Confession: I know absolutely nothing about motorcycles. I have never been on one, I have never even wanted to be on one. And yet, over the last few weeks, I have stayed up until it was almost time to wake my kids for school (too late or too early—you decide!), knee-deep in episodes of FX‘s Sons of Anarchy. The thing about Sons of Anarchy and motorcycles is that it’s about so, so much more than patches and kuttes and head tattoos and motorcycle clubs. It’s about family and how far you’d go to protect the people you love. It’s dangerous, fast, gritty, grim, and dirty, of course, but at the very heart of this show stands a woman, Gemma Teller Morrow (played to perfection by Katey Sagal), who holds the entire SAMCRO motorcycle club together—in fact, she holds the entire show together.
If you aren’t watching, you really need to be.
Besides, have you SEEN what Jax Teller looks like?
Uhhhhhhh.
Sure, I am obsessed with the show for many, many reasons. The relationship between Jax and his super scruffy BFF Opie Winston is amazing. The entire Irish story arc was unbelievable, if for nothing more than the gorgeous overhead shots of Belfast. Seeing Maggie Siff playing something other than Mad Men‘s Rachel Menken. The whole Hamlet-esque father-son tension between President Clay and VP Jax.
But mostly I’m shocked by how much I have been loving Gemma Teller Morrow’s wardrobe.
Not one to typically gravitate towards anything leather—all I can think of is Ross Gellar and his leather pants—something about Gemma makes me want to wear a pleather jacket, black boots, and a tremendous amount of cleavage-happy lace shirts. With Gemma, it seems that the beauty of her wardrobe is all in the details—her necklaces, her earrings, her oversized silver rings, her wide and detailed belts, her sunglasses. You’ll notice that the wardrobe department keeps her leather jackets short and fitted, so we don’t miss any of her great accessories. Gemma walks that fine line—she’s sexy without being slutty; she’s rough and tough, but she’s feminine too.
Dressing like Gemma when you are not actually the old lady of a motorcycle club is not as tricky as you might think. It just takes some careful caution to not be over-the-top. Opt for skinny distressed jeans instead of leather pants. choose sexy short boots. Go for belts with details, but stay on the more simple side. And of course, you’ll need a short and fitted black jacket.
1. Bedstu Costello Belt, $69, Zappos
2. Helmut Bird Collage Tee, $92, Neiman Marcus
3. Marc Jacobs Slim Line Sunglasses, $98, Shopbop
4. ELLIZA Boots, $49.99, Steve Madden
5. Quilted Biker Jacket, $59.34, ASOS
6. Ibiza Womens Extreme Skinny Jeans, $29.99, Tilly’s
7. ‘Kayte’ Lace Peasant Top, $148, Nordstrom
8. Lois Hill Saddle Ring, $188, FX.com
9. Oblong Hoop Earrings, $20, Lucky Brand
Want more ways to Dress Like Your Television? Check out how to dress like Jess from New Girl, Carrie from The Carrie Diaries, the ladies of Nashville, Mindy from The Mindy Project, Emily from Revenge, Annie from Community and Trudy from Mad Men, and the Crawley Sisters of Downton Abbey.
About Ali Martell
