How Flattering is Imitation?

Every fall, the fashion industry cooks up a list of "hot, new trends." Hot they may very well be and trends they'll surely become, but it's the word "new" that can spark debate. For someone, somewhere, a motorcycle jacket, polka-dot dress or Lycra leggings has been a staple in their wardrobe long before Balmain, Donna Karan or Marc Jacobs deemed it as such.

We talk to several women who've been wearing fall's "hot, new trends" for years to find out what happens when you don't follow the trends, but the trends manage to follow you.

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN'

There's a valet service on the street in front of Hogs & Heifers Saloon, but most of the patrons need only the assistance of a kickstand to park their modes of transportation. Multitasking bartenders take orders with lit cigarettes hanging from their lips, and songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Honky Tonk Queen" turn the bar into a dance floor. Not exactly an environment you'd expect New York Fashion Week to take inspiration from, but as the fall '09 collections confirmed: The biker babe is back.

All Michelle Dell wants to know, though, is where she went? The Hogs & Heifers owner and her favorite blue jeans -- or distressed denim -- have been sporting the look for the past 25 years.

"The fashion industry hasn't capitalized on anything new," she says. "This has been going on a long time."

James Dean made it cool in his "Rebel Without a Cause" days and ever since the fashion world has plucked a few pieces from the biker closet every 10 years or so. A leather jacket here, a studded belt there. But fall '09 calls for it all.

According to Hogs & Heifers bartender Arlana Alvarez, the mainstream can warm up to the motorcycle look all they want. She'll finger the posers in a lineup every time. "Your fancy $800 boots aren't gonna last with this lifestyle," she says.

Proenza Schouler and Giuseppe Zanotti both have introduced motorcycle-inspired booties for fall. Neither are less than $800 and, as Alvarez notes, neither could comfortably mount a Harley Davidson.

MAD ABOUT 'MAD MEN'

The hit cable TV show "Mad Men" illustrates more than just what the workplace looked like before sexual harassment lawsuits. The show set in the '60s also showcases beautiful fashion, which of course means the rebirth of a decade. Call it life imitating art imitating life. Or, if you're part of the local rockabilly community, you'll just call it life because this group lives and breathes all things '50s and '60s.

With her Santa red lips, tight pedal pushers and black halter top, Anabel Miramontes looks like she should be asking a handsome man for a light in a black-and-white movie. And that's just the look the part-time burlesque dancer, part-time pinup model and full-time banquet server was going for when she got dressed for her hair appointment at "Shag Me Salon" this afternoon. The fact a TV show could soon have every girl at the mall wearing a skirt suit and holding a corn dog with short white gloves doesn't phase Miramontes.

"Just like every trend, it's not going to last," she says.

But suppose it did last. Miramontes and her hairdresser Anna Drew, who also wears retro clothing from the pinup era, both acknowledge they take pride in looking different. Strangers have even told Miramontes that "it's not Halloween" on more than one occasion. So, what would happen if their signature vintage look became the norm and they found themselves -- gasp -- blending in with the H&M crowd?

Both contend that they would continue hunting estate sales for fishnet stockings, shirt dresses with A-line skirts, Mary Jane patent pumps and pencil skirts. And both think they would still stand out. If not for their clothes than for the classic cars they drive, rockabilly music they listen to and retro-decorated homes they live in.

"We have a small community. Those who are in it have to strive to keep it alive," Miramontes says. "(Trendy people) are just taking away from our subculture."

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Emilio Pucci -- all of them saluted the '80s with linebacker shoulders or long-sleeved mini dresses. Does that make Samantha Alonso, co-owner of Fruition -- a local street fashion boutique largely focused on vintage '80s items -- trendy or does it make her a trendsetter?

She'd like to think it's the latter and those familiar with her and Fruition would second that motion. The fact her store could have you checking the parking lot for the "Back to the Future" DeLorean makes it so backward it's forward. Alonso and Fruition have had an infatuation with the decade of excess long before the runways decided it was cool.

"People in the '80s took their thinking outside of the box to the extreme," Alonso says. "There was Madonna, the lace, acid wash, bras worn as outerwear, the crazy hair. All of it."

She punctuates her thoughts with her hands, which sound like a tambourine because four watches and a slew of bracelets shackle her wrists. Only gentleman's club patrons have been teased more than Alonso's bangs, and the rest of her attire makes her look like she could break into "the snake" at any moment.

When she opened her fall fashion magazines this September, the 25-year-old came across a slew of '80s-inspired photos that looked like her own personal scrapbook. When her style is represented on the glossy pages of reputable fashion publications, she can't help but beam. It's the trickle down effect she's not so fond of.

"Obviously they need to make fashion relevant for every consumer. But, when I invest in a high fashion piece," she says, pointing to her caged Givenchy sandals, "and then I see it at Forever 21, it bastardizes the item." After shaking her head in disgust, Alonso looks back down at her prized shoes, smiles and adds, "But that's not going to make me stop wearing them."