Marianne Faithfull in 'Girl on a Motorcycle'

Rebecca, portrayed by Marianne Faithfull (in the prime of her 60's glory), is a girl on the run. She leaves behind her boring married life, hops on her motorcycle, and rides off to meet her French lover, Alain Delon. Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) is written, directed, and shot by Jack Cardiff. The film fights for style over substance, like many 60's films do. It is told through flashbacks and voice-over, sometimes overlaid with images of birds circling or the classic psychedelic gradient effect.

At home, she's with a man who is too timid to stand up for himself and her lover only believes in free love and sex. She remarks in a thought to herself that, "he's never even told me I'm pretty." She drives down the open road, thinking and comparing the two men and her relations to them. Sadly, it's this distraction that leads to the film's tragic (but hilarious looking) ending. Rebecca wonders why these men have a hold on her and why she let herself, a free bird born to fly, be captured by them. The flashbacks of the film hold all the personality; the rest is just an aesthetic choice. But one thing I will say is, if I see another shot of Marianne uncomfortably smiling and looking everywhere but the road while riding the motorcycle...

In the film, the motorbike is an erotic symbol. There is even a scene cut to seem like she is making love to the bike; that the bike and it's freedoms 'fulfills' her more than any man. It's only fitting that the outfit she wears has just as many sexual connotations. Faithfull's Rebecca wears no clothes under her skin tight leather cat suit. The film was selectively released with the title, Naked Under Leather.

The main features of this chic biker's look, reside in fabric and a zipper in the front. The style begins with the need to cover and protect your body on the road. The textures associated with bikes and bikers are leather and suede; fabrics made from animal skin (go faux). For Rebecca, the suit is like a second skin. When she puts it on she suddenly feels confident, sexual, and bulletproof. So, make it tight. The accessories, jewelry, and the zipper itself should be in silver. Gold isn't welcome in this look. We want to celebrate the chrome in the motorbike's wheels,

Zip up, put out, and fly down the open road with this 60's second skin:

The three key pieces to this look are:

Front Zip Up Dress or Jumpsuit. This look requires your full body to be covered. But you don't need a skin-tight, uncomfortable leather catsuit to recreate this look. As long as all the pieces are in the same material and a front zipper is present, you should be good to go. Stick with leather and suede fabrics. They are also much easier to find in this zip-up style. I picked brown suede as my base fabric. The dress itself is long-sleeved, so paired with the over the knee boots, it only leaves a little slit of skin around the thigh. 

Over The Knee Boots In Matching Material. I got these beauts from eBay after dreaming about them for years. The hardest part is matching the fabric and color. Luckily for this outfit, we don't have to worry about patterns only solids. I suggest looking online for these shoes. I feel that they would be a total chance find in a local thrift store. If you are looking for something so specific you can imagine it exactly in your mind, always hit up the internet first. 

Silver Accessories. The zipper itself can even be this accessory. Look for chains, interesting twists on biker-inspired rings, or pieces that have been made from tools or metal (like earrings fashioned from screws.) My dream accessory for this look would be oversized, chrome earrings that look like hubcaps. You don't want any gold, only silver. You want to match your bike and if you don't have a bike, you now have the perfect outfit to get one. 

My Recreation: 

photo cred: Sarah Howard

The Breakdown:

Dress: Goodwill-Lexington, KY

Boots: Ebay.com

"Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive"

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