Category Archives: On The Street

Bicycles, All Grown Up


As more and more cities create bike lanes, provide bicycle parking, and discourage the use of four-wheeled transportation, the utilitarian bicycle has become, if not a necessity, a valuable possession few city-dwellers are willing to live without. And as with everything else in public life, style is as much about what you ride as it is about what you wear, or how you carry yourself.

There are thousands of options when it comes to bikes—everything from cheap Chinese-made, and yet quite stylish, rides, to vintage bikes, and to bespoke hand-made cruisers or racing models. I think a bicycle should be practical, elegant, and not cost as much as a car—not unless you’re riding one to win the Tour de France—and there are many choices of manufacturer building beautiful bikes here in the U.S. Budnitz is one such outfit: their bikes are simple, technologically advanced, and as beautiful as a bicycle can be. From the belt drive (which obviates the need for clips to keep oil off one’s trousers, in this case part of a rather nice linen blend J.Crew Ludlow suit) to the disc brakes, pedals that really grip regular shoes, and the light frame, this model, No. 3 Honey Edition, attracted my eye also for its classic styling, reminiscent of racers from a distant past. And the large, whitewall tires are particularly welcome on the uneven and perpetually pot-holed streets of NY.

Unlike the US auto industry, American bicycle manufacturers aren’t striving to build “the Cadillac” of bikes: they’re building the Bentleys, Aston Martins, and yes, the Packards of two-wheeled, human-powered transportation.

Sandal Scandal



Actually, the only ‘sandal scandal’ is wearing a pair with socks. Otherwise, except for leather flip flops, I’m a big fan of sandals, especially on summer weekends, and especially away from the sidewalks of a gritty city (with or without a linen suit). And in the gritty city of New York, there’s Barbara Shaum’s shop, in the East Village, where you can have a pair custom made.

Bespoke sandals may seem an extravagance, and perhaps they are, but when you can have a pair made exactly as you want them—with a perfect fit, no less—at the price of one the better designers’ models, why not? Barbara is a NY fixture, written about everywhere for her long career (over 50 years) making sandals, belts, or some other leather item you fancy, and her craftsmanship is as good as it gets. Yes, there are shops in Florence where you can have a nice pair made for you, and in parts of Africa bespoke is the only option (and a good one, at that), but if you’re in NY on hot day, I defy you to walk into Barbara’s shop on E. 4th Street and not walk out with an order.

Red Wings and Red Trucks



Red Wing boots have rightfully enjoyed a renaissance for a number of years now—among aficionados of “heritage” American brands in the US and abroad, but also as stylish footwear for the winter months.

Their new made in Maine chukkas (part of Red Wing’s Heritage Brand), however, while maintaining the quality and durability of a pair of Red Wing boots, are appropriate year round—with or without socks. Lighter than boots and with a soft sole, they work with khakis or jeans, and this pair, the “Sage Mohave”, is a particularly nice color.

You don’t need a vintage red Ford truck to complement the look, but it doesn’t hurt, especially if the truck isn’t as pristine as the chukkas are at first.

Road Style

Very few modern automobiles, as good and even as beautiful as many are, can quite convey style the way cars from another era did. American cars, from the earliest models to the bloated ships of the sixties, were almost always style statements; no matter for the size of wallet they were designed for.

Buick, the solidly middle class automobile (often called the “Doctors’ car” at a time when physicians weren’t millionaires and most made house calls) was no exception. The “Eight”, produced from the thirties to the early fifties, was an exceptionally beautiful model, down to its emblem, and coming across one on a New York street—this one an early forties model—is an unexpected visual treat.

Fashionable Weeks

Fashion Week in NY (or Paris, or Milan) can make for a curious sight for the accidental tourist—hordes of men and women congregating at various locations across the city, looking as though they’ve just stepped off the runways themselves—and unless one is in the business oneself, appears to be an exhibition of vainglory. Shows can be fun, though, whether for pure amusement (and sometimes mockery), or to witness a particular designer’s rather special sense of style. Mark McNairy’s show, dubbed “The Eagle Has Landed”, was in the latter category, with his perfectly but casually dressed four-year-old son in the front row paying reasonably close attention to his father’s interpretation of American style…

On a slushy and rainy NY day, and realizing your shoes need a quick polish before sitting in the front row of a runway show, a finger always helps. I know colored laces are all the rage these days, but somehow pink works nicely with a pair of traditional brogues and a conservative suit…

And always point at the man in the gray flannel suit, she thinks, but not with your fingers.

Sacks & Saddles



Sometimes you’re walking on the sidewalk and something catches your eye—something particularly stylish (or sometimes particularly hideous). Bicycles are as plentiful as rats in The Big Apple, although fortuitously, these days, one sees bicycles a little more often than those much-maligned creatures (unless one is trekking along subway tracks, of course). There are beautiful bikes, ugly bikes, custom bikes and vintage bikes in various states of disrepair, but this one, a vintage bike not quite restored to perfection, but with the obligatory and now ubiquitous Brooks saddle and an American saddle bag, was just perfect. The gentleman (or lady) who rode and parked this has to be particularly stylish, I imagine.