Award-winning travel writer Julie Miller walks in the footsteps of Gwyneth Paltrow in Los Angeles.
It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m surrounded by a sea of hand-tooled leather, silver and rhinestones at the Falconhead boot and buckle company in ritzy Brentwood, Los Angeles. Owner Scott Wayne Emmerich looks like he’s just crawled out of bed, casual in hoodie and jeans, hair mussed and a cheeky beverage in one hand, clearly not the first of the day. In the other hand he holds a pencil, poised over a large sheet of paper spread out on a glass-top counter, intricate with scribblings of a battle scene, clashing horses, swords and soldiers.
Scott Wayne ponders, considering colour. “Green here, I think,” he says, making a note in the margin surrounding the lead swirls. “And here, turquoise inlay.”
I am watching an artist at work, and a genius at that. He may look like a hobo, but Emmerich is a master of his craft, a bespoke cowboy boot designer whose masterful, stunningly beautiful handcrafted creations grace the feet of film stars, musicians and celebrities with an eye for wearable art. Indeed, some of his creations are museum pieces, on display in the Smithsonian and the George Bush Presidential Library amongst notable galleries.
“Guess who this design is for,” he asks, indicating to the Crusaders scene he is currently agonising over. “Mr A.S,” indicating to the monogram worked artfully into the design.
I shrug.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger. A.S. This is his 50th pair of boots he’s ordered from me. He’s my best customer, just can’t get enough of them.”
I ask what sort of budget the beleaguered Governator works to, and what his time limit is. “There is no budget, and there is no deadline,” Scott Wayne says, though to date this design is six months in the making, and US$50,000 may or may not be in the ballpark for the finished product that will include diamond inlay, sterling silver crosses and alligator vamps.
Clearly, no amount of scandal or even a pending divorce will stop Arnie from adding to his boot collection. Other notable Falconhead boot aficionados include Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, Sean Penn, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow. Jennifer Tilly has several pairs. And I have a pair too.
My beloved boots, a relatively simple tan base with green hand-stitched sides and a cute cherry design, were purchased not from this Los Angeles store, but from a little jewellery shop in Cody, Wyoming, in 2010. Inside the shop was a rack of gorgeous cowboy boots with a sign saying, “if they fit, ask how much”. The shop owner was selling the boots on behalf of Scott Wayne, clearing out seconds, returns and samples. I ended up with a ridiculous bargain, paying just US$200 for a pair of boots originally priced (nine years ago) at $1200.
“Man, you ripped me off,” Scott Wayne growls as I hand over my boot for him to sign. “Seriously, you got the best deal ever.” It was only after purchasing my boots and doing some internet research that I realised that I had, indeed, scored big time. Tres Outlaws boots (as the actual brand is called) are regarded as the crème de la crème of hand-crafted boots, with each pair bearing a number and date in keeping with its limited edition status. All stitching, tooling and inlay work is done by hand by Mexican craftsmen in the Tres Outlaw facility in El Paso, Texas, keeping alive age-old traditions that are fast disappearing in a mass-produced world. From the tanning process to the finished design, the aim is to create wearable perfection.
And looking around the Falconhead shelves, I can’t argue with that. There are thousands of boots on display here, from hot pink knee-highs covered in Swarovski crystals, to multi-coloured boots bearing a Native American spirit design adorned with wolf pelt. There are hand-painted Marilyn Monroe boots, stark black, white and red; while my personal favourites are ones bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a riot of hand-painted red, green, pink, yellow and blue.
Even if you’re not in the market for a lavish, over-the-top but ultimately fabulous pair of boots, the Falconhead store is worth visiting simply to admire. The range is incredible, the artistry undeniable. The price, of course, depends on the intricacy of the design, as well as materials used, with the starting price around $1250. Unless you’re lucky enough to pick up a crazy bargain, of course…
11911 San Vicente Boulevard
Brentwood, Los Angeles
Ph: 310 471 7075
