News feed
No joke the bike short, in all its lycra glory, is back and moving from your gym-clothes drawer to your special-occasion section. How!? Why!? No! We hear you scream. And you can be forgiven. If you were lucky enough to spend your formative years in the eighties you may still encounter night terrors from the memory of such exposed gluteus maximus. The tightness, way they cut you off at the knee, the unflattering too-small waistband, the pastel-neon colours.
It’s all too real. But hear us out.
Dropping on runways from design houses such as Off-White, Acne Studios, Alexander Wang and Tommy Hilfiger since mid-last year, the garment most regularly seen scooting around on the thighs of early morning pelatons is now officially high fashion.
And if we had to crown the inventor? It was Princess Diana who was once the patron of pedal pusher fashion. Her iconic eighties get-up was sweatshirt, bike shorts, chunky white sneakers and pulled-up sport socks. In other words, exactly the trend of the now.
Of course, the Kardashian-Jenner household is a major stakeholder in this spandex awakening too, having favoured the tights-as-pants look for many years. In the last few moons Kim has been spotted developing a bike-shorts-with-knee-high-boots look. It’s controversial to say the least, the type of record-skipping trend that Twitter melts down over.
However, she’s not alone. Diverting from its usual sport-luxe safety zone, bike shorts are now being styled up with sharp-cut blazers, chic shirts and designer heels. Bella Hadid did the Frenchy bike shorts thing last September and the diamonds-with-bike shorts thing this May in Cannes. Celebrity stylist and designer Christine Centenera launched her latest Wardrobe.NYC collection with a chic black pair this week and actress Damaris Lewis took things to red carpet level when she wore the Off-White set to the Cannes Film Festival in May.
So while you may think, HA! Sure! I’ll wear bike shorts to a restaurant just as soon as I wear a flotation device as fashion and platform Crocs down the street…
Fashion is FUN y’all! Viva Le Tour!
Shop now
Stylerunner long line biker short, $55, SHOP NOW
Wardrobe NYC bike shorts (part of full 10-piece capsule collection), $2000, SHOP NOW
Nicky Kay bike shorts, $60, from The Iconic, SHOP NOW
