Woman sues Prada after she couldn't get champagne splashes out of her £1,000 skirt - and wins

MELBOURNE woman has successfully sued luxury fashion label Prada because champagne stains on a £971 ($1660) skirt she wore once won't clean off, reports the  Australian paper, the Herald Sun.

Catherine Whitty  spent £971 ($1,660 in Australian dollars) on the silk skirt for her 40th birthday party, but a guest dampened the night by spilling French bubbly over the Italian creation.

Ms Whitty was surprised when her drycleaner said the stains couldn't be removed, and that any liquid - including rain or splashes from washing hands - would have damaged the delicate silk.

Catherine Whitty sued Prada over a champagne-stained skirt. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: HeraldSun

She launched tribunal action, arguing sales staff at Prada's flagship store on Collins St knew she was buying the piece for a champagne celebration and should have warned it was unsuitable.

Ms Whitty told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal she'd chosen the A-line skirt because it was a timeless piece that she expected to wear many times.

The frequent Prada patron said she expected the garment would be fit for "common usage" and that she would be able to remove simple stains to allow for multiple outings.

The Princes Hill physiotherapist said she'd checked the washing instructions on the skirt before purchase, and the label said "professionally dryclean".

Ms Whitty said no Prada sales assistants had advised her the fabric would be irreparably damaged if alcohol - or water - were spilt on it.

Prada retail operations manager Albin Cheng said staff had proffered the skirt based on fashion, not what would be served at the party.

He argued the stains were not a fault of the garment, but of Ms Whitty's failure to take due care while wearing it.

"This was not caused by us," Mr Cheng told Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Ms Whitty's delay in taking the skirt for cleaning hadn't helped, he claimed.

The party host waited until Monday morning after the Saturday-night mishap in the belief her preferred shop was shut on Sundays.

Mr Cheng said a search of Prada's customer database revealed that four months after the party, Ms Whitty had bought another item of the same material, raising questions about whether she really did doubt its quality and wearability.

Ms Whitty told the tribunal she'd bought other silk items from Prada and was "usually a very happy customer".

Ms Whitty in the skirt at her birthday party. Source: HeraldSun

But she was highly dissatisfied at being able to wear the damaged skirt only once, and also by Prada Australia's handling of her complaint.

She said she'd spent several frustrating months trying to get the brand to respond to her concerns before launching tribunal proceedings.

Tribunal member Peter Moloney found in favour of Ms Whitty, and ordered Prada Australia refund the full £971 ($1660) to her.

Mr Moloney noted unless sold with a warning, garments were usually be expected to withstand some use and exposure to normal hazards of life such as spills or a rain shower.

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Content thanks:HeraldSun