photos by Max Cook, Jim Darling, Danny Harris and Lindsay Hart
brief words by: Svetlana
This past weekend, several hundred men and women (no one counted though 200 registered), all wearing outfits that would proclaim them Dandies and Quaintrelles, all on bikes, all happy to be there (something to be noted, since in DC-there is always someone who seems not happy to be there) rode across town from H street NE to Marvin-and seemingly started a revolution. DC’s first (bi-annual) tweed ride, organized by Eric Brewer of Dissident Display, and intended to benefit Arts for the Aging, managed to do something that other impromptu street socials (the naked bike ride, the pantless metro ride etc etc) always seemed to fail to do: get respectuful press coverage.
NPR was there to approve. Washington post was all over “a generation, in an alley, in search of identity”, DCist announced a success and “whimsy throughout”, all hot on the heels of approving NYTimes Style coverage, proving once and for all that people do care about style and civilized good times around these parts. They just may need a little bit of motivating.
On that note, who are we not to jump on the coverage train, and in true BYT megalomaniacal spirit, please enjoy the photos below not by 1, or 2, or 3, but 4 photographers we managed to assemble from the event and keep checking http://dandiesandquaintrelles.blogspot.com/ for future plans and chances.
…
First up some (action) shots by Max Cook:
and then some portraiture…
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Then Jim Darling provides some stirring portraits, street-style shooters take note:
 |
|
Danny Harris with some awesome (and colorful) editorial portraiture:
 |
|
And Lindsay Hart with some very classy looking candids:
i would sit wear those now adays, they are bangin
the only valid negativo about this ride is this: many were virtually excluded simply because they had no tweed attire. The rest is just irrelevant bs. Tweed still beats lycra though, in case of dudes, in particular.
http://girlsontwowheels.blogspot.com/2009/11/freewheeled-freedom-machines.html
is this for real? this seems like a parody of hipster culture, kind of like the dude who showed up to one of your lame ass pool parties over the summer with the mesh hat and shirt with a caribou on it or whatever.
‘Twas a smashing good time. Absolutely lovely, I must say!
Love these. They’re making me want to go buy an amazing hat.
I’m still for it, just mad everyone fucking looks like me now.
hey righteous restyle, i grew up in the dc area. douchey and stupid is douchey and stupid. goofy antics like this are no more revolutionary than the popped collar frat bros you find in any georgetown or adams morgan bar. yawn.
AYHSMB, ultimately I think you’re right. There’s just something about the “Hey! look at me!” element that turns me off, and I think “Ain’t it wacky?” is a pretty stupid reason for doing something. The point that us haters are just a bunch of internet jerks peeing in peoples’ Cheerios isn’t lost on me though.
ye rock – exclusionary..? Please. All you had to do is show up with a bike.
You say ‘it’s much cooler to be yourself, and if those pictured are being themselves, then you are not cool’.
..what!!
please tell us, ye rock, how to be ourselves and cool to a standard that pleases you and of which you approve.
As for revolutionary ..well, all I was interested was having fun. Not trying to overthrow anything.
And, in my experience, nobody was taking themselves too seriously on this grand day : )
Man, people really know how to over think other people having a good time…
Lighten up Francis…
I’m on the lunatic fringe of bike enthusiasts, and I’m into old-timey fashion done right. This just smacks of the same self-conscious pseudo-eccentricity that’s generally dubbed “ironic” these days. Nice little costume-party brunch you had there. Revolutionary!
t_bears – so this was old-timey done wrong?!
Some did better than others ..maybe – but, overall, everybody looked great and had fun.
As for people being self-conscious – I would disagree.
There was a general good time had and a spirit of fun and camaraderie.
Fun being the operative word for all you sour-puss-haters – the ‘puss’ with emphasis, b**ches.
Transitioning from hate to love, does anyone know anything about the whereabouts of the dashing young gentleman pictured in the third photo under “candids”? He’s so dreamy…
Clearly some of you DC newbies have no idea how revolutionary such an event was for Washington DC. This event wouldn’t have even been a twinkle in anyone’s eye a few years ago. Many of us who have called DC home for (too many) years are more than excited for even a “parody of hipster culture” – fun, creative events where nobody gives a shit? In a city that is known for the status quo, uptight small-town student presidents getting drunk on the Hill, ill-fitting black suits-and-sneakers combos . . .? More Tweed Rides, please (and pool parties)!!
@Righteous (re)Style: you’re so right, this event was revolutionary for DC. I am so excited to see everyone this stoked on a bike event and eager for more of them to take place. Does anyone know where to find the photo’s they took in the studio before the ride? Keep up the great momentum DC!
It’s hard not to have fun on a bike no matter what your wearing.
Here’s my tweed ride post and photos:
http://cyclejerk.blogspot.com/2009/11/washington-dc-got-tweeded-but-good.html
Being born and raised in DC proper, and having moved back down here from NY recently, I agree that DC is mad uptight and boring. But in my opinion, people who dress up like it’s the 1920s are being as exclusionary and douchey as “the uptight small-town student presidents getting drunk on the Hill”. I think it’s much cooler to be yourself, and if those pictured are being themselves, then you are not cool.
It was mad fun. It brought together a lot of different social groups that rarely interact. More people should ride bikes. Did I mention how FUN it was? And all the women looked gorgeous.
These are the only things that matter. Wash that down with some haterade if you’re so inclined.
Damn, this shit is too mainstream for me.
rhome, that shit was lame and wack. please stop defending yourself for being a part of it.
Interesting. Well it’s a fuck of a far cry from the DC messenger person getup that’s for sure.
Where’d the dude with the pennyfarthing come from?
And we raised money for nice people who help old folks.
Would anyone else like to be sarcastic?
how could you have 4 photographers covering this event and somehow not get a picture of Camille Schefter?
dcist did, and she is hot.
Thank you BYT for bringing to light a truly momentous day filled with creativity, grace, humor and community building for a great cause in Arts for the Aging!
The man with pennyfarthing is my neighbor! Fuck yeah!
Oh god. LOL!
it’s damn pleasing when cultured chicks show some leg. I declare, it better be more rides in that style. Except it doesn’t have to be tweed all the time, you know.
I love shit like this. It gives people who no one gives two shits about the chance to feel like a star, like someone cares. It makes them feel like they’re Jon Gosselin, even if for a fleeting moment and even if they’re wearing something even more retarded and ludicrous than an Ed Hardy outfit. Kudos to the writer of the article for having the balls to write ‘editorial portraiture’ in a sentence, even though they used it in the wrong sense. Don’t let little things like the definition of editorial in reference to photography slow you down. F the haters, bro.
PS: A photo isn’t a ‘candid’ if someone is posing for it. Just a heads up for next time.
i saw this in the post and immediately thought about how much the cutbacks over there are influencing creativity on the feature pages. people dress up like 1930′s folk and ride around town. people wear ridiculous outfits and bike around town everyday, yet somehow this is different. cute girls though.
@Weakness
“….even if for a fleeting moment and even if they’re wearing something even more retarded and ludicrous than an Ed Hardy outfit”
Hey brah, you wanna come over and watch some MMA, drink bud-light and wear some Ed Hardy? I got an extra VonDutch hat if you wanna borrow it.
@weakness: “It makes them feel like they’re Jon Gosselin, even if for a fleeting moment”
you say it like its a good thing…
bravo BYT! way to document a truly special day in DC.
the *overwhelmingly* positive responses continue to roll in from riders, spectators and the after-ride social-supporters.
thank you!
Absolutely fantastic!
I have not lived in DC for long (1 year and a bit) and this is the best event I’ve seen since I moved here.
And, I have to say that everyone was being wonderfully friendly; the pretentiousness typical of large crowds of hip kids was just not there… so for all those who did not attend and are now throwing fits… you’re just missing the point.
Everyone looks so hot.
grrrrrreat photos
coool
http://www.qtorrents.com
Gee,
I’m shocked, shocked I say! to find post ironic pricks on a website hating on other people for doing……something they don’t like.
Cluestick:
The ride wasn’t meant to be revolutionary or ironic or anything other than what it was: A bunch of people who dressed up in costumes and rode bikes around town to raise money for a good cause while having fun at the same time.
Nobody was taking themselves seriously, nobody was being a snob and all I heard were people encouraging other people to get on bikes.
If that rankles your hipster feathers, so be it. I guess you can look forward to the satisfaction you will undoubtedly derive from writing bilious screeds about the next Tweed ride that takes place.
it is really amazing to see these delusional hipster turds screaming so loudly to stick up for such idiotic behavior. killselves immediately.
I showed up at Marvin for a separate, previously planned engagement, and had no idea this was happening–to my disappointment. It looked really well-organized, and I thought everyone looked amazing, classy, and there was truly a good spirit about the event.
Nicely done!
Costumes? *is offended*
Um,
who’s screaming?
Moreover, why shitpipe, are you here, on a known ‘hipster’ website pretending to be holier than thou’?
Perhaps you stumbled across BYT on on your way to the literary forums at Salon.com?
Or are you like most trolls in that you seek out places where you can be an obnoxious prick to strangers in complete safety due to the anonymity provided to you by the internet?
I vote for the latter.
michael, don’t be offended that they considered they’re attire costumes. if that’s not how they dress everyday, just assume they were in “Michael” costumes. you should be flattered. or scared.
As I was waiting for the jitney at the Wheaton Metro this past November, I was quite taken back by the sight of a gentleman pushing a penny farthing down the sidewalk past me. After expressing my great surprise to see such a sight (“THAT IS SO F***ING COOL!”), the gentleman and I had a brief conversation concerning his horseless contrivance and his participation in the organized demonstration of bicycling prowess referred to as the Tweed Ride. Our conversation was most enlightening and I was both enormously impressed that such an event was to occur within the borders of the District of Columbia as well as with the gentleman’s chosen instrument of conveyance. Needless to say I will do my utmost to participate in the next scheduled Tweed Ride and was quite honored to have learned of it in such a manner.
Shitpie’s just jealous. It was fun, and was for a good cause. The end. Why is everything so overthought by (probably) pseudo-intellectuals? It was a fucking dress-up-and-ride-around-on-a-bike event. So what? Was anyone harmed by this?
There were messengers, commuter cyclists, people who hadn’t been on a bike in decades, anglophiles, hot women, sexy guys, and everybody in between. Everyone was really friendly and things went well. But the dumbass comments on here…that’s why I (and many others) hate this evil, evil town; people are just pricks here, one way or another. DC needs more shit like this, not less. Let people do what they want, chill with the hate.
Here’s a photo from the 2010 Buffalo Lazy Randonneur Club Annual tweed ride. First Sunday of Spring. We do a Seersucker ride every first Sunday of summer too.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3511838&l=8ec25a8cab&id=606419145
2010 BLRC (Buffalo Lazy Randonneur Club) Annual tweed ride photo. Every first Sunday of Spring. We do a Seersucker ride too, the first Sunday of Summer.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3511838&l=8ec25a8cab&id=606419145