Luxury retail chain Tommy Hilfiger will come soon to Edinburgh.
The store has applied for permission to install a non-hardwood timber shopfront, timber sashwork, stall riser and fascia panel at its new, soon to be refitted, unit at 23 Multrees Walk (Ref. 13/05217/FUL; 13/05218/ADV).
Hilfiger, will take the place of Replay in the 4,700 sq.ft premises. The $9 billion store's arrival in the capital's most prestigious arcade will save locals the inconvenience of a trip to West Lothian's most prestigious shopping mall, the Almondvale Shopping Centre in Livingston.
The company's eponymous founder has strong connections with Edinburgh. He is supposedly the great great great nephew of poet Robert Burns, who – as reported in Issue 181 – was an occasional caller at the house of his friend Alexander Nasmyth on York Place.
That, of course, was in the days before 'classic American style with a refreshing twist' had been invented.
So far as we can tell, the proposed new shopfront in Multrees Walk looks no worse than what it replaces.
Image above: Creative Commons
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In pre-appliction discussions, a Council official suggested that the wood to stone ratio on the front elevation could do with a tweak (more stone), but in general the plan looked 'ok' subject to 'the usual caveats'.
The site is very compact.
The rear elevations (facing north) strike Spurtle as charmless and drab, but at least the lack of windows means there is little chance of nearby residents having their privacy invaded or making eye contact with any new neighbours.
Outside, we are slightly surprised that while one proposed dwelling has its own, very small back green, the other appears to enjoy unrestricted access to the back green of a property in Fettes Row.
