kayne West on his tweed covered iPod.
Comments on "On The Street.....Vintage Biker"
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The Kitten said ... (10:37 PM) :
post a commentI agree that the hardcore vintage fans are on the one hand very interesting, but on the other a bit dodgy because they tend to go overboard with it. At thefedoralounge.net you can find many guys like this fellow.
This guy's outfit is really costumey, but if he wanted to go full vintage, why not a more vintage bike? Many modern kids in Europe (especially northern Continent) ride bikes everyday that are more vintage than this. I agree it would be great if he listened to an Ipod while riding, but would prefer punk rock for him.
You are right: that man is really INTO vintage. I can imagine his home is in, too.
I love vintage clothes (especially because it's easier to find clothes cut the way I'm built- small waist, large chest), but I work hard to not look costumey. I think it's much more interesting, for me, at least, to work vintage pieces into a wardrobe that's also modern and fresh.
But this guy looks really cute.
This outfit seems to be something of purely constructed - and therefore absolutely boring. Vintage is great, but not at this level. It is more a costume than a style of daily fashion.
I like it because it IS costume.
Look closely at the bike. It is, or looks vintage. Front drum brake with wing nuts, board track bars,
steel crank with 3 speed hub.
More retro with gusto I say.
As a vintage girl myself, I can safely say that no one can assume that we're not just doing it for fun. Further, we don't necessarily care about going "full vintage". Yes, we have our outfits & we experiment with old habits...but it's because we find it charming. I have an ecclectic home interior & an ecclectic life to boot...& I'm positive that this handsome man does as well. To me, this look is sophisticated.
Hi there,
Guy on the bike here... At the risk of illustrating the point that we retro folk are a bit overboard, I'd like to point out that though it doesn't show up well in the photo my ride is in fact an authentic 1939 Raleigh club racing bike and I have taken my sartorial cues from Raleigh advertising literature of the period. Kudos to Otto for picking up on that ! That's a Dynohub up front, by the by, a Major Taylor track stem and the mudguards are Bluemels celluloid.
At any rate, costumey, absolutely... it's strictly a weekend thing... people do all kinds of things for fun and I've found it's a good way to meet up with fellow enthusiasts.
Cheers !
sublime
by 3millimetri
Ah, Vintage-schmintage.
Homeboy is a parody of himself. Really, would you hire this guy? Would you date this guy? Would you do anything with him other than buy a newspaper from him?
All he needs is a pens-nez and the outfit would be perfect.
Goddamn his ankles are skinny.
Looks a bit too costume-y for me. The hat puts it overboard.
It's pure costume, yes, but the sweater and suede shoes are nice.
It does look costumey, but not in a bad way. It is unusual but he seems to pull it off.
In a way, it's almost like fetish-dressing - but less xxx - for daytime.
he's a beauty!
-I found these new "vintange" cycling shoes on ebay-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7232678154&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting
In some ways I can't blame people if they want to imagine themselves wearing sturdy stylish clothes..from a bygone era..living in a country that was less complicated and driving cars (and bikes) that truly solid.
Your final sentence takes the cake :)
I'm definitely an eBay loyalist - but I would never search for clothing on there no matter how desperate I am.
And if he started to break dance there and then, it would have been complete for sure! ;)
Love it, love it! I don't think it's too costumey at all.
Mr. Retrorider1 has explained that it is indeed a costume. It's funny that other commenters after him continued to state the obvious as if it were some clever and original jab at a hokey period fetishist.
The guy's having fun, and personally I appreciate costumes. Too many self-proclaimed fashinistas are way too serious. I'd love to don period attire and motor slowly up the BW Parkway in a '56 Mercedes 300SL....
Emeeuel: Comments don't show up for a few hours on here. I hadn't read the guy's comment when I wrote mine.
I agree with em lo about vintage as fetish dressing, and I actually like this bloke's look.
For those who refuse to even try clothes shopping on eBay, I say: broaden your horizons. And look at how cool retrorider1 looks!
- AthenaNY
Folks into vintage should check out Matt Deckard's Fedora Lounge (thefedoralounge.net).
is this the first time that someone from a photo has commented on themselves? i like this sort of "interact with the people in the picture!" possibility. :-)
i think he (you? are you still reading the comments about you, retrorider1?) looks cute. costumey, yes, but nothing wrong with that once in a while. it refreshes my eye.
For riding a bike and also looking good this guy has it down. If you are a cycilist you know how uncomfortable it is to ride in street clothes, and lycra does not allow you to go into a shop or a food establishment and look anything but strange..so this guy is wearing a good outfit for riding his bike. Costume, not to me, funchtional, all the way.
I think he looks great. I wish more men dressed like this.
Burlington makes great high socks! My fiancé wears them with three-quarter length tweed dress pants.
Not sure if those are available in the States though...
I must say that as someone who is truly a late Edwardian at heart I wear vintage clothing because it feels LESS costumy to me than I feel when trying to pass myself off as the latest thing in the fashion magazines.
At heart and soul I AM a sailor shirt and bloomer wearing, tearoom going girl with a weakness for Arrow Collar men.
I could no more pass myself off as "modern" than I could pass myself off as blonde (and considering I'm Mexican and Sicilian the whole idea of me blonde is bloody horrifying!)
If I simply MUST wear those tired old pointy toed shoes dear lord let 'em be on the end of high laced boots from 1917.