Linen has replaced liquor with the opening of a new high-end fashion boutique - MaxMara - in part of the former Frith's Liquors store on Front Street.

MaxMara is an Italian designer who produces classically cut clothes and is well known for tailored suits made out of natural fibres, such as wool, linen and cotton.

The store is stocked with styles from the MaxMara main line, MaxMara basic and the Weekend collection - all direct from Italy - in sizes 2 to 14.

Although the shop has only been opened since last Wednesday, manager Vanessa Elmas said customer feedback - with more business from locals than visitors so far - has been positive.

Asked to describe the line of clothes, Mrs. Elmas said “sophisticated” is the one word that sums it all up.

And for fashion-conscious residents, Mrs. Elmas said the store - which is owned by the Hornburg Calypso group - is receiving weekly shipments of new designs and has limited its orders of each style, which should cut down on the all-too-common situation of seeing others wearing the same outfit as you.

Hornburg Calypso also owns and runs Calypso, Voila and Benetton in Hamilton, as well as many Calypso stores in hotels around the Island.

Mrs. Elmas said the store is a “different concept for the Island because it is minimal: You are not overwhelmed by cluttered racks of clothes. And it is fresh and exciting” she said, adding the clothes are often hand-finished and that trousers are left unfinished to accommodate different heights.

The store will also carry a select choice of accessories and Mrs. Elmas - who studied fashion design and merchandising in the US, and previously was a manager for the Nordstrum department store chain - said customers may also be able to special order MaxMara styles not held in stock.