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Photo from Birkenstock Medford becomes the sole of high fashion BY DAVID PRESZLER Seattle may have spawned Microsoft and Starbucks but when it comes to trendy footwear, some shoe-lovers are shooting jealous stares southward. One of Birkenstock Footwear's newest shoes has been dubbed the Medford. And, yes, the dress shoe with "classic oxford styling to wear casually or in the boardroom" is named after our fair city. Other cities have been used as sources for soleful surnames, including Seattle. But Linda Heath, owner of the Medford store, says Medford scored a top design. "The man that has the Birkenstock store in Seattle said, `I can't believe the cool shoe Medford got,"' she says. "They got a sandal." While the Ashland may seem a more appropriate Southern Oregon name for a Birkenstock, Heath points out that the Medford is a traditional dress shoe. "Birkenstock has had an implied hippie thing for so many years," she says. "So many of the shoes don't meet that criteria any more." The leather Medford comes in three colors -- black, chestnut, and walnut waxy -- and has been available since late August. The Medford store is planning a showcase celebration for Nov. 6-7. Longtime Medford Mayor Jerry Lausmann will get a complimentary pair and customers can enter a drawing for a free set of what the company calls "the city's most appropriate shoe." Birkenstock's corporate headquarters in Germany chooses the shoe names but U.S. distributors offer suggestions and the company has long named shoes after cities, rivers and regions. Shoes have recently been named after Charleston and Baltimore; the Chicago is due out next spring. The company has already released the Oregon water sandal and other shoes named after Oregon cities. But the Medford is the only one so far to make the permanent line. Though Heath says the shoe is a hit with Rogue Valley customers so far, it remains to be seen how many Medford residents will splurge for the shoe named in the city's honor. The price tag: $174.95. Heath says the shoes' quality and durability justify the cost: "People who have worn the shoes and believe in them will pay that." The theory is holding so far; Heath says her store has sold 18 pairs since the Medford debuted in August, making it the top seller in Birkenstock's Footprints line over that period. Mail Tribune Copyright � interRogue & The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA