Call of Dutti

When Massimo Dutti opens its doors to the public on Grafton Street in Dublin next Friday, the new store will be its biggest in Europe. The company, which was founded nearly 30 years ago by Inditex, the Spanish owner of Zara, started with menswear, followed by womenswear seven years later. The Dublin shop, which is spread over three floors in the former HMV spot, will also offer the children’s line. Its success can be measured by its presence in 61 countries, from its base in Barcelona.

Aimed at urban cosmopolitan men and women aged between 25 and 50, Massimo Dutti’s classic, contemporary clothes bridge the gap between cheaper fast fashion and high-end designer brands.

Some call it “credit-crunch fashion” as the clothes stick to the same formula, often reprising successes season after season, with minor details in different fabrics and colours.

Irish customers will already be familiar with its outlet in the Dundrum Shopping Centre, while newcomers will find some tempting buys from the spring/summer season. In womenswear, for example, a handsome linen coat is €195, a sleek brown leather dress, the most expensive item, is €350, and a full-skirted black dress with three-quarter sleeves costs €69.95 and a leather bucket bag with contrast tassels is €135. For men, none of the leather jackets exceed €275, cotton trousers are around €79, while shirts, mostly blue, are just under €50. Womenswear accessories are well priced with suede brogues for €125 and cross body messenger bags in embossed leather are €125. There’s even a motorbike helmet for €125.