Avenue Vine

As business commuters gear up for National Bike-to-Work Day (May 18) and celebrate National Bike Month this month, they leave their SUVs in the driveway, say bye-bye to the bus and ta-ta to the train. They don their helmets and get ready for an exhilarating and eco-smart journey to the office. There’s only one thing left to do – dress for biking success.

Free Downloadable Biking-Tip Brochure Offers Photos and Tips on Looking “Cycle Chic” While Pedaling to the Office

Proving that there’s more to cycle chic than skin-tight travel togs, the Cycles Gladiator Cycle Chic Invitational: A Revolution in Style (an event held May 9 in New York) asked top wardrobe stylists to create stylish, quirky and wearable bike-to-work outfits, inspired by a wide range of jobs and professions. The best of the best are included in a free, downloadable e-brochure, the Cycles Gladiator Cycle Chic Guide to Bike-to-Work Wear which is available at the Cycles Gladiator Wines web site at www.cyclesgladiator.com.

The five outfits featured in the e-brochure include:
What the well dressed assistant district attorney would wear cycling to the courtroom (dare we call the outfit a “Law Suit?”): Wardrobe stylist Amy Markowitz came up with a simple yet dramatic, black and white multi-layered outfit with red accessories, that would enable the stylish ADA to remove her helmet, black leggings and white jacket to reveal a simple, comfortable black dress that goes easily from trail to trial.

A ballerina on the way to rehearsals needs clothes that are soft yet protective, with layers that perfectly fuse her sense of drama with her flair for virtuoso technique: Astrid Brucker chose pink and black layers to make sure the ballerina is warm and comfortable, with toe shoes at the ready, as she flies down the street to make rehearsal in time.

Imagine a graphic designer interested in the environment who lives her beliefs with sustainable or organic items. Her credo: comfort, environmentalism and style. Stylist Celine Griscom’s vision includes a necklace made from recycled tire rubber and a solar-powered carry-all bag that lights up to keep the biker visible and safe. Her red shoes are made of recycled plastic and her attractive shirt is of organic cotton.

To stylist Melanie McKinzie the music industry professional must look just so! Her concept includes matching golden gloves and jacket and unforgettable leopard print pants. Pink bouffant hairdo – Optional.

Ordering dinner from the neighborhood restaurant? Suppose the deliveryman, were a stylish deliverywoman? Nana Yoshida, stylist/designer envisioned PJ-like comfort and a fashionable giant chain and lock that serve as both a perfect accessory and a deterrent to bike-thieves. This outfit, complete with matching shoes and blue nail polish is reason enough to start making deliveries.

The Cycle Chic Invitational event was sponsored by California winery Cycles Gladiator, owned by Hahn Estates, which produces wines that feature an image from an antique Parisian cycling poster. The famed artwork that once showcased the stylish Cycles Gladiator bicycle in the late 1800s now graces the bottles of the classic Cycles Gladiator wines from California’s Central Coast. The mythological image of the nymph riding her winged bicycle captures the grace and uninhibited beauty of the winery’s Central California hillside vineyards which produce the grapes that are used to make award-winning Cycles Gladiator Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah wines. For more information on Cycles Gladiator wines go to www.cyclesgladiator.com.

Cycles Gladiator Wines Website: www.cyclesgladiator.com

NEW YORK–May 21, 2007