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babes in leather
March 6, 2014

25 Badass Women in Biker Jackets

By Allison P. Davis

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Photo: Chris Walter/Getty Images

In 1929, brothers Irving and Jack Schott, the sons of Russian immigrants, created the first biker jacket, which they called the Perfecto. Inititally made for utility purposes, it quickly came to stand for all things cool, rebellious, and edgy. On the backs of men like James Dean and Marlon Brando, the simple moto — with its cropped waist, peaked collar, belt, and hardware — became the calling card of an untamed spirit. But it was women who turned it into a fashion staple. From the 1960s, when Yves Saint Laurent sent a crocodile version down the Dior runway, to modern versions by Rick Owens and Saint Laurent, the biker jacket has become a symbol of rebellion.

In honor of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s new exhibition, “Beyond Rebellion: Fashioning the Biker Jacket,” click through our slideshow of 25 women who wore the biker jacket like a second skin: from ‘70s punk to ‘80s rebel to more than one good girl gone bad.

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1 / 25 Photos
Patti Smith, 1976  Photo: Lynn Goldsmith/Getty Images
Debbie Harry, 1977  Photo: Chris Walter/Getty Images
Joan Jett, 1980  Photo: Anne Fishbein/Getty Images
A Hells Angels bride and groom, 1971  Photo: Manchester Daily Express/Getty Images
Olivia Newton John as Sandy in Grease, 1978  Photo: Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Tina Turner, 1984  Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Madonna on the set of the "Papa Don't Preach" music video, 1986  Photo: Terry McGinnis/Getty Images
Grace Jones in the James Bond film A View to Kill, 1984  Photo: 2011 Keith Hamshere
Jodie Foster at a Eurythmics concert, 1986 
Cher, 1987  Photo: Martina Raddatz/Redferns/Getty Images
Winona Ryder, 1989  Photo: 1989 Ron Galella, Ltd.
Cindy Crawford, 1990  Photo: Krause, Johansen/Getty Images
Kim Basinger at the MTV Video Music Awards, 1990  Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor on The Tonight Show, 1992  Photo: NBC/Getty Images
Kate Moss with Johnny Depp, 1994  Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
Agyness Deyn performing with the Five O'Clock Heroes in London, 2008  Photo: Myrna Suarez/Getty Images
Phoebe Philo, 2008  Photo: Copyright (c) 2008 Rex USA. No use without permission.
Rihanna performing at the MTV Video Music Awards, 2008  Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Emmanuelle Alt at Paris Fashion Week, 2010  Photo: 2010 Getty Images
Naomi Campbell at the Pirelli Corso Venezia flagship opening in Milan, 2011  Photo: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images
Anna Dello Russo at Paris Fashion Week, 2012  Photo: Julien Hekimian/Getty Images
Sienna Miller at the Met Costume Institute Gala, 2013  Photo: Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus, 2013  Photo: Jason LaVeris/2013 Jason LaVeris
Cara Delevingne at the Glastonbury Festival, 2013  Photo: Mark Boland/2013 Mark Boland
Beyoncé in the "Yonce" music video, 2013 
1 / 25

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