Bronco Billy and His Yuppie Pals

THE FILM: “City Slickers”

THE LOOK: Billy Crystal and his band of travel-brochure adventurists (Bruno Kirby and Daniel Stern) trade in their Brooks Brothers blue suits for James Gang range wear.

THE LABELS: Authentic cowpoke labels such as Resistol Hats, Justin Boots and custom-made chaps from the Rodeo Chap shop in Ft. Worth.

And under the rain-soaked slickers and soggy jeans were flesh-colored wet suits from Body Glove.

THE STORES: Costume designer Judy Ruskin, who also dressed the second volley of “Young Guns,” mixed contemporary catalogue clothes with duds from Western-wear stores.

Long johns, collarless shirts and plaid flannel shirts from Tweeds, J. Crew, Eddie Bauer and Smyth and Co., were teamed with jeans, coats, gloves and bandannas from Kings Western Wear in Van Nuys and mail-order items from Sheplers, a Western-wear store in Ft. Worth.

The belts came from Sport and Leather in Tucson. Crystal’s bright blue baseball cap is New York Mets issue.

SPECIAL EFFECTS: Smooth-styling, fast-talking Kirby, as Ed Furillo, was dressed in Ruskin-made Western shirts. A basic shirt was bought at Bullock’s, then a tailored fit, cowboy yoke and pearl snaps were added. She says his flamboyant character needed the special touches only custom tailoring could bring. The wardrobe of semi-evil Jack Palance had custom items too, like the cowboy boots made of horned-back lizard.

Ruskin and her staff worked for five weeks with belt sanders, Fuller’s earth (sanitized dirt)and chemical additives in the wash cycle to give the clothes that used-and-abused look that takes years in the saddle to achieve.

THE PAYOFF: Ruskin avoided contemporary cowboy cliches--pony-print chaps, embroidered cowboy shirts and 10-gallon hats.

She said a survey of dude ranches and trail-drive outfits persuaded her staff that even aging yuppies looking for a Wild West thrill tend to pack practical clothes.

Her combination of catalogue chic and hard-core wilderness wear had a functional as well as fashionable panache.

But for all her labors at authenticity, the cowboys still ride their horses like city slickers.