With the "Tour de France", Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour to Bergerac (Stage 19) on Friday, July 25th and Stage 20, moving from Bergerac to Périgueux on Saturday, July 26th, (Bergerac is just 18 km away from where I live and the course to Périgueux is 54 km), there are two factions of spectators represented by my neighbours: those who want to be right there for the twenty-second (?) ride-by, or the Bergerac finish or the start-up; and then those who will be watching it on television.
Those on the highways and biways with their bikes at any other time are acknowledged as serious cyclists by the clothing they are wearing. In France, cycling apparel is professional and brand loyal from the top of your aero-cycling-helmet-clad head to your carbon-pro-race-cycling shoes. Teams and clubs are identifiable by their colours as in any other sport. Sport apparel seldom, if ever, crosses over to street wear in France. If you do see someone wearing sport specific clothing on the street, without actually participating in the sport, then it's probably a tourist.
It may not be what the cyclists are wearing that influences fashion around the Tour de France but rather what the fashionable are wearing when involved with the Tour de France. Kate Middleton chose green to start the wheels rolling on July 5th, 2014 . . . and you can find loads of sites featuring the Duchess of Cambridge wearing her "Allie" coat from Erdem's pre-fall 2013 collection. Erdem Moralioglu is the designer and the name behind the mark established in 2005 (retrieved July 23, 2014). She wore the same Erdem coat in April, 2014 while on tour in New Zealand. There's a reassuring quality in the "wear it once" world of fashion when Kate Middleton chooses to wear the same coat to two separate public events.
Be that as it may . . . back to the Tour de France . . . as with many sporting events, I think I'll choose to watch it on TV, as I have been, no matter how close it comes to me.
Quite often sports wear is only common to the given sport and rarely makes its way to everyday fashion. A colourful shirt and spandex bike pants might raise a few eyebrows when worn as everyday fashion. Personally I'm ok with that but I don't think it would become "mainstream fashion"
That's pretty cool that you are so close to the action. There's something fascinating about the whole world watching an event and you being so close to where it is taking place. Even if you only see the leader for 20 seconds. Reminds me of back in 1988 when the Olympic torch was in town. There it was...20 seconds later is was gone.
Golf wear has transcended to the street; as has "skateboard" wear; yoga pants too I suppose . . . the caravans are moving through town on their way to Bergerac I'm guessing. It is exciting for those visiting to take part but it seems that the locals are going in the opposite direction. Isn't that the way it always is.
I guess maybe I was having a blond moment. Here was my thinking. Sports like golf, yoga and skateboard aren't always considered sport but more an activity. I know we are splitting hairs hear so before I dig myself any deeper. I'll stick with my original statement - BLOND!
Not at all. I love debate and debate involves "definition" or "splitting hairs" so to speak. The only people one can really do that with is friends who know each other well. Debate in fact can be considered sport. Perhaps we can formalize one in a post . . . say on the business of designer trademarks . . . you know I'm setting you up, don't you?
Haha, I'm gullible! We are friends and yes I know I'm getting set up for a debate. I never go into anything expecting to lose but even if I lose this one, I win. We're friends.
Even if I don't have the upper hand on the debate I have the perfect "sporting outfit" for it.
Regarding the blond comment - we do have to be careful regarding comments about personal attributes and characteristics. The internet allows anonymity and so therefore we can get away with more than fact-to-face. In North America we tend to be much more cautious; perhaps because we are more litigious - that's the biggest word I've used today (more setting up on the wisdom front, you see). I'll keep you posted.