New Store Adds More Mall Flavor to Square

For decades, the University's ivy-covered walls have drawn tourists to Harvard Square. But with the slew of new chain stores opening in the Square this fall, shopping may soon prove to be just as big an attraction as America's oldest university.

The newest addition to the Mallified Square is the Compagnie Internationale Express, a recently-opened clothing store that says it caters to women of all ages.

The Express and its sister company, Structure, which carries men's clothing opened last Thursday on Brattle Street.

The two stores are in the new six-story Brattle Square complex, which also contains the new HMV music store.

According to Express sales manager Sandra Melloon, her store tries to avoid the GAP-ified look, opting instead for a broader array of clothing.

"Things here are fancier. We are more into blazers, skirts and dresses," Melloon said. "We are influenced by French fashion and have our eye on Europe."

Both Express and Structure store officials say that they are serious about cultivating a European image among shoppers.

"The structure is European," O'Connor said, adding, "Even the inventory control system is Italian."

Trendy though it is, the Eurolook on the racks in the Square may be the real thing.

"This is a good job, although acrylic is not very French--the best material is pure wool," said Corinne Vitte, a French national working in Luxembourg.

"It is nice, neat, has more colors," said Conlon Chen, who works with Vitte in Luxembourg. "Pedestrian but nice."

Might Euro-style prove too Euro-pricy for the college crowd?

Andrea Johnston, a sophomore at Lesley College, said she finds the Express expensive.

"The prices are more than I had expected," she said. "But I like the clothes."

But business has been brisk so far for the two stores, store officials said.

Kathleen Egan, a Tufts University student who works at the Express, said that "quite a few people have come in ever since the store opened."