I had a real fashion dilemma: my boyfriend Steve invited me out; transportation was via his psychedelic painted chopper. So what to wear? Well...I'd done the boho thing, and you've seen me do the moto thing, now, is it possible the twain could somehow meet? Sure,  I thought to myself, recalling a rerun episode of the ole TV show, 'Lost in Space'. 'Lost in Space'? What's that got to do with it? Here I'll show you what came to mind:

The Robinson family encounter this group of space based bikers. The original TV show 'Lost in Space', was created in the '60's, and somehow these biker dudes seemed a wee bit like hippies to me. It must have been the way they talked: all of the "man" and "groovy" and "chic" stuff had that '60's era ring to my ears. Plus, their clothes. Sure they wear the silvery, metallicish pants or jackets that seem ubiquitous to the 'Lost in Space' world, then again, they also wear fringed suede vests or even fur vests.
Of course, that doesn't make them hippies, nor the lingo, check this out:

Biker gang movies from the '60's talked the same talk, and walked almost the same walk, just no silver metallic rave-nish pants, helmets or jackets. Probably Irwin Allen was thinking about 'Born Losers' more than hippies, though I get the feeling he equates the two together.
Anyway, that's the source of my inspiration. Now, I wrote the post about moto fashion, did the sum up of Polyvore motohippy sets, now it's time to show motohippy in action.
First off what'd be a good, shall we say, foundation for the whole look? Probably these boots:

Hornos, advertised made in the good ole USA, says made in Mexico on the soles; not that made in Mexico is necessarily a bad thing for thigh high boots. Hand made, too. Though they don't look it. Whatever. Seemed like the best place to start, what with the cool color scheme.
So. Here's how it all turned out:

Certainly, the boots blend well with the jacket. And. That psychedelic painted Harley Davidsonish hog. Fortunately, it's a twin seat; much more comfortable riding it. 
Here's the outfit without the jacket:

We took a long, long ride. Started in East Lansing, had lunch in Royal Oaks (vegetarian, yet), made a quick stop in the ole Big D, then out to Kalamazoo to this yuppieish/hipsterish coffee shop for a cup of joe. Then: back to East Lansing. Wehhh! 
No animals were harmed in this outfit: everything's PU, or maybe the boots aren't: don't want to subject them to the burn test. Course, the bralet and scarf aren't PU; they don't really count.
So. That's the motohippy thang. Or at least one look of it. I'm planning more explorations into the realm of moto, so look out for those.
Hope you enjoyed this one, and, you have a good one.
Catchya later.
Ciao.

Moto Fashion Live

Note: I had promised to put a post about my moto fashion up some time ago, and here it is, finally. Sorry for the delay.

""You're not going to get me on that thing!" I screamed while banging my fists on my boyfriend Steve's chest. My new boyfriend Steve had invited me on a date; transportation was to be via his motorcycle, however, now I had chickened out. The invitation had sounded romantic and enticing at first, plus it would give me a chance to try out my extensive collection of moto garments for real. Now, looking at Steve's squat, low slung Ducati, not so much. " Come on, Naomi" Steve wheedled, "We'll take it slow at first..." "I bet you say that to all the girls" I responded with a playful elbow to his ribs.

Moto fashion. It's a big fashion trend, at least as far as PU/Fake leather jackets and pants go. I've already written a couple posts about it, though not included my daily lifestyle take on it, or at least, not very much. Basically, summing up, moto fashion can be divided into a number of different groups. The first group is clothing designed for and intended to be worn by, people who ride motorcycles. The next two groups are based on the two families of motorcycles available: Harley Davidson/Triumph motorcycles, and BMW/Ducati/Japanese motorcycles. Because of the different types of motorcycles, two different styles of clothing have developed for each motorcycle group. The last moto style fashion group is clothing influenced by one or all of the above groups, but worn mostly for the fashionability of it.
When I received Steve's  invitation I wasn't sure what group he fell under, though I had an idea from his own clothing style. I played it safe and mixed things up a little.
First off, moto pants:

Bodycon to the max PU pants. These pants don't just hug the body, they're so tight they shape it a wee bit. Fortunately, the PU stretches more than real leather, so they aren't a pain in the toockus - literally - to wear.
Next up a pair of moto boots:

The platform and stiletto might not be the most practical, though the over the knee style might come in handy.
Finishing my outfit off, a PU bralette, gauntlet moto gloves, and a fake leather baker boy hat.
So. We took it slow at first, as Steve had suggested: a couple slow loops around the MSU dorm garage. Then, Steve wanted me to try his cycle solo, why, I don't know: I didn't have the attachment to my license to legally ride on my own, so what was I going to do? Steve explained that maybe I'd feel more comfortable. Fortunately, I did not ruin his expensive Italian bike:

Lessons over, we head out for our destination: Mexican Town in Detroit. Steve had already become acquainted with my fondness for Quesadillas, so, thoughtful him, he was looking out for me. What a sweetheart!
 The first part of our 45 minute was fun, a little scary, since it took only 45 minutes (if you know what I mean), but fun: hugging Steve's muscular back, the wind, the noise, the not usual vibration; it was something new. About half way through the trip, it started to get old, as fast as Steve was driving. Riding perched on the rear fender, in these  ultra tight moto pants, well, pain in the toockus was all I could think of. Still, once we reached our destination, I had to compliment Steve on the exhilarating ride.

We had a lovely romantic evening, though the quesadillas weren't especially to my liking. No matter, it was being with my new friend that counted most. Plus, got some cool looking fashion shots in, too.
Steve had sensed my discomfort riding on his bike, and after dinner, he suggested a couple stops alternate to the long trip back to East Lansing. It was getting too complicated, plus, since my car was still at MSU, I'd have to take the bus back from Detroit, so I said I'd manage. Sweet Steve made a couple other suggestions, but, no problemo, was my response, and back on the back of his bike, back to MSU we went.
So. There you go. Moto fashion outside of the closet. I've got a few more moto fashion styles I've explored, so look for those in the recent future. Well, guess that's it for today. If you've got a cycle, or ride on a friend's, make sure to get a few rides in before the weather turns frigid.
Catchya later.
Ciao.

Today's post is about one of current fashion's biggest trends, moto fashion. Before exploring the exciting fashion dope, my own background and interest in the subject should be explained. My boyfriend Steve owns a motorcycle, a Ducati. It wasn't just his handsome looks and expensive motorcycle that attracted me to him, his moto fashion flair caught my eye, too. So, combining my own interest in fashion, which couldn't ignore the moto influence, and Steve's enthusiasm for motorcycling, well, naturally that resulted in intensifying an already growing fascination.
So, back to the subject at large: what exactly is moto fashion? Well, it's a fashion trend that largely draws it's influence from the motorcycle sub culture. The motorcycle subculture can basically be divided into two or perhaps three different, dissimilar camps. The two basic camps are differentiated by the type, brand, or nationality  of the motorcycles. On one side is the traditional United-States-Harley-Davidson-Indian/British-Triumph camp, and on the other side is the Japanese-Kawasaki-Suzuki-Honda/Italian-Ducati camp. "So what do motorcycles have anything to do with fashion styles and styling besides being backdrops, Naomi?" You ask? Everything. Two very different styles of moto fashion were influenced by the two very different motorcycle subcultures. The way the bikes themselves fit in, is that the way the bikes are used and rode influenced the styling of the clothes. However, it would appear that when most people speak about moto fashion they're referring to the later of the two camps. But not so fast, since the Japanese/Italian style is in some ways a child of the Untited States/British camp, some of that US/British styling rubbed off on it. Here's some examples from the early years:

These photos from the late '60's to early '80's don't show much of a women's fashion movement; Bridgette Bardot could just as well be go-go dancing in her outfit as riding on her customized Triumph. To a certain extent Triumph is the missing link between the Harley Davidson and the Japanese/Italian subcultures. Fashionwise, stylings can go either way
because the bikes can go either way. Even though the photos above show only the germinal stages of a distinct fashion, you can see how the bikes influence the choice of clothing a bit: on the modified Harley Davidsons, the women's clothing is looser and less streamlined, Marianne Faithful, however, riding an unmodified Triumph, has a tighter more moto look. That's because in the old days, Triumphs were still being raced, and the racing outfits had and still have
a very direct influence on moto fashion. Here's some examples:

Even though everyone of these photos is of a guy on a motorcycle - can't think of a single woman motorcycle racer - it's obvious that Ms. Faithful's leather jumpsuit was influenced by what these guys are wearing. Actually, the jumpsuit gets its name from parachute jumping and the world of aircraft, I would suppose that because of the exposure motorcycle riders experience while riding, that the jumpsuit was adopted for motocrcycling. There are more insights to be gleamed from these photos: the traditional leather motorcycle jacket with it's cropping, wide collar, and integral, wide belt has been significantly streamlined. The length of the jacket remains though the collar has been all but eliminated, the wide belt replaced by numerous smaller belts and significant padding has been added. It's an obvious utilitarian decision based on
the danger of racing motorcycles. Incidentally, the traditional, wide collared motorcycle jacket started life as a policeman's uniform but became so embedded in a subcounterculture that it's original role as part of an authoritarian uniform has drifted into obscurity. Yet, that may be the reason the traditional moto jacket was adopted by the Harley/US
moto camp as much of this style of fashion is worn by people seeking to usurp authority by establishing an authority of their own. Movies like the Brando motorcycle movies, Born Losers, and real life motorcycle gangs exhibit such behavior.
The leather pants of the racing motorcyclist differ from the pedestrian versions in being a little tighter, but with padding in key areas. The leather pants from the old days were still boot cut sometimes with a zipper cuff. Today's moto pant has tightened things up considerably and the bulky padding of the motorcycle racing pant has been reduced and integrated as a style point. Instead of serving a functional role, the key features of the racing pants
have been highly stylized.
Finally, moto boots. In the early days, racing motorcyclists seemed to prefer a sort of Doc Martenish boot or a thick sole, low heeled - they were guys after all - Fry type boot. These boots evolved into boots that could pass as ski boots if you didn't look carefully. They don't seem to have had a very big influence on women's fashion except for a few boho styles. The modern ski type boots haven't had a very strong influence on day to day street fashion.
So, basically the moto look gets its influence from what men wear. Both the US/British and Japanese/Italian sides of the coin have slowly absorbed styles that guys wear and feminized them a bit. Now, I wrote earlier about a third version
of the moto look, and that's an image that motorcycle companies want to project. It's the look that appears in advertisements and at trade shows:

There's no obvious trend in the commercial moto girl look; it's a potpurri of a melange of different looks. Some articles of clothing obviously originated in the model's own wardrobe, others are part of a uniform. The moto girl look is very similar to the car girl look or other promo girls looks.
Finally, there's a moto girl dress up game. Well, it's not really a game, it's more like a virtual Barbie (hey guys I'm not playing with you). Check out these  shots:

There's no choice about the helmet in Street Bike Racer, safety first, even when you're not moving. Not many fashion choices either. Guess it serves its purpose.
So, I bet since you're smart you can figure out what's coming up later. And, since you're smart I know you're going to want to check back here again. That's all I'm going to say, and that's all for now.
Catchya later.
Ciao.