Quite Continental

The first crisp post-Labor Day weather has arrived in New York City and I was pleased to slip into a bit of tweed today — after roundly debating for a good three precious morning minutes on whether this would turn out to be a premature move, natch.  Happy to say that it was a perfectly sunny, briskly breezy transitional day and it put me in a proper “back to school” mood.  I almost felt like buying a new pencil box.

Completely apropos of the weather, my school spirit and my tweed, are these great photos from the 1952 Vassar-Yale Bike Race from the Life Archive.  A bit of astute Googling revealed that the lovely author Rebecca C. Tuite has written a great post for Ivy Style about the short-lived race, which began as a drunken wager, evolved into drunken debacle and was eventually shut down by school authorities for the greater good.  Thankfully, Life Magazine photographer Yael Joel was there to capture the shenanigans so that we might enjoy them today.  I don’t know about you, but my need for a new pair of Weejuns for the fall has definitely been intensified.

Photos by Yael Joel, taken April 1952, via the Life Archive.