Reiss is in the “masstige” sector, which in plain English means that it deals in luxury at prices that many, not just the few, can afford. Who can tell why anyone had to invent a word — and such an ugly one at that — to describe this relatively simple retailing concept?

Another question is: how many people can develop a taste for Reiss’s brand of masstige, which is characterised by neat but sexy jackets (popular with the less staid kind of television newsreader) and elegant but funky dresses? There are already 58 stores, including American branches in Boston, New York and, very soon, Los Angeles; but David Reiss, the chain’s founder and owner, has ambitions for 250 worldwide. There will be a stand-alone accessories store in Islington, North London, by the summer.

My destination last Thursday was the branch in Vigo Street, off Regent Street. While the masses invaded the new Primark at Marble Arch, I took the masstige route down Regent Street that leads from Cos, the new H&M upscale offshoot, thence to Jaeger, and on to Reiss. The appreciation of the impeccably decorated interiors of these shops can often be one of the main aims of this journey, but on this occasion I was trawling for trousers: after a winter spent in skirts and dresses with black opaque tights, I wanted a change.

On my first Chain reaction trip to Reiss I was left reeling by the prices; this shock continues, but it has become somehow deadened by the sheer glamour of the stores. At the Vigo Street branch there are exposed metal beams and crystal spheres hanging from the ceiling, and the wooden flooring has a subtle distressed sheen — it can be hard for the clothes to compete with such a bravura display of contemporary art.

On this occasion, they were equal to the task; the most eye-catching offerings were a blue beaded smock dress (£159), a black Fifties-style silk net frock (£135), a gilt short evening coat (£225) and a silk jersey dress with a plunging back (£135); the most useful a blue-and-white-striped short coat (£250 — ideal with white trousers, jeans or a skirt), a grey double-breasted jacket (£149) and a navy Audrey Hepburn shift dress (£155). I took two styles of grey trousers (£95) into the dressing room with the trepidation that prevents many people I know from putting a foot through the door of Reiss; the narrow sizing exposes any increase in body mass. Reiss men’s clothes are reputedly more forgiving, erasing incipient excess midriff flesh.

An inability to zip up the trousers proved, however, not to be the problem; rather, the wide-legged trousers truncated my legs, while the narrow-legged ones made me resemble a starship trooper from some long-running Seventies drama set in outer space. Neither pair may have been becoming, but I did find two typically understated tops (£30 and £36) to layer under existing mass-market buys. The aesthetic high provided by the beautiful shopfit also ensured that I felt a little less concerned about my seasonal wardrobe disorder.

The links in the chain
Pretax profits at Reiss were £.6.3 million on sales of £44.5 million in the year to January 2006. Sales in 2006 climbed to £60 million. The chain was founded in 1971 as a menswear business; it moved into womenswear in 2000.
Previous reviews

Detail is retail

Layout: an architectural treat 9/10
Staff: very patient with fussy customers 8/10
Changing rooms: each is a comfortable little boudoir 8/10
Bags: distinctive zigzag design 8/10
Website: you can view the collection to the accompaniment of ambient sounds 8/10
Overall score: trendy yet understated; definitely not for bargain-hunters 8/10

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