ROMA_ SPOSA_ .■ IELIER BRIDA EVENING • ormyr aye Couture Samples Bridal • Evening • Accesssories Save 20% to 70% July 24 thru July 29 More than 2,100 Swarovski crystals embellish Freede's checked Vans (above; 5400). Similarly studded Nike spa mules (S195) are top sellers at Kitson, a Los Angeles boutique. Roma Sposa will be moving to their new luxurious Birmingham location! By Appt. 1248-723-43001722 N. Old Woodward I Birmingham I romasposa.com *Percentage off original price. All sales final. Items sold as is. No adjustments before purchases. Sale ends 7/29/06 NI. 1111(111111. w. (1111 1 ), D.O. Michigan Cosmetic Surgery Center Starless Breast Enhancement . Botox Cosmetic, Collagen, Restylane, Radiesse and Alloderm . External Ultrasonic Liposuction . Thermage Fraxer Laser Facelifts . EyeLifts . Cellulite Reduction . Microlift . Skin Care . And More. It's Your Time to Shine! 26 • JULY 2006 • JNPLATINUM Continuedfrom page 25 skirts that I glued together." She knew she wouldn't finish college but enrolled at Wayne State University in Detroit to appease her parents, a "hip and stylish" couple, she says, who divorced when Freede was young. She got her break in fashion when she took a job at Kosin's Clothes, the famed Detroit men's retailer that dressed Motown greats including the Four Tops. Owner Harry Kosins, Freede says, "taught me a lot about textiles." She later worked as a manufacturer's representative for Calvin Klein and Faded Glory and moved to Los Angeles, where she began to sell her own line of clothing — which often included redesigns of leftover clothing she would get from industry friends at the end of each season — out of the back of her Volkswagen. "I'm telling you, if it wasn't nailed down, I would put rhinestones on it," she says. It was her hat line, however, that jumpstarted her Hollywood career. She had begun making trucking hats out of vintage Gucci and Louis Vuitton fabrics. In 2002, the pieces attracted the attention of buyers at Beverly Hills boutique Fred Segal, a favorite of Nicole Richie, Heidi Klum and more — and renowned for launching the careers of up-and-coming designers. In Freede's case, stylists for Cher and the hip-hop trio TLC first took notice of her, and eventually her clien- tele expanded to include American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who wears her Swarovski crystal flip-flops; Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon, who accessorize with her hair pins; and the Hilton sisters, who go through her Huggie earrings the way most people go through underwear. Freede, whose designs are now car- ried in 250 stores worldwide, attributes her success to "finding holes to fill in the market," and to keeping concepts "simple." A former instructor at Brooks College in Long Beach, Calif., Freede says her students used to ask her how to reinvent things. "I would tell them not to. It's basic that sells," she said. "Take something basic and embellish it." For instance, she returns to the "old classic pearls" — like the South Sea Black Fade necklace designed by Freede and modeled by Kate Moss in a Chanel ad — and mixes them with pistachio-hued varieties, chocolate mala beads (a Buddhist symbol of devotion) made of wood from Nepal and crystal disco balls for a new bracelet. "People are going gaga for it," she says. But Freede, who keeps a notebook by her bed in the event inspiration strikes at 4 a.m., says she doesn't have to live in Houston, or Los Angeles, to create her designs. "I can live anywhere because it's all in my head," she says. That confidence has allowed her to contemplate a return to Detroit, where she would like her younger daughter, who is talented artistically, to perhaps attend Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook. Freede also expresses interest in becom- ing active in the local Jewish commu- nity. Freede's best friend from high school, Marcia Salzberg, a color and materials designer at the Ford Motor Company, wouldn't be surprised to see Freede, who visits Detroit annually, back in town permanently. "She has strong roots here, and she values a strong Jewish community for her daughter. And in terms of her busi- ness, she's got the staying power to be in demand wherever she is. Detroit could easily be her home base, and she'd branch out from here." ❑ Lisa Freede's designs can be found online at her Web site, celebstylist.com and locally at Emery's Jewelers in Farmington Hills, (248) 855-0433.