y

ou could say Sherman
Becker is returning to
the "sole" of his busi-
ness. Back in 1976, he
and his wife Rosalind opened a
shoe store in Bloomfield Plaza
at Maple and Telegraph roads.
Twenty-five years later, Roz &
Sherm, the hugely successful
women's apparel and accessory
boutique, has redesigned and
expanded its upscale shoe salon.
To mark the opening of the
renovated salon, world-renowned
shoe designer Stuart Weitzman
joined his longtime friend Becker for
a rare personal appearance. He gra-
ciously greeted "well-heeled" guests
who ogled his Fall 2001 collection.
"This is the nicest party I've been
invited to in years," joked Becker, while
schmoozing with customers. "We were
one of the first retail stores to sell Stuart
Weitzman shoes, and today we feature
the most extensive selection of his
footwear in Michigan."
"These are the people who built
his name," said Weitzman's assis-
tant Esther Brandywine. "Sherm
is very chic."
Added Weitzman, "Roz &
Sherm is one of our best cus-
tomers world-wide."
The new collection fea-
tures Lucite heels ("They
look great walking down
the red carpet."), evening
mules, fur-lined fashion
clogs ("our best-selling
casual shoe"), sneaker
looks and handmade
Swarovski crystal-encrust-
ed special occasion shoes.
But the boot is "the item
of the season," according to
Weitzman. Included in the
boot collection are a riding boot
for the trendy equestrian look, a
pearlized bronze short boot, a
stretch suede pull-on and a lace-up
boot. "Boots are so big, they make
the evening shoe hot," said
Weitzman, "because the pump has
been replaced by the boot for day."
All of this fashion footwear is dis-
played dramatically in Roz & Sherm's
sophisticated new boutique, designed
by Southfield-based JGA, Inc. "Our
goal was to give the Stuart Weitzman
collection a Madison Avenue feel by
creating special design niches," said
Mike Curtis, creative director.
Frosted glass shelving is under-lit
and trimmed in stainless steel.
Cinderellas relax on circular ban-
quettes covered in plum sateen.
— Linda Bache ac,(

1 (1 • OCTOBER 2001 • STYLE AT THE JN

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

ALEX LUMELSKY

From top to bottom:

Nancy Hitchcock of Ann Arbor

admires Weitzman's

~r Kali

"grafitti" wedge.

Stuart Weitzman shows off his

shearling fur-lined fashion clog.

Claudia Wicks of Bloomfield Hills

reaches for the stretch suede tall

boot, a best-seller this season.

Paula Becker-Harris, Esther

Brandywine, Stuart Weitzman

and Sherm Becker present

Weitzman's Fall 2001

shoe collection.

Shirleyanne Schlang

and Barbara

Nuremberg admire

a classic pump.

Sharon and

Richard Brown

toast the

collection.

Far left:

Sexy ankle

straps

distinguish an

evening shoe.