Who shops at Prada?

Standing in the middle of the temple to retail that is Rem Koolhas’ Prada flagship store in Manhattan, I was struck yet again by the dichotomy between the brand image that Prada would like to present, and the consumers who actually keep the label afloat.

I was there to return a pair of shoes with a broken heel and, as I waited for ten minutes or so for the problem to be dealt with, I propped myself against a pillar and watched the shoppers milling about the store.

It was evident that nobody was interested in the women’s’ clothes, and that shoes, sunglasses and small leather goods were the biggest sellers. Most striking of all were the customers, who were dressed down with their designer label bags and sunnies clashing against Ugg boots, tracksuit bottoms, down jackets and parkas.

Of course this was the Soho store on Broadway, which is always going to attract rubber necking tourists but, even taking this into consideration, I didn’t spot a single customer who looked like they had an interest in Prada beyond the status symbols it could offer.

Valentino invests in Proenza Schouler

WGSN reports today that Valentino Fashion Group has bought a 45% stake, via a capital increase of $3.7m, in women's fashion label Proenza Schouler in a move designed to support its international expansion. They plan to work with existing management, and reconfirmed Shirley Cook as Proenza Schouler chief executive.

Gianfranco Ferré dies aged 62

Gianfranco Ferré died in Milan of a brain haemorrhage yesterday evening at the age of 62. One of the towering figures of fashion, he was best known for his extraordinary and beautiful variations on the white shirt. The Ferré woman was always chic, elegant and restrained, even when wearing his signature full skirted evening gowns.

Born in Italy in 1944, Ferré received a degree in architecture in 1969, but began designing accessories a year later. Ferré started his own company in 1974, and began his signature collection in 1978. His early architecture training informed his personal aesthetic, and he was often referred to as the Frank Lloyd Wright of Fashion. He once described his personal philosophy as, "I use the same approach to clothes as I did when I designed buildings. It is basic geometry; you take a flat form and revolve it in space."

In 1989 he was Bernard Arnault's surprise choice to replace the popular Marc Bohan at the quintessentially Parisian House of Christian Dior, and his appointment marked not only the beginning of the strong Italian influence in French fashion, but placed him at the vanguard of the renaissance in Italian fashion, providing strong competition to the traditional French hegemony. He remained at the house for eight years, leaving in 1996, and then concentrating on his own label in Milan. He won the Occhio d'Oro Award for Best Italian Designer six times.

Michael Teperson

This is the elegantly beautiful Toaster bag by the talented Michael Teperson, a gift from the designer, bless him, after I interviewed him recently for an English publication. Mine is actually cream all over, but this is near enough. (My camera cable is still AWOL)

Refreshinly attitude free, Teperson is one of the most interesting & original bag designers working at the moment. Trained at Parsons and at Central St Martins, he originally intended to become a womenswear designer. His partner Francesco Dori encouraged him to set up hs own label, & he presented his first bag collection for SS05. He cites his main influences, unsurprisingly, as good design and architecture. He admires Richard Meier and his focus on space and clean lines, and you can see this design language refined through in the handbags, which are minus a grating logo.

The Toaster bag above is his most iconic bag. Taking the inspiration from the spiral binding of his Filofax, he used it to create a small zippered flap pocket secured to the side of the bag by a series of metal spirals.Stocked at Fortnums in London & Bergdorfs in Manhattan.www.michaelteperson.com