Leather Jacket

Once a rebel, always a rebel. The leather jacket has come a long way, from being an outlaw's uniform to part of a Ralph Lauren ensemble. But with its earthy smell, there's still a sense that the guy wearing it is trying to go against the grain just a little. Now that temperatures are low, guys are often tempted to abandon their blazers and sport coats and show up for work with a hip leather jacket over a dress shirt, tie and slacks. It's a way of hiding conformity under a cloak of rebel garb.

Like the women's collections, the menswear offerings for fall/winter 2010 were retro-nouveau, a plumbing (and updating) of the past to outfit the fellow of the not-too-distant future. Among the overarching trends to come out of the Bryant Park tents for the last time (next season, after 18 years, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York is relocating to Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center) were the following: Leather jackets Like the fall/winter 2010 collections shown on the runways of Milan and Paris in January, much of the menswear shown on the runways during New York Fashion Week focused on statement outerwear pieces.

Back in the day, wearing your favorite band merchandise meant scoring a Hanes Beefy-T in a beer-soaked parking lot outside the venue for $6. The front was inevitably plastered with a poorly screened band logo, and the back listed tour stops (just in case you were too plastered to remember where you were). That was then, and this is now.

"Cheaters" host Joey Greco has not, repeat, not been chasing down Tiger Woods the last few weeks. But he has been increasingly fascinated by the unfolding scandal surrounding the golfer's alleged infidelities. Catching unfaithful lovers in the act is a dirty job, but someone has to do it so everyone else can watch on national television. Enter Greco, dressed in his trademark black ensemble that is his uniform for the syndicated series. Since becoming host of the program in 2002, Greco has been pushed, punched, stabbed (he recovered nicely, thank you)

Jim Rice was strolling along lawyer-like in his three-piece suit one day when a tough-looking woman with a crew cut and a black leather jacket stalked toward him, going the other way. She looked mean, she looked mad. Her lip was ready to curl if he said anything. But he risked an ice-breaker anyway. "Nice Langlitz," he said quietly as she passed. Stunned, the woman broke stride and spun around. A happy grin peeled across her face. "You know a Langlitz," she said in wonder.

You probably already know by now that you aren't truly a member of the ultra-hip unless you own a black leather jacket. And, it is precisely your jacket's allure as a status symbol that makes it so desirable to itchy-fingered thieves. So . . . what to do when you're dancing in a club and your beloved jacket makes you work up more of a sweat than you counted on? Do you drape it across a chair? Nuh-uh, you zip it, snap it or buckle it around your waist.

"Cheaters" host Joey Greco has not, repeat, not been chasing down Tiger Woods the last few weeks. But he has been increasingly fascinated by the unfolding scandal surrounding the golfer's alleged infidelities. Catching unfaithful lovers in the act is a dirty job, but someone has to do it so everyone else can watch on national television. Enter Greco, dressed in his trademark black ensemble that is his uniform for the syndicated series. Since becoming host of the program in 2002, Greco has been pushed, punched, stabbed (he recovered nicely, thank you)

1953: Marlon Brando turns the motorcycle jacket into a fashion classic in "The Wild One." 1967: Brigitte Bardot sings a song called "Harley-Davidson" and poses with the inspiration in over-the-knee leather boots and matching leather shorts. 1968: Marianne Faithfull leaves her husband and gears up in a black leather one-piece for a tryst with her lover in the film "Girl on a Motorcycle." 1969: Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper simultaneously rebel against the status quo and inadvertently define casual cruiser fashion for decades with "Easy Rider."

David DeCoteau's "Leather Jacket Love Story" could well be the sunniest gay movie ever made, yet it is also genuinely poignant. It's campy, raunchy and funny as well, glowing with an unabashed gay sensibility. It's no less perceptive for having been made with a light touch and an ear for broad humor and has an easy, graceful style heightened by Howard Wexler's beautifully modulated black-and-white cinematography.

MARLON BRANDO wore one in "The Wild One." James Dean's rebel without a cause perfected his slouch while chain-smoking in one. The black leather motorcycle jacket, with its sharp collar and industrial-looking zippers, is generally associated with brooding bad boys and burly motorcycle gangs. But it's showing its softer side this fall. The key is the slim silhouette. The waist-length cut keeps it authentic, but the body and shoulders are narrower, taking away the boxiness and making for a more flattering fit. You can't go wrong with black leather; it's classic, goes with everything and suits fall's dramatic mood.

If it's 3:40 p.m., this must be the Great Wall. So President Obama's travelogue from China could be titled. Anybody who complains that their own travels are too harried should consider the plight of America's first tourist. Between meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, state dinners and a "town hall" meeting with students, Obama squeezed in some power sightseeing. For a taste of his travels, consider the following excerpts from pool reports or journalists' notes.

1953: Marlon Brando turns the motorcycle jacket into a fashion classic in "The Wild One." 1967: Brigitte Bardot sings a song called "Harley-Davidson" and poses with the inspiration in over-the-knee leather boots and matching leather shorts. 1968: Marianne Faithfull leaves her husband and gears up in a black leather one-piece for a tryst with her lover in the film "Girl on a Motorcycle." 1969: Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper simultaneously rebel against the status quo and inadvertently define casual cruiser fashion for decades with "Easy Rider."

Next week, when his men's collection hits the Milan runway, New York designer John Varvatos will be firing the opening salvo in a bid to make his rock-flavored label the next American lifestyle brand to go global. In nine years, he's managed to make fashion safe for men, invented the laceless Converse Chuck Taylor slip-on and turned New York's CBGB nightclub into a clothing boutique. To paraphrase the Talking Heads, who got their start in the same 315 Bowery St.

MARLON BRANDO wore one in "The Wild One." James Dean's rebel without a cause perfected his slouch while chain-smoking in one. The black leather motorcycle jacket, with its sharp collar and industrial-looking zippers, is generally associated with brooding bad boys and burly motorcycle gangs. But it's showing its softer side this fall. The key is the slim silhouette. The waist-length cut keeps it authentic, but the body and shoulders are narrower, taking away the boxiness and making for a more flattering fit. You can't go wrong with black leather; it's classic, goes with everything and suits fall's dramatic mood.

YOU know it must be a guy's party when nobody knows who they are wearing. When Details magazine celebrated its April "Mavericks" issue at a house above Beverly Hills last week, a fraternity of well-dressed men partied poolside. The look was casual, yet sharp, with jeans paired with leather jackets or embellished blazers.

Back in the day, wearing your favorite band merchandise meant scoring a Hanes Beefy-T in a beer-soaked parking lot outside the venue for $6. The front was inevitably plastered with a poorly screened band logo, and the back listed tour stops (just in case you were too plastered to remember where you were). That was then, and this is now.

THE MOVIE: "The Rocketeer." THE SETUP: Young aviator Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell, pictured) accidentally finds a rocket pack and stumbles into a heroic battle against the evils of Nazi Germany. His skeptical girlfriend, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly, pictured), needs to be convinced of his blastoff abilities. The action is set against the colorful backdrop of Los Angeles of the 1930s. THE LOOK: Movie-matinee adventure heroes.

The perfect his/her gift could be equally fitting: something that both of you can wear. For example, at home, try a bedtime story of silk pajamas, coordinating silk robe and leather slippers. Or adopt a hooded terry-cloth robe to wrap up in after a hot bath. Or don something for the outside: The clean silhouettes of menswear favor the feminine form as well. A white shirt and tie are perfect for co-dressing between the sexes.

Now that LVMH and Gucci Group have taken over storefronts in every corner of the globe, pushing the same merchandise in L.A. and Shanghai, fashion is in danger of losing its allure. Over-the-top, expensive materials don't even register anymore because everyone can have them. Fast fashion outlets are adding another level of competition. So designers are turning to selling the experience of good design.

Carolyn Dorn has long been considered a free spirit by her family, an outdoor lover who thought nothing of grabbing a child's tent and a wilderness survival guide and hitting the trail for a couple weeks on her own. The 52-year-old from South Carolina was drawn to southwestern New Mexico, where the rugged landscape is peppered with cliff dwellings used by people of the Mogollon culture more than 700 years ago.