In days gone by, House of Fraser was associated with a particular kind of rather starchy luxury and frequented by well-to-do maiden aunts.

Then came a period when the it seemed to lose this posh, albeit old-fashioned attraction and became just another part of the high street.

Fortunately, the interlude was only brief and today the opening of a House of Fraser store is always an occasion for curiosity. The Westfield London outpost, at the far end of The Village, had its management cooing on opening day last week. This might have been because the three-floor, 70,000 sq ft store had actually opened on time when its immediate neighbours had not. More probably it was because this Kinnersley Kent-designed emporium was the most glamorous large footprint store in the mall.

Wherever you look, the impression is high-gloss, whether it’s the slick fit-out of Italian brand Marni, the colour-changing membrane forming the ceiling above the escalator, or the jewellery department where the displays themselves look gem-like. The latter are noteworthy because the glass, steel and white lights used to form the ostentatious cabinets look almost exactly like those used by the nearby De Beers store. The difference on opening day was that the De Beers displays were empty because the shop had yet to open.

House of Fraser’s latest branch is a glitzy beacon in Westfield’s already sophisticated and alluring environment.

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