>> Under the lead of designer Sophia Kokosalaki, who debuted her first collection for Diesel Black Gold in February for Fall 2010 (with Kate Lanphear styling), Diesel founder Renzo Rosso is in the midst of repositioning the label.

Rosso broke Black Gold off as a separate business division and company veteran Andrea Baldo has been named the label's new general manager. Baldo plans to bring higher quality to Black Gold by using mostly Italian fabrics, tightening distribution (the men's line will be available exclusively at Barneys in the Fall), and creating a new logo, a new shop concept, and more accessories. There will also be dedicated Black Gold advertising campaigns.

As for the core denim »

>> Louis Vuitton Reportedly Picks Two Models Who Didn't Walk Fall 2010 Runway for Campaign — After Louis Vuitton's voluptuous Fall 2010 cast featuring models in a range of ages — from Bar Refaeli to Elle Macpherson — there were many potential choices to lead the brand's subsequent campaign. But in fact, Marc Jacobs has reportedly gone with two models for Fall 2010, neither of which walked the runway — Natalia Vodianova, who sat front row at the show, and Christy Turlington.  The campaign will apparently be shot next week with Karl Templer, not show stylist Katie Grand, doing styling honors. [@LiveFashionWeek]

>> Speculation: Vogue Publisher Tom Florio Hired Rival Elle Publisher Carol Smith to Protect His Interests —There was speculation yesterday about why longtime Elle SVP Carol Smith was hired at Conde Nast by Vogue SVP and publishing director Tom Florio, but now, it turns out there may be further ulterior motives. Elle finished last year with more advertising pages than Vogue (2,082 to 1,988) — although WWD notes the numbers may have come at the expense of revenue — and insiders report that Florio was heard saying, "The best offense is a good defense,” regarding hiring one of his biggest rivals, personally and with regards to Vogue. Meanwhile, Joe Zee Tweeted of the news of Smith's move: "I was told 2010 is the year of change. Change at ELLE today and I am heartbroken about it." [WWD, @mrjoezee]

>> In the latest edition of Style.com's "Future of Fashion" series, Julie Gilhart maintains that live fashion shows are still a must — "If the Rodarte girls didn’t have a fashion show, would you be able to get the essence of that collection?" — but says that the runway collections should be edited down in size, as they are becoming less and less aligned with what is actually sold in the stores:

"The runway collections actually come late in the season, and the reality of the way American retail is set up, things go on sale not that long after the runway pieces come in. So there should be less pieces in the runway, and our buys shouldn’t be weighted in the runway. They should be weighted into the pre-collections, so you have longer to sell, and you can put a mix together and it looks like a more edited exclusive product in the store. Balenciaga is one of my favorite shows to go to because Nicolas [Ghesquiere] only does 35 exits, which is really small for a show, but you can almost memorize those 35 exits. They’re put on Style.com, they’re shot in every single magazine, they’re everywhere — so by the time they come in the store, I don’t know if I so want the whole runway exit thing. Maybe I want a piece of it, but the bulk of what we’re going to sell in a collection like Balenciaga is going to come in before those runway pieces come in."

One "top" designer is "burned out" from turning out so many collections »

>> Inaugural Fashion Incubator Designers Have Officially Moved In —The first twelve designers participating in the new CFDA Fashion Incubator program — including Prabal Gurung, Waris Ahluwalia, Sophie Theallet, Bibhu Mohapatra, and Justin Giunta — which provides subsidized studios in the heart of New York's Garment District, officially moved into the space, which apparently "looks much like a shopping mall, with glass-fronted showrooms on either side of a grand aisle," last week. Advantages include retailers being able to visit the designers all at the same time and proximity to their suppliers. “The amount of time we save, even if it’s running out for a zipper, is incredible,” said Mohapatra. [NY Times]