Prada Presents a Trifecta of Opening Events to Welcome the Hallowed Italian House to Dallas’ NorthPark Center

If you were at NorthPark Center over the holidays, you were likely pleasantly surprised that, after over a year of construction, Prada had finally opened its doors. To herald their second coming (they had a store a few decades back in Highland Park Village) they decided on a three-tiered approach to celebrate.

First off, an intimate ladies’ brunch’y type of event which would be held on the same day as the Milan Fall/Winter 2025 Prada runway show, with moi hosting and providing an introduction and a discussion afterwards. Alas, it wasn’t a live viewing since with the time difference we would’ve been watching the show happening in Italy at 7am (a wee bit early for me and Dallas’ swellegant social set). So instead, it was held a little later, 11 am, but was still as exciting as everyone watched via the large screen installed for the day, the parade of dresses and separates that questioned what femininity means today. Models traversed an Escher-like landscape created with metal scaffolding and carpeting designed by Catherine Martin. And if you have yet to have made your list of needs from that collection, you’ll find new silhouettes with shifting proportions, raw seams exposed with intention, and gestures to glamour via accessories.

Next up was a dinner at Mister Charles for a select group of close to 50 fashionable types and fans. Under the supervision of the oh-so fabulous party planner, Missy Peck (of Missy RSVP who wore a black a-line Prada dress with a low back that evening), the hallowed Italian house had procured the more moody, darker dining side of the always hard to score a res restaurant on the corner of Knox and Travis.

I found myself at a fun table which included Natalie Chu who had just landed back in Dallas after almost two months of travel to chic locales in the UK, Italy, and Asia; Tina Craig who also literally had just landed at DFW mere hours before we were supposed to be seated; Christen Wilson; Kim and Justin Whitman; and NorthPark Center owner Nancy Nasher. (Everyone wearing head to toe Prada, of course.) Dinner was some of my favorites from the hotspot that Benji and Chas built (Duro Hospitality, founders and owners of Mister Charles). I had to pardon myself from the enchanting conversations to actually savor the caviar starter and my Dover sole.

Finally, the last event in the trifecta series was an in-store cocktail party, which also included an official unveiling of their VIC (IYKYK) lounge area at the back of the boutique which has couches, a kitchen in case you get peckish while doing some serious shopping, and a beautiful view of the NorthPark central courtyard with its brilliant and whimsical selection of sculptures. With a black and white checkboard pattern resembling the marble found in many of their stores, but in this iteration, done in black and white carpet.

The ladies (and gentleman — Brian Bolke) seen at the first brunch’y type runway viewing included Jennifer Karol, Moll Anderson, Kara Goss, Lisa Shaddock, Dana Garner, Zoe Bonnette, and Krystal Schlegel. I caught up over cocktails before the delicious dinner at Mister Charles with lots of old friends including Bela Cooley, Shelby Goff, Erin Mathews, Kasey Lemkin, Rochelle Gores, Kit Sawers, and Pete West. And finally, the last evening in-store saw a crowd made of A-list fashionable types: Max Trowbridge, Janet Gridley, Porschla and Jason Kidd, Javier Burkle and Mason McCluskey, Melinda Knowles, Janey Condon, Claire Emanuelson, and DeeDee Lee.