Some wear bags over their heads and others
stylish black fedoras but all are dressed to the nines as they silently wait
in restaurants and cafes across Lithuania’s capital Vilnius.
Seated at tables spaced four metres (yards) apart, dozens of elegant
mannequins are intended to help clients dine at a safe social distance, and
perhaps, also to up their style.
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Owners of Vilnius restaurants and fashion boutiques hit upon the idea after
authorities further eased lockdown measures and allowed eateries and bars to
operate indoors from Monday.
But customers have since been slow to return indoors after dining al fresco
resumed earlier this month.
“Under regulations, we can serve every second table but that created a
feeling of emptiness in the restaurant,” Bernie Ter Braak, the owner of “Cozy”
restaurant, told AFP.
“At first, I thought to put dolls or teddy bears but then I thought of
well-dressed mannequins.
“I reached out to nearby fashion boutiques to showcase their collections,
and they happily joined the initiative,” he added.
Designer Diana Paukstyte said it was a winning combination.
“I’m glad that more people will see my avant-garde clothes, hopefully the
mannequins will also attract more customers to restaurants: we support them,
they support us,” she told AFP.
Over 60 male and female mannequins dressed up in fashions from 19 local
boutiques will have round-the-clock reserved indoor seating at 14 of the
capital’s restaurants and cafes, according to Vilnius city hall.
At each table, clients can also find business cards letting them know where
to buy any new threads that might catch their eye.
Mayor Remigijus Simasius called the initiative “a perfect match of communal
spirit and creativity working side by side which also brings us some tangible
material benefits.”
Lithuania, a Baltic state of 2.8 million people, has only 1,593 coronavirus
cases, including 61 deaths.
It joined neighbours Estonia and Latvia to reopen shared borders last
Friday, allowing citizens to move freely for business and pleasure in a travel
bubble after two months of coronavirus restrictions.(AFP)