Hot Summertime Fashion in NYC

Well, if you thought seven year old boys in Arizona were the only ones among us with enough style and guts to wear shorts with their cowboy boots—the girls of New York City have proved ya wrong!

New York Times fashion reporter Ruth La Ferla reports a nationwide boom in cowboy boots sales and tracks it back to the style, comfort and confidence you can find ...even in a vintage pair.

La Ferla's article (w/ log-in) includes a 6-photo slideshow of New York City streeet fashion. These gals look cool, even in 100 degree heat and that's not a dry heat mind you.

Photo by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in the News

For Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his cowboy boots are a capitol investment...bringing a bit of glamour back to California politics.

When I was in El Paso, I visited the bootmakers at Tres Outlaws. There I saw a pair of Gov. Schwarzenegger's boot tops lying on the cutting table. You can see the chalk dust still leftover from the pattern marks. (See above.) The name plaques on this pair, near the scallop, are made of solid gold.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is California's 38th governor. On both pairs pictured here the Governor's seal is recreated in carved and painted leather. The tooled foot (vamp & counter), along with the lacing of the boot tops are good design choices —they provide textural balance without drawing too much attention from the official seal. Lacing and tooling require additional skill and labor, which adds to the prestige of the boots...not to mention those sterling toe and heel caps.

Photo courtesy of Tres Outlaws. Visit falconhead.com for more photos.

Jessica Simpson's Boots

(NOTE: Dont't miss my Nov. 18 update to this article, Jessica Simpson Boots, Continued.)

Jessica Simpson's song might be a remake, but her boots are "originals."

Where do celebrities like Jessica get their vintage cowboy boots? ...for the big screen or their plain everyday lives?

Ebay.com ...of course!

Here's the story (...and a photo of the actual boots)

"I listed this pair of high-heeled red Capezio cowgirl boots on eBay, but since they showed a lot of wear and scuffing, I figured no one would bid on them. I was extremely surprised to see the bidding go way up, as two people kept outbidding each other. The winning bidder asked me to ship the boots express mail because she absolutely had to have them in two days, so I did.

Two weeks later, I received an email saying 'Thanks for shipping the boots so quickly. They were perfect. Check out the new Jessica Simpson video for These Boots are Made for Walkin' premiering June 14. Jessica will be wearing your red boots.' (video stills)

I was SO shocked and excited. I called all my friends and told them to watch for the video. It was really so thrilling - that's the closest I've ever been to meeting a celebrity!" :) -- Sharyn V.

Sharyn sells on eBay under the name of "Britishlass." Keep an eye on her vintage cowboy boots ...and other trendsetting eBay auctions. Who knows who you'll be bidding against?!

· Buy a pair of Jessica Simpson cowboy boots ...just like in the video. 

· Click here to keep your eye on all the eBay auctions feauring boho-style Jessica boots.

Download Jessica's song from iTunes, watch the video ...and for all the latest Jessica news visit jessicasimpson.com.

Berkeley Flea Market

The Berkeley Flea Market is held every weekend at the Ashby BART station. (map)

Bill Peterson shows up with his cowboy boots a couple times a month. You can e-mail him at allcby@aol.com for his travel schedule.