>> After Michael Kors left Celine in 2004, the brand floundered. To rectify the situation, Pierre-Yves Roussel, chief executive of LVMH's fashion division, traveled to London every other week for nearly a year to persuade Phoebe Philo to come on board at the brand.  The company also agreed to build her a design studio in London, where she lives with her young family.  Eighteen months ago, Philo signed on.

For a fresh start, LVMH destroyed all of the inventory left in stores before Philo's first collection.  All but one Celine store was closed in the United States, ties to less exclusive retailers like Bloomingdale's and Net-a-Porter were cut, the accent was restored to the brand's name, and bag production is no longer outsourced to China — each in a bid to elevate the brand.

Eventually, there will be more affordable offerings »

>> Lindsay Lohan Confirms She Is No Longer with Ungaro —Yesterday, when Lindsay Lohan was a no-show at Emanuel Ungaro, the label's owner noted backstage it was because she wasn't involved at all with the Fall 2010 collection.  According to reports, Lohan was dismissed sometime this week, and yesterday in Kenzo's front row, she confirmed that she wasn't invited to the show “because I don’t work for them anymore.” When asked for more specifics, she replied: “There’s legal things going on; I can’t really discuss it.” [WWD]

>> Karl Lagerfeld to Shoot Next Pirelli Calendar, May Collaborate with Hogan —Every year, Pirelli taps a new photographer for their annual calendar: Terry Richardson did the honors for the 2010 edition, and for 2011, Karl Lagerfeld will shoot "all the top girls" in April. “I’ll do it in my studio in Paris. It’s too obvious to have a beach setting."  Lagerfeld is also rumored to be the "marquee" name Diego Della Valle is in talks with about doing a one-off Hogan collection. [WWD]

>> After making front row appearances at John Galliano, Viktor & Rolf, and Christian Dior over the weekend, Lindsay Lohan failed to turn up at the Emanuel Ungaro show in Paris this morning.

It was expected beforehand, according to WWD's sources in Paris, that Lohan, who was named artistic advisor at Ungaro last year, would pull a no-show, leaving Ungaro chief designer Estrella Archs to take her bow alone this season. And backstage before the show, Ungaro owner Asim Abdullah noted of Lohan's absence: "She's not involved in this collection." He declined further comment.

Fashion Week Daily is reporting that Lohan was dismissed from Ungaro sometime this week, and wasn't invited to the show.

>> Much speculation has identified Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens as two possible frontrunners to take over creative direction of Alexander McQueen's label, and over the weekend, the Telegraph UK reported that Gucci Group owner PPR had indicated Pugh as the desired successor.

Last night, however, Pugh's PR company, Mandi Lennard Publicity, issued a statement in rebuttal: "To speculative reports earlier this week, Gareth Pugh is not in discussions with Gucci Group about a Creative Director role at Alexander McQueen."

Meanwhile, the last collection McQueen worked on — which is believed to have been mostly finished before his death — will be shown in "a series of low-key, private, salon presentations this week," the Telegraph UK notes.

>> Tom Ford Recruiting for Womenswear Collection —Last year, Tom Ford began a search for funding a womenswear offshoot at his brand, although as far as dates and specifics of a launch, he only indicated "very soon."  It seems he's getting closer to that unspecified launch date, however: word is Ford has been quietly recruiting designers, including accessories specialists, for the collection.  A spokeswoman for the designer had no comment on the matter. [WWD]

>> Team Vogue Paris "Blacklisted" from Balenciaga —After neither Carine Roitfeld nor any of the Vogue Paris staff appeared at Balenciaga yesterday morning; Roitfeld told WWD later in the day: “We’re blacklisted. It’s too bad, it’s a beautiful house and it’s French. I hope that it’s not forever.”  She said that Balenciaga no longer advertises with Vogue Paris or lends the magazine clothes, but has given no reason for the rift. "Ask them." A Balenciaga spokesman declined comment, but a commenter on Fashionista noted that it may have something to do with Balenciaga's stylist, Marie-Amelie Sauve, who is no longer styling for the magazine. Vogue Paris hasn't had Balenciaga ads as far back as the October 2009 issue, although that issue did feature Balenciaga samples. [WWD, Fashionista, Fashin, Fashin]

>> After turning in a well-received Fall 2010 collection — Style.com thought the designs "marked a pivotal moment" between Aquascutum's heritage and modern design sensibility — womenswear designer Michael Herz and his menswear counterpart Graeme Fidler have handed in their resignations, Aquascutum confirmed.

The designers, who have been at the company since 2002 and 2000, respectively, have endured a rollercoaster of management changes — most recently, last Fall, when Aquascutum was purchased by BFC and Jaeger chairman Harold Tillman and chief executive Belinda Earl.  WWD reports an industry source saying that both designers are angling to move on to new projects. "They've had a great time at the brand, but they want to move on, and we fully understand that," said Earl. "We wish them well, and the situation is amicable."

As for their replacements . . . »

>> No Photos to Be Allowed at McQueen Presentation —The Alexander McQueen show was cancelled and replaced with a presentation/memorial on March 9 and 10 instead.  Now, word comes that seeing the final collection McQueen worked on just got a little more difficult: photos have been banned from the presentation. [@BinkleyOnStyle]

UPDATE: Photographers are banned at the presentation, but photos of the collection will be provided to media outlets. [The Cut]

>> Those rumors last September of Brian Atwood stepping down from Bally have proven to be correct: the designer just presented his last collection for the label for Fall 2010 and is moving on to focus on his own label.

Atwood was hired in 2007 to revamp and revitalize the Swiss brand's image — but in April 2008, Bally was sold to Labelux Group, which has also recently purchased stakes in Derek Lam, Solange Azagury-Partride, and Zagliani, and it sounds like Atwood was asked to leave. It's rumored Labelux wants the brand more focused on its Swiss heritage, as exemplified by the Spring 2010 Bally ad campaign, featuring Christy Turlington against a background of Alps.

Labelux is also on the prowl for acquisitions »