Fashion & Beauty

10 best biker jackets in movie history

Calling all cool kids — Tuesday, the Museum at FIT debuts “Beyond Rebellion: Fashioning the Biker Jacket,” an exhibition tracing the history of the biker jacket and its evolution from utilitarian staple to high-fashion statement. Beginning with Schott’s famous and aptly-named “Perfecto” jacket from the ’50s, the exhibit explores iterations of the style by designers such as Rick Owen, Yves Saint Laurent and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons; it runs through April 5.

While some people earned a second skin braving the notorious stalls of CBGB, most of us learned to love biker jackets the way we learned everything else — via film.

So here, in chronological order, are the most badass bikers in movie history. If we missed one, deal with it, punk.

Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One,’ 1953

Few people have actually seen this film, but Brando’s image as biker outlaw Johnny Strabler is among the most enduring in pop culture history — the one that started it all. The actor’s snug Schott Perfecto jacket with “Johnny” emblazoned on the front embodies ride-or-die irreverence 60 years strong. At the time, it even inspired a ban on the biker in school systems nationwide due to a rise in hoodlum behavior among young wannabe rebels.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in ‘Grease,’ 1978

Bikers struck the biggest chord when John Travolta turned greaser culture into a musical extravaganza, complete with pompadours. While the actor and his posse, the T-Birds, made bikers their uniform, it was Newton-John’s character Sandy who stole the show, stepping out in a new tough look for one of the greatest movie moments ever.

Mel Gibson in ‘Mad Max,’ 1979

In this dystopian action flick, Mel Gibson plays an Australian cop who sets out to avenge the deaths of his wife and son, slain at the hands of a merciless motorcycle gang. Hell yeah! The best part, though, is the hero’s jacket — just one element of an all-leather, S&M-friendly patrol uniform — that got jazzed up with an armor-like sleeve (to push the warrior shtick, and so Gibson could flaunt his bicep).

Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘The Terminator,’ 1984

Before he was the Governator, Schwarzenegger was the Terminator, and proved cyborg assassin chic isn’t complete without a rugged leather jacket. The film starts off in 2029, until Arnie travels back to 1984. A bunch of stuff happens after that, but the moral of the story? Bikers are timeless.

Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb in ‘Sid and Nancy,’ 1986

The punk revolution peaked in the late ’70s, but mainstream audiences didn’t get a taste until Gary Oldman played Sex Pistols rocker Sid Vicious and Chloe Webb his manager girlfriend Nancy Spungen in this gritty British biopic. Barring the rampant heroin use, the biggest takeaway is biker jacket DIY accessorizing — buttons and safety pins for the win! — and the greatest depiction of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll to ever grace the big screen.

Charlie Sheen in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,’ 1986

It was a small role but one of the most memorable, if only for Charlie Sheen’s mysterious swagger. Jennifer Grey’s character Jeanie becomes attracted to juvenile delinquent after he tells her to worry more about herself and less about her brother — unequivocal proof that girls love bad boys, especially ones in bikers.

Johnny Depp in ‘Cry-Baby,’ 1990

The ’90s answer to the ’50s bad boy was Johnny Depp, the ultimate antihero heartthrob. Despite the mocking nickname “Cry-Baby,” Depp’s character pulls off the greaser look with considerably less camp than, say, Kenickie (Jeff Conaway in “Grease”), as nothing looks better with a biker than brooding.

Drew Barrymore in ‘Poison Ivy,’ 1992

Long before Sky Ferreira, there was Drew Barrymore as the peroxide-blond, biker-sporting siren in the cult classic “Poison Ivy.” Not even a sax-heavy Lifetime movie soundtrack could detract from Barrymore’s role as a grungy teen-turned-seductress-turned-murderer, a veritable fashion plate for designers who’ve been resuscitating ’90s fashion trends for seasons now.

Matt Dillon and Bridget Fonda in ‘Singles,’ 1992

Speaking of the ’90s, few films better encapsulate the era and its love affair with leather jackets than “Singles.” It features Bridget Fonda as a coffee shop server, Matt Dillon as a grunge rocker, and everyone looks like they just stepped out of a Seattle thrift shop.

Rooney Mara in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’ 2011

The biker jacket got a fresh revival for the American adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s crime thriller. Though Mara went through great lengths physically (nipple piercing, anyone?) to play computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, the edgy look was cemented with the simple addition of a fitted leather jacket.