>> While Christian Lacroix is hoping that his label can emerge out of administration with new ownership, he's already got one couture client who offered to bail him out.  He turned her down: “I prefer her as a client rather than chairwoman.”

Lacroix says that his widely acclaimed Fall 2009 collection will probably not be produced, because the factory is among the house's creditors, and the Fall 2009 couture show is up in the air.  He is still sketching in hopes that something will come together, but there is no budget to use any outside suppliers like embroiderers and not even a photocopier in the office.

Lacroix blames part of the label's 35 percent drop in sales — which expedited the bankruptcy filing earlier this month — to cuts in materials and manufacturing: “If you decide to do something in the deluxe field, you have to go all the way.  Even the best factory can’t make beautiful clothes with cut-rate fabrics.”

As for the future of the company, he acknowledged that if the company is not sold, it might be reduced to a licensing operation with only a handful of employees. But he's staying optimistic: “I know that my work, my inspiration and my creativity is not minimal and not so easy to make, but we have the proof that with skill and cleverness and good partnerships, it’s possible . . . The best way to fight would be to do a beautiful collection."