Through the Ages: Beauties on Bikes

By Rita Kokshanian
Updated Jul 27, 2014 @ 9:50 am
Credit: KM Archive/Getty Images

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.

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Jane Wyatt

Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection

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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Audrey Hepburn

Credit: Everett Collection

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.

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Elizabeth Taylor

Credit: Everett Collection

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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Grace Kelly

Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection

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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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Credit: Larry Zumwalt/Pictorial Parade/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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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Ava Gardner

Credit: Everett Collection

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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Marilyn Monroe

Credit: Harold Clements/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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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Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

Credit: KM Archive/Getty Images

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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By Rita Kokshanian