Coco Chanel and the Go Girls

I think that Coco Chanel would have been quite comfortable around the Go Girls.

No. Seriously. Stop laughing. Coco would have loved us, if not for our style, then for our stylish attitudes. Besides, no one does runners' fashion better than the Go Girls.

The Go Girls have recently been strutting their stuff all over town, or at least all over High Park, Yonge Street, the Annex, Rosedale, and Timothys. And when we strut, we strut.


Here I am strutting around in High Park during Harry's Spring-Run Off. Don't I look dapper? If this isn't style, I don't know what it is.

Here is Jacquie, bringing her own style and flair to Harry's SRO. Wow! Boy, did she turn heads. Not as many heads as she would have turned had she worn bubble-wrap and duct tape, but that's another story.

Of course, the Go Girls would never dream of appearing in public sans accoutrements! Here we are showing off (a) our legs and (b) what every stylish runner is wearing this year: timing chips.

Here are the Go Girls doing what the Go Girls do best: working it, baby! Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!

Of course, we know that that we could not be the fashion icons that we are without the help of all the little people who work behind the scenes. So we want to take a moment to acknowledge their contribution to our fashion success. Thanks for holding our stuff, Designated Husband!

Let's take a moment to get back to Coco Chanel. Coco had a certain je ne sais quoi that I believe would have made her a great Go Girl. Look at this photo of Coco and ask yourself: doesn't she belong with a running group composed of wild women?

For crying out loud, put a water belt on that woman and let her loose on the streets with us!

Now Coco had a wonderful way with words. Her wisdom lives on and is made manifest in some respects in the style and elegance (yes, elegance!) of the Go Girls.

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.
Coco Chanel

Classy and Fabulous. I cannot think of two words that better describe the Go Girls. Recently, for example, the Go Girls helped me dress up to celebrate the completion of the revised draft of my dissertation. The Go Girls brought their unique stylings to my outfit...


Here I am, wearing my custom-designed, "you finished your dissertation" running outfit. Oh, I felt pretty!

Oddly enough, you'll notice that none of the other Go Girls dressed up for the occasion, which begs the questions: WTF?!?

Lest you think my outfit was ridiculous, I wish to point out that purple is a very "in" colour at present and bells on headwear are appropriate on every occasion.

Did I mention that I was forced, I mean, privileged to run in this outfit?!

One consolation was that everyone had to run with me. One surprising thing was how many Torontonians did not even notice or blink twice at my unique ensemble.

Here I am shaking my tail feathers at passing motorists on Yonge Street, with my Go Girls loyally standing by. My family would be so very proud.

Coco once commented that "elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress." No, it does not. Elegance transcends what you wear and is most evident in how you wear it. The Go Girls wear their gear with attitude and elegance. Coco would be pleased, or at least intrigued...or most likely, mildly amused.