The two rival companies have been on the scene since the late '60s; both sell leather miniskirts, but the similarity ends there.

Fog City Leather is all about basics. North Beach Leather is all about sass.

In the early, back-to-the-land days, says Peter James Rundberg, founder of Fog City Leather, "I was living on a farm in the Castro Valley, doing tooled leather jackets, painted flower purses, Grecian-style leather sandals. It was all very hippie-dippy.''

At the same time, in the heart of San Francisco, Michael Hoban was starting to make a name for himself with fitted, hand-laced jackets made from leather scraps and leather shirts, bellbottoms and wild capes at North Beach Leather on Grant Street. His far-out designs soon attracted a big celebrity crowd; Elton John walked away with a rainbow fringe jacket and Sammy Davis Jr., bought a red, white and blue Captain America outfit. Hoban's designs were worn by Cher, Elvis Presley and John Lennon, among others. Hoban kept it up for several decades, introducing new colors and sleek, sexy cuts to keep his customers happy (lately they have included many of the 49ers, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child and Jennifer Aniston).

But in the summer of 2003, after insurmountable financial troubles, Hoban lost the business, and he has since relocated to Hawaii. The company is now owned by 46-year-old Skip Pas, Hoban's former general manager, who kept the famous name and the clingy designs. Only one North Beach Leather store remains, on Grant Avenue, on Union Square.

"We've been friendly rivals for more than 30 years,'' says Rundberg, who has moved his shop around the city a few times, but has been a fixture on Union Street since 1989. "We send each other customers all the time.''

Both make almost everything out of soft Italian lambskin, and at both places, classic black leather is still the No. 1 choice, followed by red and brown. But the prices are vastly different, as is the ambience.

Fog City is so small that Rundberg, and his wife, Susanne, who co-own the business, barely have room to move around; there are jackets, pants and skirts hanging everywhere, including the walls. In a workshop behind the sales counter, a small staff works on custom orders.

"We make everything right here in the shop,'' Rundberg, 59, says. "We have access to hundreds of colors. We can make just about anything you want in about three to four weeks.''

Fog City's signature jacket is black or red, short and fitted, with a stand-up collar and zip front, in embossed leather made to look like alligator; it also comes in smooth leather versions in bright pink, lime-green and taxicab yellow.

With his workshop on the premises, Rundberg can keep prices down; jackets run about $450; a smooth leather skirt with a kick pleat in the back is about $250, a pair of boot-cut pants that hit just below the waist are $300. (He also specializes in exotic skins; a man's alligator blazer is about $10,000 -- the most expensive item Rundberg makes.)

When he says custom, he means it. "We've outfitted 7-foot-2 basketball players; one of my best customers is former Warrior Nate Thurmond; he wears like a 48 extra-extra-extra long.''

But if someone should wander in looking for a thigh-high leather dress, Rundberg sends her to North Beach Leather. "They do a much better job with dresses; it's not our shtick.''

True enough, you'll find plenty of those at the spacious, brightly lighted store on Grant Avenue near Union Square, the company's only remaining store location.

For many years, with 11 locations, North Beach Leather was the largest privately owned leather company in the United States. But the luxury market was greatly affected after the Sept. 11 attacks, leading to the closing of all but the Union Square store by the summer of 2003.

Hoban declared "general assignment," says Pas, who retained the license for the North Beach Leather name. General assignment offers a company the option of avoiding bankruptcy through a more efficient and less expensive way to wind down operations, liquidate assets and distribute proceeds to creditors. "The name is instantly recognizable; it meant everything to us to keep it.''

Pas, who designs the collection now, wisely kept up what Hoban left behind. "We're all about dressy, sexy designs,'' he says. "We do clingy dresses with cutouts in the back or the sides; bustiers, low-rise pants. We have more colors now than ever -- eggplant, pearlescent blue, butterscotch, merlot.''

A black leather jacket with a double zipper (one that opens from both the bottom and the top), is about $600; low-rise boot-cut pants are about $500, a miniskirt is about $300. Specialty items, like a red minidress with grommets, is about $700; a butterscotch coat-dress with a double zip, is $800, matching boot-cut pants are $600, a leather coat is about $800.

"I may put French lace on the hem of a dress, add French cuffs to the sleeve of a jacket, and I always like to cut a jacket short, or a pant low, to show a bit of skin,'' he says.

The Spencer jacket (a one-button short jacket), at $695, a cashmere cape with fox trim, $1,500, and mink and fox shrug, $1,800, are the trendy items for the season, Pas says.

Still, he can't please everyone. "If someone comes in here wanting a custom jacket," he says, "I send them to Peter.''

Fog City Leather, 2060 Union St., (415) 567-1996

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