>> Lanvin announced today that an anonymous European family holding company took a 12.5 percent stake in the company, ending a long quest by majority owner Shaw-Lan Wang to take the brand to the next level. The investment — thought to be on the order of about $37 million — is understand to be longterm, so don't expect the brand to change hands any time soon; LVMH's Bernard Arnault has been interested in recent years, but Wang is unwilling to give up majority control as Arnault would require.

“The company is really healthy. We only need to accelerate,” Lanvin EVP Thierry Andretta told WWD of the move. “We will be looking worldwide for great opportunities.”  It is expected that the capital will help expand Lanvin's retail network, and if more funds are needed, the anonymous investor has the ability to inject more while still maintaining a minority share.

How does Alber feel about it all? »

>> Just when it looked like the Lacroix saga might be nearing its end — not so fast. A final decision on new ownership, which was first supposed to be made October 27 and was later postponed to yesterday, has once again been put off until Dec. 1, partially because the sheikh frontrunner, who made a $100 million offer in October, "could not show the documentation certifying the funds needed for the acquisition were available" ahead of yesterday's tribunal, according to judicial administrator Regis Valliot.

“We are still hopeful that any of the plans can be finalized. The Ajman offer remains our preference,” Nicolas Topiol, Lacroix's CEO, told WWD. Same goes for Christian Lacroix: “I remain confident in the sheik’s will.”

And if the sheikh doesn't give proof of finances? »

>> Jefferson Hack to Launch Another Title? —Yesterday, Jefferson Hack presented at the International Herald Tribune's Techno Luxury Conference in Berlin, asserting that in the future, print media won't disappear, but rather "become souvenirs of the show" — the online world.  He sees the future of magazines in portable devices, augmented reality, smart surfaces, digital paper, and says that "in the digital universe, the winners will be those that take risks . . . How do we compete for attention? We don't. We participate.  The digital revolution caught quite some of the brands napping."  Now, word comes that Hack is set to launch Another Love, a product-driven title, in February. [@IHTLuxury, @m_ariii, @oliwalsh, @_BoF_, @m_ariii, @hintmag]

>> Ridley Scott on Filming the Gucci Movie, Its Rumored Stars —Over the weekend, Ridley Scott confirmed that he hopes to wrap filming on the still untitled Gucci movie by early next Summer (for an early 2011 theater release).  He added that despite rumors of Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio starring, it's still too early for casting: first order is to “get the script absolutely right" — the current script is "kind of getting there."  Scott's girlfriend, Giannina Facio, who shares producer duties on the film did emphasize the amount of research going into the biopic: “I went and met with all the Gucci members. We read memoirs.” [WWD]

>> Wintour Hires Obama Online Campaign Masterminds for Vogue.com —Last week, it came out that Elle pulled ahead of Vogue this year in terms of ad pages — 2,100 to 1,990, respectively — which Vogue SVP and publishing director Tom Florio chalked up to his reluctance to "heavily discount and use our editors to sell ad pages. What we saw happen this year, which we haven’t seen in a while, is the discounts were approaching 70 percent. Some of the deals that were being done were just crazy." This week, meanwhile, Anna Wintour is continuing to beef up Vogue's web presence — a spokesman confirmed that Blue State Digital, which masterminded Barack Obama's online campaign, has been hired to work on Vogue.com business and editorial sides, focusing on reader and subscriber outreach. [WWD, Jezebel]

>> Olivier Zahm, the man who recently described his trademark look as "a disguise" — "five or six years ago, I decided to wear this kind of outfit and behave as if I were a celebrity. It’s not out of narcissism. It’s for the magazine. For an independent magazine to exist, I had to incarnate it personally" — has been busy with projects other than Purple Fashion lately.  He and art director Alex Wiederin have been working together "on Carine Roitfeld's book" — no further details given, and he's also "art directed and designed" the first issue of 31 Rue Cambon, a Chanel magazine — which seems to be in a similar vein as Yves Saint Laurent's Manifesto — to be distributed worldwide in Chanel stores. Featured, of course, are Chanel favorites like Lara Stone, Baptiste Giabiconi, and Freja Beha Erichsen.

>> Video: More Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Casting Hints —The taping of Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is less than a week away, fittings are well under way — Alessandra Ambrosio has hers today — and twenty models, including the Angels walking, have now been confirmed for the show. According to John Pfeiffer, the show's casting director, there will be about 30 to 35 total models; in the casting video below, Cintia Dicker, Eniko Milhalik, Arlenis Sosa Pena, Bruno Tenorio, Yulia Kharlapanova, and Emina Cunmulaj all make appearances — but who will fill out the rest of the cast? [Victoria's Secret on Facebook]

The video! »

>> Alexander Wang is experiencing quite the winning streak — he was awarded the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund of $200,000 last November, the 2009 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear winner this past June, and now he's taking home the 2009 Swiss Textiles Award, a prize of about $150,000, to go towards international development.  Wang becomes the second American designer in a row to win the Swiss Textiles Award, following after Rodarte, who were the first American winners ever last year.

The jury this year, chaired by Isabel Toledo, apparently had a tough time making a decision — Wang's fellow finalists this year were Peter Pilotto, Erdem, Thakoon, Alexis Mabille, and Ohne Titel, who will each receive a prize of approximately $6,000.

Former winners, Raf Simons, Kate Mulleavy sound off »

>> Bill Blass May Have a New Designer Soon —After the whole Peter Som/bankruptcy debacle which has been ongoing for the past year, Bill Blass may finally be ready to start anew.  Originally, a Spring 2010 collection was supposed to be shown, and Richard Chai's name was thrown around for Blass's new creative director, but neither happened. Now, it sounds like Jeffrey Monteiro, who was design director for Derek Lam before starting his own collection for Fall 2008, may be the man to revive Blass next.  Owner Peacock International Holdings declined comment except to say that news about Blass will come in the next few weeks. [WWD]