Weekend Warrior Princess

The motorheads at Harley Davidson have left their tire tracks all over the fashion industry. This season’s insanely badass moto-chick look has everyone from Balmain to Jean Paul Gaultier falling to their knees and begging for mercy.

Who wouldn’t tremble at a six-foot-tall Amazonia covered in leather and metal, with a take-no-prisoners attitude to match?

Perhaps it’s fashion’s evolution of the empowered female look that has lead to this influx of heavy metal. Where the ’80s had power suits, we now have leather jackets, dripping with as much chrome as possible.

Pop singer Rihanna might be the ultimate tough-chic poster child, constantly covered in spikes, studs and skin-tight leather, and looking like she’s straight from a high-fashion S&M escapade.

Where shoulders used to just be enormous, they now have the tendency to impale people. No one would dare mess with that.

Fashion genius Karl Lagerfeld greased up the runway for his fall 2009 namesake collection by strapping gem encrusted helmets on some of his models.

Lagerfeld even considerately included iPod hook-ups into the hardcore headgear for your death-metal listening pleasure. It looks like the only thing he left out was a guard against helmet-hair.

Not even footwear is safe from the iron jaws of motorcycle chic. Celebrities are stepping out all over the place in thigh-high leather boots, grommets and all. Whether laced-up, flat or stiletto high, these boots are stomping all over the place.

Leather is no longer an element only for motorcyclists. The once taboo trend is picking up speed from the runway to the street. Studded leather jackets, skin-tight mini dresses and thigh high leather boots are too menacingly chic to say no to.

This is one of those times when it’s good to be bad. So go get ’em.