Vintage Montana

The style of legends.

My grandparents were all immigrants. They came from the Basque country (on my mother's side) and Germany/Bohemia (father's side). Their lives were unbelievably challenging during the 20's and 30's in Montana yet they had great personal style and very distinctive character that were shaped by their heritage and pioneering nature.

The coyote chaser.
Grandpa Dyba (above, circa 1928) managed to look pretty dapper even as he armed himself with a shotgun, jumped on his Harley and roared off shooting cayutes along the high plains of Montana. In the snow with handmade chains for the tires. He was an expert marksman and made his living at it when times were very hard. My grandmother would drive the Chevy and off they would go chasing antelope, coyotes and rabbits with him hanging out the passenger window. They'd load the hides on a train to Chicago where they'd be sold to Sears Roebuck.

He bought a new car at the age of 96 which he drove with a loaded pistol on the front seat.

Grandma Caricaburu goes to town.


Mary Jane Ader was a French Basque who left her family in the Pyrenees and came to America with the Etchepare family on a sheep ranch in northeastern Montana. She married the very handsome Pierre (Pete) Caricaburu who died just after my mother, the 7th child, was born. Nobody was tougher, or more of a lady, than my grandmother. Faced with foreclosure, floods, fields of farmland and all those mouths to feed, she kept them afloat through sheer determination and hard work. She could make anything -- out of nothing. She even made mud boots look good. Although much admired and very beautiful, she never remarried. In true Basque character: love to the death; fight to the death.



Grandma Caricaburu versus the Milk River.

Spring view from Venice.

Trendspotting at my favorite SoCal haunts...



Love, love, love Morgane le Fay's spring line. This is an Argentinian designer with stores in NYC, Malibu & Santa Monica only. It's a very artistic high-end collection of dresses/skirts/tops that have a sport nature about them thanks to choice of fabric, fit and structure. Prices are celebrity/socialite level but every piece is a graceful work of art that even a sporty girl can pull off.



On their website, they show a fine cape that was featured on a bicycle in Vogue:



I must say that I found many great new silhouettes this season that got me excited enough to try on. Actually bought a few things at Fred Segal Santa Monica and am still agonizing over a pair of handmade French boots I left behind. The look for spring that caught my eye was all about light layers of different lengths on top; leggings, layered skirts or baggy boyfriend cropped bottoms below. In particular, Alexander Wang (check out spring 10 runway) had really wonderful thinly threaded tops that feel great and have something special about them in terms of proportion. Scored a loose fit, stylized black "football" tank and a cropped heather gray long sleeved pullover that I'll probably wear out this year. I also bought my first pair of boyfriend khakis by Babakul, a casual wear line started by one of the founders of True Religion. I resisted the baggy boyfriend trend a year ago but it looks like it will stick around for a bit and is much more wearable in a cotton khaki than a denim.




Another interesting line combining sport and fashion is Prayer Haute Couture. Super chic, form fitting sweats that are designed for the elite; $400 cropped, short sleeve hoodies and heavily detailed, hand embroidered bottoms from short shorts to cargos. Everything's brilliantly unique and comfortable.

On hip-happening Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice, I was thrilled to see that cycling has become a primary resident.



First, everybody's riding bikes there to shop/dine/hang out day and night. This is partially due to the ease of commuting to beach and around the canal neighborhoods but it has even more to do with bike as fashion accessory. There's even a cool new bike manufacturer right on the street: Linus Bikes. They make affordable ($350-$550), utilitarian, city bikes inspired by 50's French bicycle design. Models range from fixed gear roadsters to 3-speed Dutch bikes and fendered/racked Mixte.



The latest cycling-related trend to watch is a new fitness concept called Yas.



The only one of its kind in the US (3 centers in CA with more on the horizon), it's a simple combination of classwork -- yoga & cycling. Classes can be purchased individually ($17) or by the month ($225). Founder Kimberly Fowler is an ex pro triathlete and creator of Yoga for Athletes.

Abbott Kinney is a leading avenue for boutiques and the newest of the new. That said, vintage is still a big influence although we're talking new vintage, not the real thing. Lots of distressed tees, washed leather boots and lightweight printed/plaid scarves to wear with casual stuff.

Another notable apparel item I nearly picked up at Heist was from the Netherlands: Humanoid. Very ethereal, lightweight and longer/layered.



Saw a few pieces of G-Star Raw that were intriguing and a review of their most recent runway shows on Style.com cemented them as one of the leading innovators in denim/sportswear. Plus, they're not afraid of color and I find the Fall 10 RTW to be extraordinary. Great skirt silhouettes.




Photos:

1-4) Morgane le Fay
5) Morgane le Fay cape, Vogue
6-9) Alexander Wang SP10 RTW
10-11) Linus Bikes, Venice
12-13) Yas Fitness, Venice
14) Humanoid home page
15-20) G-Star Raw, F10 RTW

Road to the sky.

It's hard for me to go anywhere that doesn't involve a bike. I've traveled a ton with Terry, dragging bags and bags of gear, boxes and boxes of bikes, and gotten fairly good at pulling off photo shoots in some really great places but usually with not enough personal riding time. So it was with great joy that I shed my company shackles, ditched the dreariness of NY and went on a dedicated spring training vacation. In style.


Five perfect days of riding and dining in Montecito, CA, is enough to recharge even the most morbidly dead battery. March weather in Santa Barbara County is ideal for road or mountain as is the terrain: extremely challenging, spectacularly rewarding cycling on or off road. Mid 70's, abundant wildflowers, clear, blue skies, nobody around. Although it was a genuine toss-up, I opted for mountain biking and dusted off my Intense Spider–a superstar cross country bike with tubeless tires, XTR and favorite Terry retro-printed Fly saddle. I thought we should both start with fresh legs so I spoiled myself by taking her to a local bike shop for a new chain, cassette, tune up, pack and ship directly to the hotel. Cost nearly as much as my plane ticket.


Wardrobe by EtxeOndo and Terry with a little Gore Bike Wear sprinkled in, just in case. Terry Bella shorts for super technical mountain biking but I also like to mix it up with the occasional cargo skort. Although there are big elevation changes, the weather was so mild and arid that the only adjustment necessary was the occasional addition of arm warmers.


My favorite bike, the Intense Spider and my favorite bottoms, from Spyder. By the way, this is not my favorite vehicle. The Ford Flex is as long as a hearse with way too much (dead) body roll on those Gibralter Road switchbacks.

Although it's one of the toniest zip codes in southern CA, booking a trip during the week makes Montecito an affordable luxury in price and privacy. Most flight options and deals are through LAX but you can also fly into Santa Barbara and avoid the LA area altogether.


Riding involves elevation. Nothing flat here, which is why it's a pro rider training site during the winter. You start sea level and climb straight up Gibralter Road through Rattlesnake Canyon. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know about Gibralter Road until this trip and I've actually been to this area before. You have to put it on your list if you're a serious rider. First, because it's an epic climb (the Alp d'Huez of the US) and second, because once up top,


it joins East Camino Cielo (road to the sky) which stretches for miles along a knife's edge that takes what's left of your breath away. Up here, the elevation peaks at 4,000 feet. On your right, the ocean with the Channel Islands in the distance; on your left a sheer drop to the canyon below, with mountain ranges as far as you can see. It's close to heaven and will bring tears to your eyes the first time you ride it. Or you really are dead and no amount of voltage will help.


Other super rides here:

Romero Trail


Gotta love a mountain bike ride that originates from your hotel. From there it's all uphill. The best part is that you're treated to sweeping views of the coastline that just get better and better as you get slower and slower. A couple of miles on pavement, then turn off on the trailhead and prepare for the steepest grade on the first half-mile. We rode the fire road up and tried the singletrack down, although way too technical for my skill level.

Upper Oso

Creeks, sycamores, hot springs and scrub oaks. Ride prepared as the main road can be closed and there aren't any services anywhere.

Knapp Castle


From Camino Cielo, it's a thrilling 2500' drop to the Santa Ynez Valley below. Plenty to see along the way including what's left of Knapp Castle. Nice stretches of singletrack with just a couple of sketchy parts. Ride back through the Santa Ynez Valley and stop at the Paradise General Store for an encounter with those who live off the grid.





Where to stay:
Montecito Inn
Built in 1928 by Charlie Chaplin as an LA weekend escape for his chums, it's historic, right off 101 and very charming. Restored to its vintage Hollywood glamourous self, it has a great bar, easy parking and cruiser bike rentals for buzzing down to Butterfly Beach. Best of all is its proximity to great restaurants, all within walking distance. Rooms are small so bikes have to sleep in the car or locked storage room. Room rates can be had for as little as $129 (keep in mind, this is Oprah's neighborhood).

Breakfast
Jeanine's, al fresco for breakfast quesadillas or scones.

Post ride
Ride directly to the patio at Lucky's for cold beer, slivered onion rings and celebrity spotting.



Dinner (at any of these walkable restaurants, literally within a block or two of the hotel):
• Tre Lune (ate there 3 of the 5 nights; molto bene and molto convenient)
• Lucky's (eat in the bar with the locals)
• Los Arroyos (for massive Mexican on the patio)

Photos: Panoramics and epics by Ron Wu

The reality of models.

Elle McPherson versus Gabrielle Reece modeling swimwear. Heidi Klum or Venus Williams in a tennis dress. Choosing Ford models over real cyclists in the Terry catalog presented the same conundrum: whether women respond better and are more likely to buy products shown on real bodies or "hangers". As a pioneering women's sports brand, we were committed to the authenticity that real riders provided in our communications to customers. We also didn't have the $300 per hour that a catalog model would cost. But as our our apparel business grew, we became more focused on improving product presentation and increasing our revenue. Three things became evident: 1) clothing shot on a body outperformed clothing that wasn't; 2) clothing shot on professional models outperformed the items that were shot on non-models; 3) plus size buyers were more likely to buy clothing shown on regular models, not plus size models.

Were it that simple...

When we showed "real" riders of all shapes sizes and ages, we got love letters from customers, from women's groups, from nutritionists, from our friends.



I wanted to applaud Terry Bicycles for using “real” models in your catalog. It seems to be a growing trend, but one fashioned, from what I can tell, by Terry. It truly allows the consumer to relate to the product on so many levels. Many catalogs introduce their line using models who are so unrealistic in every sense that it is nearly impossible to get the consumer to bridge the distance.

When we used models and elevated cycling wear to fashion, our sales increased by double digits but the letters definitely took a turn for the worse:



I would like to share with you just how disgusted I am with your mail-order catalog. It’s full of stick-thin (and very un-athletic-looking) super-model types with seductive porn eyes that really belong in Victoria’s Secret or some X-rated girly magazine. They look like they couldn’t walk very far, much less ride a bicycle. Maybe this is what you need to stoop to in order to maintain sales, but you can count me out of your market. I used to like doing business with you when you actually featured real women who were committed to bicycling in their real lives, heaven forbid women that were over the age of 22. Imagine! We actually exist out there and enjoy an athletic lifestyle that we value far more highly than (gasp!) the possibility of looking like porn queens in flashy bike-wear. You and our culture, which obviously rewards you for this, are an insult to us.

Ouch.

A look at some other catalogs, marketers and magazines shows that using real people in the presentation of product to women can be used to advantage. Title 9 makes a big deal of integrating everyday athletes into their catalog with a reinforcing caption. No company is more committed to real people than Dove, with its Campaign for Real Beauty, launched in 2004. With tons of press, advertising awards and cudos from women's groups around the world, it has blossomed from a marketing execution to a cultural movement aiming for improved self esteem for girls/women.



Does all that realness translate to the bottom line? Initially, it brought double-digit sales growth though largely from new product introductions and an extraordinary amount of publicity and promotion. Sales began to stagnate in 2007 and really flattened out with the introduction of an offshoot "ProAge" campaign that celebrated women in all their wrinkled glory. Expectations were high, given Annie Leibovitz as photographer, a booming new product category and millions of media dollars behind it.



Reality seems a given for sports editorial content–or is it. I asked a Bicycling magazine editor about the use of models vs real riders and she replied, "why not both?" As the go-to guide for cyclists, the magazine has to be authentic and believable, but they also have newsstand sales to consider. I love this comment and empathize completely:

"What’s really interesting (and aggravating) to me is how often readers will assume that if a female cover model is good looking, then she’s not really a rider. This seems to be less of an issue with the male models."



So the reality is that nearly everybody uses models. I was shocked the first time we went on location to Miami during the March catalog shoot season. All the models, hair/makeup and photographers head there for work during the winter. Huge productions from JC Penney to discounters like TJ Max book weeks at a time with racks and racks of clothing, labeled by the day. They do it because it's efficient, the weather is predictable and, it obviously sells product. The beauty of an actual professional model is that she works fast and knows how to move so you can maximize the day's shoot. She also looks good in sample sizes and won't ask what to do with her hands. All the shots are typically usable, and she'll mix it up so you have a range to work with.



When it comes to the muddled world of fashletics, casting for sports models seems a viable solution. There is, in fact, a west coast agency that represents athlete/models and we've used it. These buff glamazons are ones you also see in Athleta, Title 9, NikeWomen, Lucy and Activa. They tend to be college athletes supplementing their educations with modeling gigs so unfortunately, they're not always good "movers" which translates into more time and stiffness. They're also more muscular which on the surface, seems good but can appear a bit too hard. But give them a soccer ball or a bike and they know what to do with it. Do they sell as much product as a fashion model? No, but it's close and certainly a case can be made for adding to brand credibility.

It's just too bad there aren't more of them, and more of them who ride.

Photos:

1) Terry Summer Catalog, on location in Miami
2) Valley Girls Montana racing team
3) Delana in studio, Ron Wu Photo
4) Dove Real Beauty campaign photo
5) Bicycling Magazine, April 2010
6) Model promo, Sports Models Unimited

Further:

In Its Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove Tells Women That They Are Beautiful as They Are. But the Push Is Showing Signs of Aging September 24, 2007 http://adage.com/article?article_id=120640

Our most fashion forward photo shoot, best selling season, my personal favorite:
http://www.ronwuphoto.com/terry2008preview/

Indoor Cycling 101.

Higher end clubs have a different dress code than your run of the mill YMCA, even in these difficult economic times. Having just joined Midtown Athletic Club of Rochester, worked out at the East Bank Club in Chicago and spent a week at Denver's premier Greenwood Athletic, I thought I'd pass along some observations and thoughts on future product development.

Spinning®.

Spinning/indoor cycling is the fitness refuge for a huge number of baby boomers looking for aerobic-anaerobic workouts, minus the joint impact. Spinning has gone through a resurgence in the past couple of years as clubs have committed to a more authentic approach to training for real cycling conditions. Some participants are cyclists training in the off-season; many are runners who've worn out their parts. The rest are new people getting exposed to cycling and candidates for taking it outside (my family members, a prime example). Bodies are a spectrum of very fit to kinda thick, and pretty evenly split male/female. It's a sweat fest with fans blowing like crazy, lots of mirrors and the occasional disco ball. Spin classes can run 45 to 90 minutes, with most at 60. The workout is different than a trainer or rollers and involves out-of-the-saddle moves on a frequent basis. Spinyasa is a newer offshoot, less available but an interesting combination of 30 minute intense spin and 30 minutes of vinyasa yoga on a mat.

What they're wearing:


Women appear to start out in their typical gym wear (everything from Lululemon knickers and pants to, heaven forbid, running shorts) but if they take to it, they gear up with real bike shorts (Pearl and Sugoi) or capris and their re-purposed workout tanks with built-in bras. They're also all buying bike shoes, at the direction of guys like Spin Jim and Rider Rick, the real deal in spin instructors. A note about hair. All of them (and this holds true from spin to yoga to pilates) pull hair up in high, tethered ponies and pull everything back with head/sweat bands.

Men are more likely to wear dedicated bike shorts (primarily Pearl Izumi). On top, it's t-shirts, Underarmour or bike jerseys. Most wear actual bike shoes. John Elway wears Pearl Izumi shorts, a Titleist t-shirt, cap and no superbowl ring.

Room for improvement:

Interestingly to me, nobody really makes a dedicated spinning collection. Cycling apparel manufacturers have selected pieces but they seem to be re-purposed or crossover pieces. The originators of Spinning® have a selection of products on their website but most appear to be re-branded.

Bottoms need a decent, more breathable chamois (a thinner version of the Terry Flex Air), and more flattering fit around the thigh. That said, I'd also lobby for fewer seams overall -- it just feels like they add bulk that's unnecessary for a 1-hour class. I wear the Terry Bella short which has a cooling sensation against the skin that may be all in my head but works for me. Although Dryline makes logical sense, it doesn't have the same sensation that the Bella fabric offers. I don't see women wearing super short shorts to spin so something in the 6-7" inseam length is as short as I would recommend. Gripper is overkill on spinning shorts and adds to the heat/bulk factor. One additional comment regarding inseam length is that I find the shorter the short, the more the sausage effect kicks in and needs to be addressed in a more elegant way. There's a streetwear silhouette that's part of Prada's RTW Spring 10 line that I like and think would be good to try to integrate into a cycling short: few panels; wide, low, elastic-free waist; self-fabric banding at leg opening; light, satiny fabric (more lycra/spandex content).




Tops are where the challenge and opportunity lie. They have to wick, feel good, and shouldn't be super tight. Lululemon has a cleopatra halter style this season that is impossible for me personally to pull over my head but that I've seen on more than a few women. It has a t-back made of mesh. Mesh inserts on both the front and the back make a lot of sense. Additionally, tops need to have plenty of length for coverage while stretching. I find most of my workout tops are too short right now, particularly when going from spin to yoga. My current go-to top is a whisper-light Craft ProCool racer-back singlet that's meant to be a base layer and consequently shows every lump and bump which isn't ideal. It wicks like crazy and has enough length so I default to it. I'd like to try a YMX tank which, although body forming, is so light that you don't feel it and the print camouflages the lumps. Subtle use of prints is okay but most tops tend to be solid and fall into the neutral zone of black and white. In terms of silhouette, necklines can be lower but still need to protect from a full reveal in an aero position. Shelf bra should primarily be made of mesh or have a body-mapped mesh v in front. Pocket only if it can be added without double layer of fabric (or use mesh). Prices for the tops I've looked range from $50 to $65. Here are some interesting silhouettes and details for styling cues:






Photos:

1) Stella McCartney for Adidas
2) Google spinning reference
3) dhb cycling wear (UK)
4) Style.com/prada runway
5) Vogue/prada ad
6) Lululemon Swift tank
7) Shebeest Silverbella Halter
8) Sugoi Fizz Tank
9-10) Athleta Juliet Inspire Tank

Further:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/fashion/24Fitness.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1