Words w/ Lady Kay + Sir E. Channing of D&Q
Reported by ReadysetDCBy Allicia + Justin
Photo Source: Wolkenlein
“DC has the potential to be a smart and sophisticated city by stepping it up in style and personal presentation.”
In honor of DC’s first tweed ride, we had an opportunity to speak to Lady Kay and Sir E. Channing of Dandies and Quaintrelles about Sunday’s ride. We are thrilled about the tweed ride as many of us in DC’s blogosphere has shared a few words to highlight the occasion.
RSDC:How was the Dandies and Quaintrelles organized?
LK: The local social group Dandies and Quaintrelles came out of a number of conversations between friends about the need to dandy-up DC. DC has the potential to be a smart and sophisticated city by stepping it up in style and personal presentation. D&Q encourages Washingtonians to find inspiration in fashions from an era when style had its place in everyday activities and life was lived with an immense amount of thought given to grace.
D&Q founder and Tweed Ride organizer Sir E. Channing founded the group based on these principles and our shared passion for participating in events with a noble purpose and serious cause. Since D&Q is committed to organizing soirees for pleasure but also to benefit a cause, we mutually agreed upon Arts for the Aging (AFTA), an amazing not-for-profit run by a dear friend to us both, Janine Tursini (aka Lady Clare), as the beneficiary. The Tweed Ride is only the first of many D&Q events (hint: watch for an upcoming croquette tournament and an old-fashioned gala).
RSDC: What motivated you to start a DC Tweed Ride?
EC: I love looking dapper and I love riding bikes! I felt like I was missing out on great fun because our city did not have a tweed ride, I decided to take action because of great people around me who could help to promote and organize the ride. I’ve also been wanting to host a fundraising event for the Aging (AFTA). The after ride social will do just that.
RSDC: We love the idea of bringing together style savvy women and men cyclists in the city. We have seen many more stylish cyclists in the city now.Will the Tweed Ride promote the idea that cycling is a lifestyle rather than just a trend?
LK: After a recent weekend in Montreal, it became clear that DC needed a Tweed Ride to encourage city dwellers to incorporate cycling into their lifestyles. In Montreal, cycling is the primary way we explored and enjoyed the city, by taking advantage of Bixi, the bike share program. Bixi allowed us to see the city in a way we could not in a car or on underground public transportation.
EC: I’ve been biking in this city for over 10 years and I’ve never seen so many people using bikes as means of basic transportation. All kinds of urban people have embraced the idea of cycling to get around and this includes the stylish! People think about the nicely dressed person they saw riding a vintage 3 speed home from work or see a sharp looking single speed locked to a traffic sign and they imagine themselves moving about the city in style!
Corpus Callosum play the SF Tweed Ride from Colin Fahrion on Vimeo.
RSDC: Do you think this encourages more people to pick up cycling?
LK: DC seems to have made great strides in becoming more biker-friendly as of late, and the hope is that the semi-annual Tweed Ride will help to further this idea of DC as a cyclists’ city. Also, the combination of vintage and cycling stands for something beyond the tweed itself – the ride represents the bigger picture need to recycle (even clothing, next time we intend to partner with local vintage shops!) and an environmentally conscientious way to be stylish.
EC: I know several people who are purchasing bikes to participate in this ride. I would like to think that new riders will enjoy the ride so much they decide to have their own personal tweed rides when they need to get to the market, visit a friend across town or simply get out to move their bodies and feel the wind in their hair. If they decide to ultimately to travel at a less leisurely pace and wear spandex, I won’t hold it against them!
RSDC: As of today, there are 100 confirmed guests who have registered. How many people do you think will be riding? Critical Mass in size?
LK: We anticipate many, many more will show up on Sunday to register on-site. If people would like to photograph or witness the ride, the route map is on the Tweed Ride site, and plans are in the works for a staged group shot in Dupont Circle!
EC: Initially, I had no idea if the notion of a tweed ride in D.C. would result in a gathering of just a few enthusiastic cyclists or dozens more people who are participating in a cycling event for the first time in their lives. To get an idea of how many people will attend we’ve put a registration form on our website. Due to media outlets like yours, I’m anticipating a large number of riders who are excited about something new and exciting to do in this city.
RSDC: Am I correct in assuming that this will be a more civilized ride than Critical Mass?
EC: We have no intentions of causing unnecessary disruption to traffic on any roads and are working to mange a large number of participants in an orderly a fashion as possible. We will have a staggered start to facilitate cyclists leaving in a number of groups.
Photo Source: M.J.S.
“All kinds of urban people have embraced the idea of cycling to get around and this includes the stylish!”
RSDC: Do you think this represents what cycling is becoming in DC? More of a lifestyle/culture/everyday thing to do as opposed to athletics/racing/spandex, etc.?
LK: Cycling at the turn-of-the-century was a part of a healthy living trend and embodied modern ideals, much like it does today (hence retrogressive!).
EC: Yes! Absolutely. Nowadays, when I suggest that someone consider buying a bike for exercise and basic transportation, lycra and race bikes aren’t the first things that come to mind. The idea of most cyclists as fitness types clad head to toe in lycra is outdated. Cycling in style has become synonymous with the notion of smart urban living.
RSDC: What bike(s) do you have right now?
EC: I have a vintage Herculees and Ralgieh Superbee. Both are English 3 speeds made in the sixties. I have a vintage 3 speed schwinn. U.S. made of course. I also have half a dozen race bikes from past years as a lycra clad racer.
RSDC: Any last minute suggestions on where to find bikes/clothing for the ride?
LK: Yes, absolutely! For wheelmen, the basics include a button-up shirt, bow-tie, knit cotton or wool tie, a thin v-neck argyle sweater or simple cardigan and some nice fall season slacks. The addition of a tweed derby or stingy brimmed hat is the next step. In order to gain dandy status, men should consider tweed vests and/or knickers with over the knee argyle socks. Props (e.g. pipes) encourage for pre-ride portraiture and during play at the after-ride social.
For the wheelwomen, a tweed or wool dress or skirt will build a strong base for the Tweed Ride outfit. A frilly, puffy-sleeved, collared shirt will make the quaintrelle stand out, and a hat is not optional. A fancy, turn-of-the-century styled hat (see photo below) will complete the look of a lady. If going the more modern route with knickers and over the knee stockings, a tweed cap with a fitted jacket would work, as well. For footwear, I suggest wearing vintage riding boots while operating a steed. A photo of my boots is enclosed as an example.
Finally, the weather for Sunday calls for sunny and a high of 70 degrees, so let’s not forget the specs! Vintage-inspired or retro sunglasses should be carefully considered so to compliment the clothing. As an incentive to start scouting wardrobe, awards will be given for the following:
- Most Dapper Dandy
- Most Quizzical Quaintrelle
- Most Steadfast Steed
- Most Astonishing Accessory
EC: Keep looking on craigslist. Great vintage bikes show up there for sale every day. I’ve been posting links on my my website. Visit Eastern Market on Saturday. Used bikes at great prices are sold there every weeked! Check out vintage shops for tweed items and vintage pieces. Moonshadow’s and PollySue’s in Takoma Park are great resources vintage wear. Look for vintage tweed in Meeps in Adam’s Morgan, Junction Vintage on U Street and in Remix Vintage in Capital Hill.
RSDC: When can we expect the next tweed ride in DC?
LK: The next Tweed Ride in D.C. will happen in April 2010. A delegation from D&Q plans to participate in the London Tweed Ride in March and will bring back loads of ideas for DC.
A special thank you goes out to Lady Kay + Sir E. Channing for taking out time to speak to us. We look forward to seeing everyone out on Sunday! Please register here to ride and visit D&Q’s blog for more information.
Looking for vintage bikes, Dayo has a few to sell here.
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