Harley-David, Son of A.....

my harley-davidson wallet from the 1970s-80s, given to me by someone very special.

ahh, the sounds of spring: singing birds, children laughing in the park , and the growl of a 750cc engine rumbling past my house...

recently, i have been really inspired by the look, feel, and idea of the "road-warrior" culture.  here, in my village, bikers are large, grizzly men in leather vests covered with patches.  many are veterans.  they ALL kick ass. (i want 2 get some photographs of a bike, but haven't felt that the moment is right yet....i am afraid i'll get caught in the act then have to actually explain what i am doing..."uhhh, i'm sorry, sir, i'll back away now, i was just taking really close up photos of your bike for my "blog"...yikes!) (anyway. i PROMISE soon i'll get some, no more chickening out)

studded vest, robin's jean. jacket, belstaff. cross earrings, modekungen.se, studded iPhone case, shopthetrend.com. rosary- dagger necklace, pamela love. sunglasses & ring, chrome hearts. satchel, belstaff. boots, harley-davidson.

so many designs these days are biker-culture inspired. leather, studs, spikes, and "distressed" fabric is everywhere, from alexander wang to zara. for me, it's always important to find authenticity closer to the source...(i too love spiked Litas, but i cannot imagine wearing them on a bike.)

the harley-davidson co. itself, designs and produces apparel.

one of my favorite accessory designers is chrome hearts. they manage to stay true to the original feeling and spirit of biker culture without losing their amazing sense of fashion and design.  (the company was started by a biker in the 1980s.) i have a chrome hearts necklace that i was lucky enough to find at the brooklyn flea. (whole 'nutha post...stay tuned.)

and, belstaff.  the english version of harley-davidson.  they have become really popular in the past few years.  a while back they did some work for j.crew.  i first found out about them in a small boutique in NYC's west village whose name now escapes me...(i was like "oh, that's a beautiful leather jacket"...then i checked out the price tag...whoa.)  i love their designs and, when i win the lottery, any of their pieces would be a truly worthwhile investment.

my chrome hearts necklace. photo by christina baute.

there's so much amazing cultural history involved in this trend, not only in the US but also abroad...so even though spring and summer are coming and pastel colors are everywhere (ugh. i'm really trying 2 b OK w/ this...)...don't b afraid to mix some leather, studs and spikes into the mix....and b ready to take that road trip !!!