Ornamental pinstriping has been evident since the early beginnings of human society. From cave dwellers and nomadic lodges, to great ships and antiques, followed by hot rods and custom motorcycles, the line of art itself has transcended through generations and cultures leaving a meaningful touch of the past.
These amazingly elegant and simple line gestures point to a symbolism, that can go beyond mere decoration. Our need to create and surround ourselves with a personalized history to convey who we are or what we believe can be found in ancient paintings such as the cave of Catavina. Native Americans use line art to capture the significance of their life and environment on baskets, pottery and blankets. During the early 1800s, settlers pinstriped nearly everything that could be adorned: horse and buggy carriages, pianos, furniture, vases, and yes… guns! The Ford Model A was among the first automobiles to strut the pinstripe design, with General Motors catching the “trend” in the 1930s. Pinstriping experienced a rebirth in the 50s and 60s with men reclaiming their passion for customizing hot rods, along with some rockin’ surfboards. But it wasn’t until the 70s, with the coming of age for the underground chopper rage, that pinstriping was branded a ‘ceremonial rite of passage.’
Today the Joy of Pinstriping is indeed an art in itself. The line, meant to accentuate the grace of its subject, continues to be the design that dominates the custom auto and moto world. Famous stripers like Von Dutch, Big Daddy Roth and Dean Jeffries are highly sought after and have their work displayed around the country. In the midst of this male dominated field, however, HH discovered that women are also making a name for themselves.


Melissa Gee, pinstriper extraordinaire, takes the art of pinstriping to a new level, which combines both art and fashion. At an early age she was introduced to pinstriping by her father and brother who had a passion for vintage cars and Hot Rod shows. With a degree in design and 10 years of experience working on projects for major companies in London, she has honed her skills. As fate would have it, while in the USA at a Paso Robles Kustom car show, she was bit by the pinstriping bug and hasn’t looked back since. Her successful company is called Lucky Stripe. The objects of her pinstriping affection include purses, shoes, hot rods, and much more. Melissa loves working on motorcycles because she gets the tins fresh from the paint shop when they are ripe for stripin’. You can find her artwork featured in a new book, Pin striping - Original designs from the World’s Best, set to release in September 2006. What a gal! Our helmets off to you Melissa for paving the road (and setting the bar) for future female pinstriper.