From bike to boardroom: how to dress for your morning commute

Struggling against foul weather and the Tube strikes? From Levi’s Commuter collection to Oliver Spencer’s bike-to-boardroom jackets, Emma McCarthy seeks out the clothes that will take you to work and back in serious style
10 February 2014

If there’s one positive to be gleaned from the Tube strikes — and Lord knows we all need one of those — it has to be the amount of well-dressed commuters. Peed off, of course, but seriously well-turned out. Because as London’s underbelly ground to a miserable halt, the capital’s best dressed were forced above ground, out of the constant, seasonless conditions of the Tube, in an attempt to get on with their lives.

And it was quite a shock. Against the backdrop of all the daily active commuters you could spot the lazy ones a mile off. They were the ones atop a Boris bike, mud splattered up the back of their trench coats, grappling with a bag that had disappeared down by their waists, or nursing blisters inflicted by ill-fitting fashion trainers. Well-dressed they may have been but practically so? Questionable.

In those sub-zero, gale-force and rain-lashed 48 hours — likely soon to be 96 hours — many of us learned that our wardrobes were as fair-weathered as our attitudes to commuting. But it was inevitable. Dressing for a day in the office and the journey there and back — in the middle of winter, no less — is proper hard. But what’s the alternative if skin-tight thermal Lycra isn’t your thing?

Thankfully, many designers are expanding their remit to cater to this side of life in London. Contemporary British tailor Oliver Spencer, for one, has partnered with rising bike brand Vulpine to create the ideal jacket for the urban cyclist. Launching later this month, the jacket combines the designer’s signature style with sports technology with the addition a reflective lining on the neck and cuffs, as well as a longer cut on the back and arms for maximum comfort when riding.

Commuter fashion - in pictures

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Levi’s is another to focus on two-wheelers with an entire Commuter range dedicated to work shirts and jeans designed with its signature cuts, but crafted from dirt-, sweat- and water-repellent fabrics.

“The commute is not an excuse for sartorial slovenliness,” agrees Patrick Grant, a tailor and keen cyclist who travels from his home in Wapping to Savile Row each day. “In the winter I use a heavy-gauge cotton chino in dark colours (better against mud splashes), Trickers brogues (on bad days a welly) and a waterproof parka or Harrington to fend off the rain.”

Taking inspiration from his daily commute, Grant has applied this philosophy to his first spring/summer collection for Debenhams range Hammond & Co, with practical waterproofs in bright hues and relaxed suiting. “Hammond & Co started life as a sporting tailor, so it seems right that our clothes work as well on a bicycle as at the British seaside.”

For women, the focus seems to lie more in creating practical solutions for a smooth transition, rather than a one-fits-all approach — music to the ears of anyone who’s tried to get on a bike or jog in a shift dress.

Take the raincoat, for example. An essential for anyone who needs to so much as stand at a bus stop in the morning, let alone trek or cycle into work, but they’re not exactly top of the style list. That was until Maje got involved. Thanks to a collaboration with original Pac-a-Mac brand K-Way, the Parisian label has reinvented the classic windbreaker with four styles in flattering neutrals and bold leopard print. Further proof that the wet weather classic has strugged off it’s dowdy ramblers-only image can be found at Stella McCartney for Adidas, Sweaty Betty and London-based boutique label Labour of Love, which all boast an array of attractive anoraks.

When it comes to the rest of the gear look to Le Coq Sportif, which is adept at blending style and functionality in both its mainline and Urban Cyclist collections.

As for accessories, leave the school yard backpack at home in favour of a more grown up version from fashion pack favourite Ally Capellino, whose creations are as durable as they are desirable.

The same should be said of those aforementioned “fashion” trainers — but why resort to those when Adidas’s classic Tech Super running shoe comes in a jazzy polka dot?

With clothes this covetable, we’re wishing for another Tube strike. Almost.

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