Cycling seems to be being talked about everywhere at the moment, from the Barclays cycle hire scheme (I refuse to call them Boris Bikes when they were actually Ken's idea) to the seemingly endless fashion shoots featuring winsome girls in floaty floral frocks astride Dutch bikes. Of course I'd love to be the sort of person who just hops on my vintage bike and arrives at my destination looking tousled and gorgeous but the reality of my six mile commute in the the wind and rain means it's a good day if I get to work without mascara running down my face.
Although my London cycling attire tends toward the practical rather than the fashionable there is one part of my look that I'm very happy with and that's my cycle helmet. I don't feel comfortable riding in town without some protection for my bonce but wearing my traditional old helmet really made me feel like a dork. But since buying my Yakkay last year all that has changed.
Designed in Denmark, the home of chic cycling, these ingenious head-protectors feature a basic helmet, available in 3 sizes, and a whole array of covers that fit over the top. When put together the finished item looks more like a hat than a traditional helmet and more than anything I just think they are great fun.
Sadly they're not cheap, retailing at around £60 for the helmet and £35 for the covers, but although that might seem like a lot to pay I can honestly say I don't regret the outlay one little bit. Riding along feeling like a normal human being who uses a bike to get around rather than a Chris Hoy wannabee means that for me it was money well spent.
I have two covers, the Paris Black Oilskin which has the air of a horse riding helmet (a look I rather love); and the Tokyo Pink Jazz which is the kind of thing I like to think Coco Chanel might have chosen to wear if she was fighting her way past double deckers and aggressive black cabs on her bike. Having said all that, I have to be honest: I don't like to think of myself as a fair-weather cyclist but when that icy wind is really biting it takes all my willpower to get on my bike in the morning. But there's good news: Yakkay also have a rather snuggly looking pair of ear warmers that attach to the strap of the base helmet meaning they can be worn with any of the covers. And at around £20 they seem like a little extravagance I can allow myself.
Go on, admit it, you didn't believe me when I said bike helmets could be cool. But try out a Yakkay for yourself and I think you'll come around to my way of thinking.
[Images 1-4 Yakkay; images 5-6 Cyclechic.co.uk (where you can also buy Yakkay helmets & accessories)]
Ooh, such lovely things! I am afraid to say I don't usually wear a helmet but I KNOW i should am v tempted by that black one in particular. I often wear a mustard yellow coat though so I think that lovely pink one might turn me into rather too much of a beacon!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the streaming eyemakeup issue. I have come to discover that some waterproof mascara is certainly not, and Mac liquid liner is the only eyeliner I've found that really, really does not budge (I wish I could find a pencil which had the same properties!).
Happy cycling :)
Oh go on, get one Jane. They are fab! There's a herringbone Paris one that's nice but just didn't suit my colouring. They're also doing the Jazz in a more predominantly black colour which would stop you being so beacon-like.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to mascara I really don't like the waterproof variety - it's just too difficult to remove! And sadly, I'm not a big fan of the Mac eyeliner either. There's something about the brush or consistency that I don't get on with. I really like the Bourjois one; but it's very much not waterproof. I don't know, the trials of cycling eh?
RIGHT!! That does it!! I am purchasing myself a bike!! Oooh and a Tokyo New Jazz helmet!!
ReplyDelete