Belgian menswear designers are flexing their moules, and the world is watching.

WHEN PRADA launched its urban sporty range earlier this year, it was done without fanfare or fuss. A metal- encased look-book filled with pictures of the clothes and shoes simply appeared at the office and, apart from a few "oohs", "aahs" and an "isn't their red stripe label just like those Dymo things we used as kids?", it was filed away as "Prada goes London street- style" without further ado. How regrettably short- sighted.

SHARES in Church & Co yesterday rose 10p to 280p as the shoemaker and retailer reported a 11-per-cent increase in profits before tax to pounds 1.5m for the six months to 30 June.

They've got it all, but what

What kind of man would spend pounds 210 on a cashmere T-shirt? Melanie Rickey went to London's West End to find out

She's sleek but funky, minimal yet label-conscious - and her style is being copied around the world. Meet Hoxton Girl, the East End's most successful export

THE SPOILS OF WAR

The ubiquitous pedal pusher, always desirable and now affordable too from high-street hopeful Wallis

You won't yet have heard of Six Eight Seven Six unless you are a serious fashion nerd, but you soon will. The clothes, seemingly simple shirts, jackets and trousers, are for men of the Nineties who are stylish, modern, and willing to spend good money on functional clothes with an interesting edge. Right now the label is generating talk, and its unassuming designer Kenneth MacKenzie doesn't quite know why. It's pretty obvious to onlookers, however, that he has tapped into the mood of the moment, and because of the mysterious nature of the label (no press office, no obvious name behind it) the rumours have sprung up. "It's a Belgian collective," said one "in-the-know" friend, "tickets to their fashion shows are like gold dust." They sure are - 6876 don't show on the catwalk. Another said: "The "68" is the year the designer was born, and "76" is the year the business partner was born." Also wrong. According to Dundee-born MacKenzie, 35, his company was named after the 1968 situationist movement in Paris and the rise of punk in 1976. "It's half ironic, half serious, a fashion wind-up really, and I chose numbers because I didn't want my name on it," he says.

Every girl worth their weight in Prada knows that the latest arrival on Bond Street will be an extra special stop on the shopping trail. Holly Davies goes to shop at Miu Miu.

If you have recently visited the section in Selfridges devoted to Prada's younger sister line, the party girl Miu Miu, you'll be aware of the mini-whirlwind frenzy over the most sought-after accessory of the season: the little sequined handbag. It is the sort of thing you used to hanker after as a child because it is so bright and sparkly. The only drawback, as usual, is the price - more than pounds 100 - and the fact that every fashion victim in town has bought up almost the entire stock of the glittery little blighters already.

If you are shopping for going-out tops, then a Lurex one would be a good buy. With seasonal parties in mind, glitzy tops are nice and Christmassy. The stretchiness of the fabric means that they are easy to wear. Plus, if you're going out on the town straight from work, you can carry one around in your bag all day, pull it on at night, et voila, no creases. Karen Millen have a good selection, as do most of the high-street shops - so you don't need to spend lots on a designer version. If you choose a simple shape and colour it should last you more than a couple of parties. Prada showed Lurex tops in their Spring/Summer '98 collection, so it is highly likely that we will all be wearing little Lurex tops well into next summer, too.

Since the Seventies, the name Margaret Howell has stood for a very English kind of elegance. Tamsin Blanchard meets the designer that grown-up women like to wear

The model Karen Elson is already a star; her friend Erin is about to become one. This is how they spent Fashion Week in Milan