The store, a former Waterstone's bookstore, has been designed by Masamichi Katayama, the founder of Wonderwall. It spans three floors with a mix of men's and women's fashion, the T-shirt wall and a rainbow of Pantone-colored cashmere knits on the ground floor; men's fashion on the lower-ground, and women's upstairs.

The interior is spare and streamlined with materials such as steel, glass and blond wood. Glass clothing display tubes span the three floors, and media screens with Japanese wording and product flash on the walls.

Prices are competitive with stores such as Topshop, Zara and COS, H&M's higher-end line, with a wool jumper dress costing about 29.99 pounds, or $63; a short wool peacoat at 49.99 pounds, or $104; a Pantone-colored 100 percent cashmere sweater, 59.99 pounds, or $125, and a cashmere cowl-neck dress by Adam Jones at 79.99 pounds, or $167.

"Before, it was all very casual and a lot of fleece," said Simon Coble, Uniqlo's chief operating officer, based in the U.K. "Today it's a much more fashion product hanging alongside the denim and cashmere. And there is a strong emphasis on great fabrics and colors."

As well as creating buzz. The opening party Wednesday night drew the likes of model Ben Grimes, her boyfriend Jackson Scott, Chloe and Poppy Delevigne, Meredith Ostrom, David de Rothschild and Lady Gabriella Windsor. Skinny-jeaned rockers, young aristos and East End hipsters rocked out to music by rapper Dizzie Rascal and Daisy Lowe — another multitasking model — acted as guest DJ for the soiree. Grimes showed off her new hairstyle. "My friend and I were watching 'Léon' and I wanted to look like Natalie Portman, so I cut it," said the British model, flicking her freshly cropped bob. "Yep, I modeled my hair on a 12-year-old girl."

Boy Meets Girl

NEW YORK — At its SoHo store here, Uniqlo presented its spring collection on Tuesday evening. Shorts suits, loose Ts and suspenders gave the hipster collection a boyish bent, but feminine pops of color on scarves and jackets, not to mention an occasional dress, added a touch of girliness.