Visible Style
02. Mar, 2010 
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If you are a cyclist you don’t want to be invisible, day or night. We want to be seen by the motorists we share the road with. Simply put, being seen is being safe. Smart cyclists put high quality lights on their bikes to be seen from the front and from the rear in darkening light conditions. Cyclists often wear bright reflective vests or jackets to increase their visibility.
Reflective clothing and style haven’t always gone together. Over a decade ago, I had a vest that resembled one worn by the school safety patrol to help me be seen in the early morning hours or evenings. Yes, it made me visible, but deep down I disliked wearing it and sometimes left it behind. I also had a couple jackets with some thin piping of reflectivity and they were at the other end of the spectrum: nice looking but they weren’t as visible as the vests. There were other jackets on the racks that were the color of traffic safety cones. I never bought any. I have to admit it, looking nice won out over looking like a school safety patrol or a traffic cone.
Technology has caught up with style, thank goodness. A woman’s cycling or running apparel can look good, have the best weather protection for wind, water or cold, active performance features AND you will be seen day OR night. Illuminite is a company that is designing and making stylish active clothing with beautifully patterned reflective clothing. In the light of a car’s headlamp the Illuminite clothing will beautifully light up your silhouette and you will be seen. In the light of day, the clothing looks stylish without going the neon route.
Laurel (L) rides in style with Illuminite's Java vest. Tara (R) wears the Nocturnal Jacket
The bright colors of the Nocturnal jacket and Java vest look great in the daylight.The Perennial Jacket will keep cyclists and runners warm and dry and make them visible in low-light conditions. The Halo knit cap has a reflective strip that looks great in any kind of light.
Close-up of the Java Vest's Reflective pattern
Check out the detail of the reflective pattern on the Nocturnal jacket.
The Perennial Jacket will keep cyclists and runners warm and dry and make them visible in low-light conditions. The Halo knit cap has a reflective strip that looks great in any kind of light.
The Illumnite Perennial jacket really captures the light (Shown w/ Halo Toque hat in white)
Illuminite clothing is available at many stores that sell cycling and running clothing, including REI.
The marketing photos make them look fantastic, but in real world conditions the retroreflectiveness from car headlights really isn’t effective — but I haven’t looked at Illuminite in a good five years so it’s probably worth another look.
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