ANCI president ties rise of classics to dollar's fall. (Luigino Rossi )

ANCI president ties rise of classics to dollar's fall NEW YORK -- What do the dollar's plunge and the rise of classic shoe styles have in common? Perhaps more than first meets the eye, suggested Dr. Luigino Rossi, president of ANCI -- the Italian shoe and component manufacturers' trade group -- in a recent interview here.

"When the lira was at 2,000 (per dollar), U.S. buyers were buying more outrageous shoes; now they're buying classics -- pumps, slingbacks, Chanel looks," Rossi said, speaking through an interpreter at the Italian Trade Center. "That's how they're buffering (rising) costs. Stylized shoes cost less than wild ones. And also, they're a safer bet; they're unlikely to bomb."

The lira opened at 1,294.5 per dollar, …