Through the Ages: Beauties on Bikes

Courtesy Everett Collection
Rita Kokshanian
Jul 27, 2014 @ 9:50 am

With the Tour de France going into its final leg from Évry to Paris today, we were inspired to take a look at how our favorite style icons dress when cycling. From Audrey Hepburn to Michelle Obama and Grace Kelly to Naomi Watts, stars from the past and present are no strangers putting the pedal to the metal to get from point a to point b. But rather than settle for workout-type duds, these women know how to marry fashion and function!

Click through our gallery to see how cycling style has evolved throughout the years. You might even be inspired to hop on your own two-wheeler for tomorrow's morning commute.

1 of 8 Courtesy Everett Collection

Jane Wyatt

Father Knows Best actress Jane Wyatt, seen here in the early 1940s, rode her bike in an outfit that could easily have been from today: A cropped shirt, culottes, and practical wedges.
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2 of 8 Everett Collection

Audrey Hepburn

On the set of her film Sabrina in 1954, Hepburn wheeled around in a printed A-line dress worn over a black long-sleeved tee and paired with ballet flats.
3 of 8 Everett Collection

Elizabeth Taylor

A young Taylor went for a slightly masculine look while cycling in the mid 1940s, pairing a plaid shirt with a pair of trousers and some lace-up oxfords.
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4 of 8 Courtesy Everett Collection

Grace Kelly

While biking to the soundstage of one of her Paramount pictures in 1954, Kelly looked like the picture of ladylike perfection in a belted coat dress with a full skirt, hat with a veil, and heels.
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5 of 8 Larry Zumwalt/Pictorial Parade/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

The first lady wore white trousers, a black turtleneck sweater, white sneakers, and her signature oversized sunglasses for a ride through Central Park in New York City in 1970.

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6 of 8 Everett Collection

Ava Gardner

Gardner looked fresh and ready for summer in a pair of tailored shorts, a white button down short sleeve top, and sandals in the early 1940s.
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7 of 8 Harold Clements/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Marilyn Monroe

For a ride with her husband Arthur Miller in 1956, Monroe donned a pair of dark pants, a striped marinière shirt, and a thick knit sweater.
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8 of 8 KM Archive/Getty Images

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

The dynamic duo wore timeless matching outfits for a stroll – Bogart in ‘40s-era trousers and Bacall in an oversized midi skirt. A crisp white shirt served as the team’s winning factor. 

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