Motorcycles and Heavy Metal Fashion

    FASHION - Motorcycles, heavy metal and a darker look are in this Fall. Be on the lookout for a lot of young women wearing motorcycle jackets and sporting heavy metal jewelry.

    In seems like the younger generation are pushing the late 80s cliques once more.

    The Preppies (the preppy look is also in)

    The Slackers (lots of plaid shirts)

    The Rockers (the heavy metal, motorcycle jackets, big clunky boots, etc)

    Look for "leader of the pack" studs, spikes and chains on everything from boots to bracelets. The aggressive biker image becomes a lot softer as women wear buttery soft leather and shapely cuts in real or imitation leather.

    NOTE: The process used to make imitation leather isn't very environmentally friendly. So you're either killing some cows or destroying the environment. Your choice. Its either faux leather or the real thing. Plus the beef industry kills the cows anyway for their meat whether we wear the leather or not. The fur industry is a whole different matter because we don't actually eat minx, fox, chinchillas and rabbit that often.

    Big clunky boots smothered in nail heads or studs. Wide belts with tonnes of studs. Bullets, Skulls, Fake Tattoos... its all good.

    And not necessarily steel! You can also get a variety of colours.

    By the time you're done your parents will want to send you to reform school for an attitude adjustment.

    Even little kids are getting into the motorcycle jacket trend. They can be found at H&M, Gap and Joe Fresh, giving new meaning to the phrase biker babe.

    And even if you don't like the jackets, check out all the kewl accessories.

    The last time the motorcycle jacket was so popular it was during the late 80s and early 90s. The era was captured perfectly in 1991 by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh who featured the top supermodels of that era posing like street toughs in Chanel leather biker jackets.

    The don't-mess-with-me attitude with broad menacing shoulders and flashy hardware, buckles, zippers and studs was the ultimate way to tell your parents' you're rebelling. Add biker boots, leather officer caps and mini skirts and there is a variety of looks you can make.

    You want the look to be natural however. You shouldn't feel like you're wearing a costume.