>> Tim Walker's Set Designer Talks the Fate of the Oversized Props —Set designer (and former Alexander McQueen art director) Simon Costin, who works with both Emma Summerton and Tim Walker, recently shared what happens to all the oversized props that have become a trademark in Walker's work: "It often breaks my heart to consign the props I create to the skip, but sadly, with them being so large, there is little alternative. When I work in NYC I can call Materials for the Arts and have things dropped off to them. Sadly London has yet to set something like that up. I’m pleased to say though, Tim has been able to store many things and has then displayed them at exhibitions of his work. The camera is one such prop." [Models.com]

>> Topshop was being super secretive about the highly-anticipated, raved-about Christopher Kane for Topshop collection, but Lucky was finally able to snap three pictures; the collection looks to be full of black, grommets, leather fringe, lace, and tulle.  It sounds like the 39-piece collection — which includes shoes and accessories like this $300 grommeted leather bucket bag — will be in stores in October instead of September as previously reported, with prices running in the $80-$300 range.

UPDATE: Apologies, it sounds like the photo embargo wasn't lifted and won't be until September, so the images had to be taken down.

>> Gisele Bundchen Supposedly Has a Due Date —Gisele has yet to confirm her pregnancy herself, but she's obviously thinking about family in a TV interview with Brazil's Fantastico on June 21: "Before . . . I had to go out, had to work. Now I think about it twice, three times, four times . . . I prefer to stay at home. The big husband wins. Because of this relationship, what is most important to me is the family. Now I am creating my other family." And her due date?  Supposedly Dec. 14. [PopSugar, People]

>> At the opening last night of the Madeleine Vionnet retrospective in Paris — speaking of which, where are Rodolfo Paglialunga's first designs for Vionnet, which were promised in early June? — Vanessa Bruno told WWD she’s been working with director Stephanie Di Giusto on a four-minute mini-movie for her label starring Lou Doillon.  The clip is to be screened in July before appearing online.

Meanwhile, the other French designer maintaining a contemporary line of chic basics, Isabel Marant, talked to Russh in their July/August 2009 issue about how she started working with her stylist and Vogue Paris fashion director Emmanuelle Alt:

It's funny because Emmanuelle and I kind of started out together a long time ago. I always admired her style and what she did for Vogue, but we lost contact for a while because she was overloaded with work. Four years ago her husband Franck Durand became my artistic director and I was always saying 'I love what your wife is doing, I would love to work together with her one day.' So it was little by little. Now we have done about five shows together. I love the vision she has for my clothes, she manages to put them together in a way that is a bit more sophisticated than what I did before . . . I love it when she goees tac, tac, tac... puts the different pieces together, and I'm like 'oh yeah, that's exactly it!'

But they don't always agree »

>> Elle Tops Vogue in Ad Pages For First Time Ever —For the first time in its 24-year run, Elle has scored more advertising pages than Vogue, topping out at 970 pages compared to Vogue's 956 pages in the first half of 2009.  Although the major litmus test doesn't come until the magazine's September issues, which close this month, so far Elle has experienced a 22 percent decline compared to Vogue's 32 percent decline year over year.  Last year, Vogue had 10 percent more ad pages than Elle; Vogue's "too down-market" February 2009 Blake Lively cover has been blamed for the slippage, but supposedly Elle's August 2009 cover features Miley Cyrus — alleged cover shot here — so we'll have to see. [Forbes]

>> Former Valentino vice president of worldwide public relations and the designer's right-hand man Carlos Souza, who exited the company where he worked for over twenty years after his contract ran out in January 2008, is back in place.

Souza, who left the house after Valentino's farewall couture show in January 2008 before Alessandra Facchinetti took the reins, is widely credited with growing the brand's devoted clientele and celebrity fan base and producing the runway and party spectaculars that took the brand to the global level.  Between Facchinetti and current Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the house has struggled to define itself post-Valentino — the latter designers have received unenthusiastic reviews for both collections they've presented.

Just in time for their third effort — the Fall 2009 Couture show in July — Souza has quietly been brought back to head up public relations in the US, a move many insiders consider to be in efforts to get the brand back on track — re-attracting the strayed celebrity ambassadors, included.

>> Giles Deacon to Show in Paris for Spring 2010 —Giles Deacon has just been awarded the 2009 ANDAM Award, the prize that allowed Gareth Pugh to take his show to Paris last year — and will be following in his footsteps.  The ANDAM — the largest international fashion prize of its kind at €160,000 (approx. $225,000) — means that Giles will be going against the current of all the designers returning to London Fashion Week for Spring 2010, and taking his show from London to Paris instead. [Hint]