Cycling clothing as functional touring clothing

After our 2 weeks trial trip to France last year the last thing we want is heaps of heavy and bulky cotton clothing that can only be cleaned using a washing machine & dryer.  So I have been investigating the world of fixed gear clothing.  They may not be techies about their machines, but they do have some nice 'normal' looking functional clothing.  My quest in a way started with a Patagonia level 3 merino base layer that is supremely comfortable, doesn't get smelly and (I believe) looks good too.  I was thwarted in my last quest to wear it for a week and test the smell situation by the glass fibres, but I will be retesting this.

I also did a handwash of my merino tops and discovered to my dismay that inside in cold weather they took 2 days to dry.  Which is probably much better than cotton, but isn't good news considering that I'm planning to take only 3 or 4 tops!

The below is a pair of water & wind resistant trousers I'm getting for Julian from swrve.co.uk, I hope he'll find them smart enough for the coffee shop, as well as being tailored for cycling.  Unfortunately brands seem to be reducing their range of women specific casual cycling clothing because of lack of demand.  So I will be wearing my Odlo thermals under my womens styled 3/4 length shorts from swrve on the cold days.  Which I fear will not be the style statement I would be preferring to make.  But when combined with one of my limited range of shoes on the trip it will truly be an unforgettable decision.

I find buying for Julian a solace as it's so much easier than buying for myself.  Below is a wool jacket from swrve that has jersey pockets on the back.  I'm getting him the dark blue version & will get him to model at some point.