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Hardware’s softer edge

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Fall’s biker look doesn’t stop at rough-and-tumble leather jackets and street-warrior style over-the-knee boots. Studs, grommets and spikes are showing up on accessories of every sort, offering even those of us too timid to try this trend head to toe a chance to channel our inner biker babe -- without looking as if we’re about to straddle a Harley.

All sorts of designers, including Jean Paul Gaultier and Roland Mouret, threw spikes and studs onto leather pants and angular jackets on the runway. The most wearable looks, though, come from designers such as Tory Burch, Phillip Lim and Jennifer Behr, who are adorning day bags, head wraps and stack-heel pumps with studs that put a playful twist on the season’s tough-girl trend.

Tory Burch proves that even vintage-inspired pieces can have a sharp edge. Rows of gold spikes dot almost every accessory in her fall line, giving ladylike bags and shoes an unexpected jab of punk. Phillip Lim does up spikes in a black leather bow that sits on the front flap of his Edie bag. And Jennifer Behr’s spiky headbands and wraps will add some gothic romance to a simple black dress.

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If spikes don’t suit your style, studs are subtler hardware with the same edgy appeal. Treesje makes a metallic cross-body bag with square mirrored studs scattered across the front, giving new meaning to “heavy metal.” It’s a little ‘80s, so wear it with something cleaner and more modern, letting the silver leather and studs make the statement. Jimmy Choo’s Bonnie is a simple platform sandal with burnished metal grommets along the top -- a look that will work with fall’s strong shoulders and dramatic lines.

This is a trend that’s more versatile played out in accessories, so for best results, think details that are subtle but striking -- a flash of metal, not the whole hog.

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melissa.magsaysay@latimes.com

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