Jessica Herman

Shortly after getting hitched, Plami and Julian Todorov did what any couple who wanted to spend more time together would do: They opened a shoe store.

Driven by Plami's love for shoes and Julian's love for Plami, the two Bulgarian natives joined the ranks of hip Division Street boutiques a month ago with Juliani (2124 West Division), a shop featuring predominantly European men's and women's shoes and accessories.

Other than a crop of Aurelio Alessio's suede white street shoes, each distinguished with flags from different countries, men will generally find a selection of unconventional dress shoes. The featured designers, including Alessio, Giovanni Marquez and Juno, dress it up with cherry red leather, animal-scale patterns, embellishments like pony skin cutouts and varying degrees of the high-fashion pointy toe.

A broader range of styles graces the shelves of women's kicks, though you'll be hard-pressed finding more than one or two flats. There's everything from flashy bright pink boots to sexy black ankle boots with stiletto heels and laces zigzagging across the foot to funky pony skin knee-highs splattered with patches of gold.

Juliani's walls are dotted with accessories. Duck-billed walking sticks and personal shoe shining kits cater to men. Ladies will enjoy Voce's leather purses galore, all for well under $100. The dozen or so styles include a bright blue handbag striped with zippers, an asymmetrical tote coated with gold leather gills and rabbit fur and leather bag.

(2005-12-06)

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