Vespertine: Combining Bike Safety with Chic Style

Bike Safety and Style, Who Woulda’ Thought the Two Could Mix?!

If there is one goal all female cyclists (and all cyclists for that matter) share it is their desire to be safe and be seen out on the road. Being noticed isn’t always easy when cars, trucks, busses and RVs are whizzing past you while paying more attention to their phones than the road in front of them. And unfortunately the situation becomes even more dismal when women cyclists try and find ways to be seen and be fashionable. Although the neon construction vests do make you visible, they do little towards achieving any type cycling fashion statement.  Aside from the fashion disaster, reflective vests, another option is road cycling gear designed for serious riding, but it’s not necessarily best for cruising the downtown streets of the city. Is there no happy medium between safety and style?!! Lucky for us, Sarah Canner of New York City became inspired by this very question and started a line of clothing that brings safety and style together in unbelievable harmony, making that neon vest a thing of the past (sigh of relief…).

Urban cycling sparked Sarah’s interest while she was living in Paris. Peddling her way around the beautiful, European city became liberating for Sarah and she soon found it to be “a form of transportation that renews the body, soul and planet.” But it didn’t take long for Sarah to realize that her interest in fashion sometimes didn’t translate over onto her bike. There were times when her “de rigueur black overcoat” blended with the night, leaving her at the mercy of the oftentimes reckless city drivers. This problem was unsettling for Sarah, but with her background in design, screenwriting and acting, she realized she could do something about it. Thus, out of a need to ‘be seen’ on her bike and inspiration based on locations Sarah had the privilege to inhabit such as Paris, Buenos Aires, LA and New York, she created Vespertine, a clothing line meant to stop cars and turn heads!  

Sarah Canner, wearing one of her own creations; the "Vespert" in "Quick-Silver-Reversible"

The Vespertine "Road Hog" Vest in "Cotton Candy"

And turn our heads is exactly what we did when we saw Sarah at Interbike 2011. She was wearing a vest that she designed herself and it was out-of-the-ordinary to say the least. This vest was composed of neon yellow feathers that ran vertically down a silver, reflective fabric that glimmered when the light hit it just right (the ”Road Hog ECO-Citron” Vest). When we enquired about the show-stopping vest she proceeded to tell us about her company and show us some of the other reflective garments she has produced, and they were all stunning both in design and in visibility!

The SASH-AY Scarf with 3M reflective thread stripes woven seamlessly into this fine, surprisingly soft and light weight English wool tweed

Some of the pieces include; a tweed scarf with 3M reflective threads woven into the design (the SASH-AY Scarf), the VESPERT which is a one buttoned, vest like garment with thick, reflective bands as the straps and the ISOAR Wings which is a reflective silver and yellow material vest with undulating vertical bands down the back. And there are so many more designs to choose from. But it gets better because Vespertine has also made a commitment to the environment with its use of 100% recycled polyester and fabrics sourced from small European mills that concentrate on quality. Vespertine is also giving 1% of profits to World Bicycle Relief, an organization focused on providing bikes to impoverished nations, which makes it that much more desirable to buy one of the many cycle safety accessories.

The Vespert in Bronze Lame. The crossed 3M reflective straps in the back and signature V-neck keep it bright when the sun goes down.

 Without a doubt Vespertine and the brains behind it all, Sarah Canner, have forever changed the way we think about cycling, safety and style. We now know there is a way to seamlessly integrate those three in a way that is eye-catching, chic and downright practical!

(Article by Stephanie Tomlin)

SPECIAL OFFER for Cycle & Style Readers:

Charmed by the combination of high fashion with safety function? Vespertine is offering a discount!

When ordering, just enter “CYCLESTYLE” into the discount area to get 35% off from now until the end of October!

Sarah will be accepting pre-orders on the “Coming Soon” items and will apply the discount to them as well. You can easily e-mail her to arrange that. One item of note is the reflective Bicycle Belt” shown in the thumbnail photo on the upper left. Look for it to come out soon! AND Look for more as creative Sarah is coming out with additional fun, flirty styles and new fabric combos!

The elegant ISOAR WINGS features a cascade of bi-colored silver charmeuse silk and citron recycled poly ruffles with reflective piping on the back.

The highly reflective 3M material of the ISOAR Wings vest will make sure you're seen!