• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
babes in leather
March 6, 2014

25 Badass Women in Biker Jackets

By Allison P. Davis

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
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.

View
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

Tags:

  • slideshows
  • fashion slideshow
  • exhibits
  • fashion exhibits
  • biker jackets
  • babes
  • patti smith
  • olivia newton-john
  • cher
  • madonna
  • kate moss
  • grace jones
  • rihanna
  • elizabeth taylor
  • babes in leather
  • dior
  • rick owens
  • saint laurent
  • cara delevingne
  • beyonce
  • anna dello russo
  • f.i.t.
  • miley cyrus
  • winona ryder
  • jodie foster
  • emanuelle alt
  • phoebe philo
  • slideshow
  • More

More Galleries

grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 28, 2022
How Were The Oscars After Party Looks Better Than The Actual Award Looks?  Finally, some fun. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 27, 2022
All the Looks From the 2022 Oscars Red Carpet  Zendaya, Regina Hall, Timothée Chalamet, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose, and more. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.