Spiffy Tweed

Not long ago, big brass-buttoned military coats looked a bit extreme. So did high-button, high-lapel vests and slim tweed trousers.

This flamboyance is part of a curious new movement called Tweed Rides, informal gatherings of spiffily dressed ladies and gents cycling leisurely through town and disdaining finish lines. Tweed Rides began in London earlier this year and have spread this fall to Boston, San Francisco and Chicago.

Eric Brewer, a gallery owner who founded Dandies and Quaintrelles, the group that is organising the Washington ride, said that the idea was not to come out in costume. “There are all kinds of societies that are about dressing up in period costume and then going back to your oversize jeans the next day. This is about style as a way of being.” Even so, tweed states its own case surprisingly well. “I haven’t worn tweed in a while, but I’m rediscovering it,” Brewer said. “The Victorian era was about a very trim silhouette and form, and I’m seeing tweeds that are cut that way. Tweed looks very elegant, but it’s a very sturdy fabric, so you can be dapper and still appear rugged.”

It is worth noting, how well 19th-century elements fit into the modern wardrobe, especially since many of them, like peacoats, vests, fedoras had a revival in the 20th century. And as formal or old-fashioned as some of the attire may seem, most of it goes surprisingly well with the 19th century’s most enduring fashion legacy.