>> Earlier today, it was thought that Lane Crawford's fashion director Sarah Rutson and Vogue's Virginia Smith were in the running to succeed Julie Gilhart as Barneys fashion director; however, it was also rumored that Smith turned down the job. Smith has now confirmed that she has no intention of leaving Vogue. As for Rutson, she declined to comment on whether she is a candidate. [WWD]

>> Word went around recently that after Halston's board ousted the brand's CEO Bonnie Takhar, Halston president and chief creative officer Sarah Jessica Parker was upset. But from what she told Elle in its January 2011 issue, it sounds like she's committed to the brand: “I said, ‘Please know this now: I will never do this for a title. I will never dip in and out of this. I’ll do it like everything else I’ve ever done. I’ll be involved down to the splitting of the atom.’” As for her design skills: “I might not have the language; I can’t always tell you the exact blend of a fabric, but I figure it out.” [Elle]

• Givenchy called Adriana Lima when she was four months pregnant to walk in their Spring 2010 show, she says: "They take my measurements and I’m like, 'Oh my God, oh my God, I'm big!' And then they say, 'You’re not big enough!' Because they wanted to see the belly." [The Cut]
• Roland Mouret is anti-diffusion line: “I would never do a diffusion line. I don’t think the future is that. People mix brands all the time already, so you need to do something else. We are living in a different fashion world now.” [Style File]
• Karlie Kloss and Jourdan Dunn spent some quality time together yesterday, Kloss Tweeted: "Lovely day in London w/bff ms.dunn...lunch at Claridges, shopping at Selfridges, and now off to the eurostar...goodbye london hello paris!" [@karlie_kloss]
• Street style favorite and Harper's Bazaar senior fashion market editor Joanna Hillman is documenting her style daily during December for the magazine's blog [Harper's Bazaar]
• Gap's Spring 2011 faces include Anja Rubik, Liu Wen, Anais Mali, Carolyn Murphy, Karmen Pedaru, and Monika "Jac" Jagaciak [TFS]
• Talon cuff fans: Pamela Love just launched an online store [Pamela Love]
• Peek Naty Chabanenko in Cushnie et Ochs's new Spring 2011 lookbook (pictured) [Refinery29]
• Cathy Horyn takes an in-depth look at Chinese couturier Guo Pei as part of Sally Singer's first issue of T, which is slowing leaking online [T]

>> It sounds like Barneys is searching for a fashion director replacement for Julie Gilhart, after all. The two top contenders CEO Mark Lee is said to be eyeing? Sarah Rutson, Lane Crawford's fashion director in Hong Kong, or Vogue's fashion market/accessories director Virginia Smith.

Rutson could not be reached for comment, and Smith forwarded calls to Vogue's press office, which declined comment; although, word is going around that Smith has turned down the job. If Smith does end up taking the position, however, Fashionista's Lauren Sherman points out that she will follow in a line of departures from the top of Vogue's masthead after Sally Singer and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff: "More than anything, it’s another indication that Anna Wintour’s time as editor-in-chief might be coming to an end sooner than later. As one person told me, 'It’s like she’s strategically placing all of her top people so that they’re better off when she’s gone.'"

As for Barneys' take on the Smith and Rutson candidate reports, a spokeswoman replied: “The search has begun and is ongoing. We intend to meet many candidates but no decisions have been made.” And while Simon Doonan remains in place at the retailer, his current contract reportedly expires in May 2011; the spokeswoman declined comment on that.

>> London couture institution Bruce Oldfield, who dressed Princess Diana and has worked with the Duchess of Cornwall, Sienna Miller, and Britain's first lady Samantha Cameron, may be a likely candidate as Kate Middleton's bridal designer.

According to Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, odds for Oldfield started out as four to one, but as of last Friday, they suspended betting because: "We were receiving one-way traffic for Bruce Oldfield and there is no point in taking bets when all the interest is in one person . . . since then his odds have been slashed to one out of three. That would mean there is a 75 percent chance of him being the wedding dress designer."

The spokesperson added: "Sometimes this kind of betting comes from people taking an educated guess, but sometimes it is the result of a leak. We were taking bets of £500 or more so it could be a leak. The wedding is in April, so someone knows what dress she is wearing. I suppose we will just have to wait to see on the 29th."

However, it's worth noting, according to the spokesperson: “We saw this pattern of royal wagers with the venue and the date and they both proved correct. Although we didn’t expect a betting plunge on the dress designer to happen quite so soon, when the stakes changed from fivers and tenners to hundreds of pounds, it appears as though the cat is out of the bag.”

Oldfield said last month that if he "was lucky enough to be asked [to do Middleton's bridal gown], I’d be delighted. I’m already dressing her peers." His spokeswoman declined comment on Wednesday, however. And a spokeswoman at Clarence House replied: “No decision has been made. This is all just speculation.”

>> Print editors are starting to invest in online ventures — literally, like Nina Garcia, who recently sunk money into Fashism, and in the case of Lauren Santo Domingo, whose online trunk show venture was first reported in August.

Details of Santo Domingo's site have finally emerged: it's called Moda Operandi, or modaoperandi.com, and will launch during New York Fashion Week in February as members-only (although members can invite friends). The idea, which was conceived a year ago by founder Aslaug Magnusdottir, who used to head up merchandising for Gilt Noir, the private website for top spenders at Gilt Groupe, is to enable members to place orders from design houses in New York, London, Milan and Paris (including Thakoon, Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung, Narciso Rodriguez, Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, and Giambattista Valli) within 48 hours of their runway show.

Shoppers will put down a 50 percent deposit on their orders, which they will receive in roughly four months, versus the six month lag it usually takes for designer goods to hit retail. Clothes that don't fit can be returned.

For starters, Moda Operandi will be offering four women's collections a year — for Spring, Resort, Fall, and Pre-Fall — from about 50 designers, and in the downtime between collections, it will sell jewelry and accessories. There will also be editorial content like backstage interviews and stylist recommendations.

>> Thanks to Natalie Portman, who introduced Laura and Kate Mulleavy to Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky (whose film they ultimately created 40 costumes for, as well as the knitwear worn throughout), the Rodarte designers seem to be hooked on costuming for movies. "What’s interesting is that, as designers, our job is something so seasonal,” Laura said. “You finish a show and you’re already thinking about your next one. In film, you make pieces of clothing that go down in history. It’s been very, very exciting for us.” And would they do it again? “This was a magic combination of all the people involved, but we’re definitely open to doing it again.” [WWD]