>> John Galliano has been formally let go at the label that bears his name, after the firm's board recently met and decided to eject the designer. It is understood that the in-house design team at John Galliano, which shares members with Dior, will be saddled with producing forthcoming collections; pre-Spring is already said to be underway.

Christian Dior, which owns 91 percent of the Galliano house, has apparently received several unsolicited expressions of interest in the label from its Italian licensing partner Ittierre, as well as a Chinese group and a firm from the Middle East; however, a sale of the company is reportedly not a priority.

Galliano the designer, for his part, was recently spotted at the Los Angeles airport; he is said to have recently completed an "intensive" one-month treatment at an Arizona rehab center and is now in extended "aftercare." A date for his impending trial — which will determine whether he faces months in prison and a fine of 22,500 euros (approximately $31,000) on account of public insult — is expected to be announced on May 12.