Will Cowboy Boots Cruise to Fame?

Will Tom Cruise’s cowboy boots from “Days of Thunder” start the same kind of trend frenzy as did his bomber jacket from “Top Gun”? The $1,400 pair of custom made boots from Falconhead Boots, Belts, Buckles on San Vincente are not for the sartorially shy. They’re screaming red with black wing-tips and yellow inlaid stars. They also sport mule ears that are extra long pull straps that go all the way down to the heel. “This boot has an appeal for those who like to make a statement,” understated Falconhead’s owner, Scott Emmerich.

COACHED TO WIN: Let’s hear it for the Gap and the Lakers coach, Pat Riley. Both won awards this week for their way with men’s wear. On Monday night, the Gap became the winner of the Marty Retailer Award, presented by the California Mart. And Thursday night in New York, Riley was honored with a special Woolmark Award from the Wool Bureau. He was cited for “his Armani suits, stylishly collared shirts, slicked-back hair and for being the winningest coach in NBA history.” Other California movers-and-shakers on the Wool Bureau’s list include Arsenio Hall, Body Glove and the Sierra Club.

SCOUTING AT SPAGO: The Boy Scouts at Spago? Yes, and it was probably the first time guests at Wolfgang Puck’s Hollywood eatery repeated the Pledge of Allegiance and saluted the Stars ‘n’ Stripes. The Scouts held a private reception to honor men’s wear retailer Rick Pallack with a Career Achievement Award. There was a brief “roast” at the reception. Out of courtesy to the Boys Scouts in attendance, speakers kept their jabs clean, making it one of the first Hollywood roasts devoid of off-color humor. Pallack admits that he “never had time to be a Scout because I was working by the time I was 10. But I was always jealous of the other boys who were able to join.” One big regret was not getting to wear the slick uniform, he says, so he designed a special black military-inspired suit for Thursday night’s event, teamed it with an embroidered shirt and eschewed the triangle scarf.

AVON AT THE WALL: It is little wonder that Avon is moving into China--here are 500 million women living there, more than the number living in the United States and Europe combined. Avon, in a joint venture with Guangzhou Ltd. in South China will manufacture and market a line of about 50 skin care and cosmetic products, far less than the 300 or so marketed in the United States. Though this is the first Communist country Avon has targeted, it currently operates in about 100 foreign countries, including Japan and Indonesia, according to spokesman John Cox. The biggest difference, says Cox, is that Asian women aren’t into fragrance. “They use almost none. They prefer to take a bath instead.”

INDEBTED TO DAD: A hot-selling Father’s Day T-shirt at Camp Beverly Hills shops proclaims “The Good, The Dad and His Money.” The $16.95 shirt is from Joe Boxer, the San Francisco-based manufacturer, and comes with a matching pair of $14.95 boxer shorts printed with dollar signs. According to buyer Robbi Marston, the shirts and shorts are big sellers at Camp Beverly Hills’ 16 stores throughout the country. They follow an annual Joe Boxer Father’s Day tradition: Last’s year’s shirts also featured money--and the slogan “In Dad We Trust.”

POLO PUBLISHING: Apparently it is not enough for Ralph Lauren to have conquered the worlds of fashion, home furnishings and fragrance. Now, he is mulling over another big brass ring: magazine publishing. A spokeswoman for Lauren’s Polo division confirmed that he has been talking with some editors about starting his own mag. At this point it is just an idea. “He’s thinking about it,” she says, “but’s he’s thinking about a lot of things.” Details will not be formulated for several months, should the concept develop into reality.

A NATURAL ENDOWMENT TO THE ARTS: A mail order art-to-wear T-shirt sale has begun at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art (312) 280-2686. The shirts, pictured in a free mail order catalogue, feature the work of Jenny Holzer, Robert Mapplethorpe and the late Keith Haring. The fine art T’s range in price from $12 to $150.