Credit: Zakkaliciousness
S of do this don’t had this post on heels on bikes a couple of weeks ago. Whether it’s a good idea to do it or not. Some readers din’t think so:
„Biking in heels--girl, you crazy! No, I can imagine doing that. Rock on wichyo' bad self. I bet you look very stylish“ says alexgirl. Shelby thinks „Wow. You deserve a huge shiny award for your feat! And your probably poor butchered feet!“ and Carolina actually „never saw a girl in a bike wearing heels!“
Hhm. I was a little bit confused by that. All in all none of the commenting readers ever saw a girl riding her bike in heels. I have to admit though that I only did it once in Mary’s shoes in Berlin, but that’s because I hardly wear heels, but ride my bike a lot so if I would wear heels more often I woule definitely wear them on my bike (not on my racing bike, though). Ladies, it is absolutely NOT dangerous, strange, hard or whatever to ride your bikes in heels, you don’t even touch the ground they just hang there, no difference to flat shoes, I promise!!!
The stylish girls from copenhagen proof it once more. On flickr I came across a very interessting photo set called copenhagen girls on bikes and voila nearly every shown girl wears heels, like it was nothing! Here you go…
The photos are taken by director and photographer Mikael Colville-Andersen (I somehow seem to be attracted to filmmakers – read my last interview here) who runs a blog aswell called cycle chic - a documentary in high heels. He was so kind to answer some questions on Copenhagen, its bikes and its stylish heeled women on them:
Who are you and what do you do?
I am a film director and photographer. Currently in pre-production for my next feature film.
In Copenhagen the bycicle seems to be the no.1 means of transport. Why?
The bicycle has been an important aspect of life in Copenhagen for a century, but especially over the past 50 years. 36% of Copenhageners ride their bike to work or school each day. That's over half a million daily cyclists. (more info and stats on my other blog: http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com - Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog). The reason is found in visionary investment in infrastructure, which is the foundation for creating a bicycle culture. City councils around the world are speaking of "Copenhagenizing" their cities. Even in this ancient capital there are bike lanes on every street and the bike enjoys equality with automobile traffic regarding traffic laws. Like the quote in the film "Field of Dreams"; "if you build it, they will come." Copenhagen has built bike infrastructure and we now reap the rewards.
What kind of bikes are most likely to be used?
Bike are both accessories and utility vehicles. Women tend to use so-called "Grandma bikes" and men lean towards basic City bikes. Mountain bikes and fancy racers just look silly. Many people personalise their bikes; putting plastic flowers in the basket, or stickers on the frame or even painting the bike.
Credit: Zakkaliciousness You take photos of all these nice fashionable girls on bikes. Is Copenhagen really as stylish as we all think it is? Copenhagen is a stylish city. In other metropols like Berlin, Paris, New York there are extremely fashionable people but the large part of the population are rather plain. In Copenhagen, in my opinion and experience, a much larger percentage of the population are well-dressed and possess a sense of fashion. Much more so compared to other cities. It is surely our emphasis on design and aestheticism that is the cause.
How do you work? Out of a car or on bikes aswell? Do you talk to the girls afterwards or do you shoot them secretly?
Every one of my shots is taken on the fly. I don't ride around looking for fashionable cyclists. That would be strange and spooky. :-) I merely snap the ones I see on my way to work or to the supermarket. I primarily shoot from my bike although occasionally I'm in a car. Which is the most telling aspect of making a portrait of cycle chic - it is everywhere. All the time. I prefer the street photography method. The blog has been called Social Documentary in High Heels and I am true to the tradition of Social Documentary.
It's kind of stalking, isn't it? Are heels on bikes some kind of fetish for you?
For some reason it is mostly Americans who have questioned the stalking aspect. Europeans are more used to seeing photos of life in our cities. The photos have been published in many magazines and I've been contacted by several cyclists who asked for copies of the photo I took of them. So the stalking aspect doesn't ring true for me. When riding with my wife, she will often spot fashionable cyclists before I do and tell me to get the camera out. How else can you record the fabric of a city, its people and its moods? I have almost 4000 photos on my Flickr account. 300 are of my fellow Copenhageners on bikes. So it is hardly an obsession. A fetish? If I enjoyed wearing heels myself as I rode around town, THAT would be a fetish. I call it a healthy fascination with my surroundings - that goes for all my photos.
Credit: ZakkaliciousnessI would call Cycle Chic a streetstyle blog, sure. Street style blogs are just social documentary with a fashion twist, anyway. In ten or twenty years we can look back at all of these photos and map the fashion transition and evolution like never before.
Related Links:
Cycleliciousness - blog on Copenhagen bicycle culture
cycle chic blog on copenhagen women in high heels on bikes
flikr photoset showing copenhagen girls on bikes
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