Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket

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Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket

Conde Nast Traveler calls it one of the world’s nine must-see shows of the fall. This show will never be seen again. We’re the last stop on a two-year tour.

From military aviators to motorcycle enthusiasts, from movie and music stars to famous fashionistas, the black leather jacket has been a siren of cool for decades. And now it gets the serious treatment it has long deserved—a full-blown exhibition at an art museum.

In a nod to the connection between the black leather jacket and motorcycles, the exhibition includes two classic Harley-Davidsons, a vintage 1920 Model J, and a 1956 Model KH owned by Elvis Presley.

Elvis on a Harley — When he purchased this 1956 Harley-Davidson KH, Elvis Presley signed a promissory note to pay $50 a month and listed his occupation as "Vocalist, self-employed." He had just recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" but it had not yet been released. His life was about to change immensely, and this is the second of many motorcycles he would purchase over his lifetime. The odometer reads 123 miles.

Painted WWII-era A2 military flight jacket from a private collection. Photo courtesy: Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee.

Jackets include:

• The rich military-history display ranges from World War II aviators to the jacket worn by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

• Garments from solo rock ‘n’ rollers from Gene Vincent to Joe Walsh, and groups from Judas Priest to the Doobie Brothers

• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s jacket from Terminator 2

• Rooney Mara’s Gothic geek look from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

• Harry Shearer’s jacket from the mock rockumentary This is Spinal Tap

The impact of the black leather jacker on fashion gets the full runway treatment, with works by Gianni Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier.

At the exhibition exit there’s a take-a-souvenir photo station featuring a Harley-Davidson and a selection of jackets. Among our favorites so far: #bikerbaby.

Black leather biker jacket with studs in characteristic Versace pattern. From the Versace Women’s Ready-to-Wear Collection, Autumn–Winter 1991/1992. Photo courtesy: Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee.

J.C. Penney brand jacket worn by Elvis Presley, ca. late 1950s–early 1960s. Photo by Brad Chaney, © Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Courtesy of EMP Museum, Seattle, used by permission.

Studded leather jacket and shorts worn by pop singer Fergie in the 2010 video for Slash’s song Beautiful Dangerous. Custom-made by Agatha Blois. On loan from Agatha Blois. Photo by Brad Chaney, © Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Courtesy of EMP Museum, Seattle, used by permission.

Worn to be Wild, organized by the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee and the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, will never be seen again. This is its last stop on a two-year exhibition tour, and come January 2015, the show will be dismantled and the objects returned to the lenders. To see the other eight fashion-as-art exhibitions highlighted by Conde Nast Traveler, click here, and scroll down for more pictures.

Punk jacket, ca. late 1970s–early 1980s, from a private collection. Photo © Tom Fritz Studios, Milwaukee. Courtesy of EMP Museum, Seattle, used by permission.

Jacket customized by a young “Rocker,” a motorcycle-riding youth subculture group popular in Great Britain in the 1960s. This “Mascot” brand jacket embellished with pins is on loan from Lewis Leathers Ltd. Photo by Brad Chaney, © Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Courtesy of EMP Museum, Seattle, used by permission.

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