CALIFORNIA'S WELL-HEELED GOVERNOR PULLING STATE UP BY ITS BOOTSTRAPS.

Byline: David M. Drucker Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - If you're a maverick, multimillionaire Hollywood celebrity governor of the largest and most dynamic state in the country and can literally afford to buy yourself anything you want, what do you get?

Why, cowboy boots, of course. And not just a few pairs.

Lots of them.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - long a collector of expensive, top-of-the- line, handmade boots during his days on the silver screen - has quickly assimilated his fashion fetish into his role in the state Capitol.

His repertoire includes boots embroidered with the American flag and famous scenes known the world over as emblems of the Golden State, including Hollywood.

There are alligator-skin boots, boots with extensive leather stitching, meticulous color dyeing, intricate hand-tooled designs and sterling silver and gold.

One pair features a silver replica of the new state quarter that Schwarzenegger helped design.

There is even a pair - worn often by Schwarzenegger to official state and notable events including the day in 2004 when he signed his first state budget in the Capitol Rotunda - featuring the official Seal of the Governor of the State of California.

In the same way his boots were once a way for him to express himself as an actor, they have transitioned and become one of the methods he uses to express himself as the governor of California.

``When I think about the governor and this collection of boots, now that he has such a California theme, he's using them as art and conversation to reach out to the people of the state,'' said Tom Julian, who monitors fashion trends for Oscars.com and is the former head of the Men's Fashion Institute.

``He is a boot man at heart, and he doesn't go from novelty to trendy,'' said Julian, noting that boots typically indicate a confident and assertive person. ``He is using them as part of a lifestyle look, whether family, or Hollywood or politics, they serve all of those needs.''

Scott Emmerich, the 50-year-old owner of Falconhead, designs and manufactures Schwarzenegger's boots at his Tres Outlaws Boot Co. in El Paso, Texas.

While Emmerich declined to disclose how much Schwarzenegger has spent on any of his boots, he said his creations sell for anywhere from $2,000 to $75,000 per pair depending on design complexity and materials used.

The 100-year-old manufacturing process typically takes 300 hours, with an additional 75 hours required for the design process.

Emmerich, who has been designing and manufacturing boots since 1985, calls his products wearable art and said he has made boots for everyone from governors, presidents, royalty and legislators to bank robbers, drug dealers and corporate executives.

``I take my customers' likes and dislikes, colors, personalities and interests and compile them into different concepts of what an individual really wants, and what kind of an expression they want to present themselves with.

``It doesn't matter who it is,'' he said in a telephone interview from El Paso.

For Schwarzenegger, the passion for boots has become a family affair. He told the Daily News recently that his kids have gotten in on the act, surprising him with multiple pairs of new boots for Father's Day and other special occasions.

``The kids went to my favorite boot store, which is Falconhead in Brentwood, and just got three pairs of boots made for me ...

``Green, red and kind of like the color of this wall, kind of eggshell, beige or whitish. I mean, really out there. I can't wear it too often in Sacramento.''

David M. Drucker, [phone]

david.drucker(at)dailybulletin.com

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(1 -- 3 -- color) Arnold Schwarzenegger's collection of handcrafted boots now includes gubernatorial, top, and all-American pairs, above. At right, the governor wears a pair of boots Sunday during a celebration marking Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

Ric Francis/Associated Press