"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world." ~ Susan B. Anthony (1896)

Cycling became fashionable in the 1880s, a time when women commonly wore corsets and petticoats, which wasn’t very practical, or comfortable. Thankfully though, the bike changed all this and yards of material and centuries of tradition gave way to bloomers, divided skirts and knickerbockers, predecessors to our modern-day skorts and knickers.

In 1895, Demerarest’s Family Magazine published the following:

"The bicycle will accomplish more for women’s sensible dress than all the reform movements that have ever been waged."

The truth is that a stylish woman knows how to ride her bike like an accessory!

The women of Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris and New York always ride in style, and it’s obvious that they definitely dress for their destination.

So, if you’re going to a meeting, dress in business attire, if you’re meeting with friends for coffee, then wear cafe attire. If you are really bold you can even ride your bike to the opera – in an evening gown of course, because, remember: you should always dress for destination!

Your daily ride can be done comfortably and also fashionably and if you get to most places on your bike, you should probably buy clothes for everyday life that work on and off the bike as well. Some can be cycle-specific brands, others not.

Also, don’t worry about your choices for shoes as you can ride your bike in any shoes, including heels, boots, dress shoes and sandals, as long as they have rubber soles. If you are concerned about wearing heels, well you know, since only the ball of your foot rests on your pedals, you can easily rock a pair of heels on a bike.

Fortunately, there are endless great shoe styles on the market with non-slip soles, comfortable insoles and materials that hold up in the elements.

Now, moving up to the legs area, thankfully, someone invented spandex. And then someone with an even bigger brain introduced it to denim – a perfect match made for the bike. You can opt riding in almost any pair of jeans if it has a bit of stretch. You can also wear suit pants on your bike. With an ankle strap, you can be completely fine.

In case you love skirts and dresses, you don’t have to stop wearing them! You just have to make sure to watch out for skirts that are too short and ride up or too long and could get caught in your chain or spokes. At bike shows over the past year, you can find skirts that are intended for riding, but you can also wear them everywhere.

What’s really great is that you can wear just about anything when you are riding the bike. Skirts, shorts, dresses, tops, pants, leggings, jackets - all come in fabrics and styles that work for the ride as well as the destination.

It’s fantastic that some women never forego style when they hop on their two wheeler.

What do you wear when riding your bike? Comment below.