>> Derek Lam, who became Tod's first creative director ever in 2006 and had been collaborating with the brand for a couple of seasons before that, has reupped his contract with the Italian label for another two years. [@womensweardaily]

>> Roberto Cavalli celebrated his 40th anniversary show today in Milan with a spectacular venue — the 19th-century marble Arco Della Pace — and an equally stellar cast: Erin Wasson, Laetitia Casta, who closed, and Natalia Vodianova, who opened.

Cavalli is reportedly paying Vodianova between 50,000 and 70,000 euros ($67,000 to $94,000) for both her runway appearance and her attendance at his gala dinner and bash on Sept. 29 at L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a party which is said to be costing the designer over $2 million.

Cavalli, who turns 70 on Nov. 15, has seen his become a family business over the years: his 51-year-old wife, Eva, serves as creative director and drives the brand's image, selecting models, overseeing the ad campaigns, styling and staging the catwalk. And of their three children, Rachele, 28, collaborates with her parents on the brand's accessories, and Daniele, 24, works with Roberto and Eva on the men's collections.

Although there have been rumors of strife between Roberto and Eva in recent years, they are still apparently close and dependent on one another. As Roberto puts it, when you work together all day every day, "you bring your work-related problems and troubles into the bedroom."

>> Raf Simons seems to hold the honor of electrifying the fashion audience the most thus far this Spring 2011 season. Suzy Menkes wrote of his Jil Sander collection: "This was a show that projected fashion into this new decade." Vogue UK lauded: "And in the space of 15 minutes, Raf Simons stole the show. The Jil Sander collection this afternoon did just what he does so well: make everybody forget everything they’ve seen before by giving them brilliantly conceived, complete distraction."

Joe Zee Tweeted: "I think Raf Simons has officially made me a color convert with his Jil Sander collection. So incredibly major! With a capital M," later replying "COSIGN" to Kelly Cutrone's Tweet: "Fashion Prediction: Raf for Jill Sander - show stopper - Takes the season." The Los Angeles Times's Booth Moore agreed: "At Jil Sander, designer Raf Simons' extreme color story packed more of a punch than almost anything else we'd seen so far this season."

WWD called the collection "extraordinary" and "fantastic," and Cathy Horyn wrote: "Mr. Simons has shown some exceptional collections at Jil in the past five years, but in this one he dealt more assuredly with the fundamentals of fashion — shape, volume, proportion, new materials — and pushed past the old frontiers to create a new example of minimalist dressing . . . Reaction to the show seemed very enthusiastic, with an immediate burst of applause at the end."

>> Heidi Mount's husband, 30-year-old hairstylist Shawn Mount, was accused by an unnamed 24-year-old model of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room during London Fashion Week. Mount, who has worked for Vogue and on Ralph Lauren ad campaigns, was in London styling models for runway shows. He was arrested on suspicion of rape on Sept. 21 and released on police bail to work at Milan Fashion Week. He has not been charged, although investigations are continuing; sources indicate that Heidi knows the accuser and was in Milan at the time of the alleged attack. She and Shawn have been married since 2007 and have a 3-year-old son together. [NY Post, Daily Mail]

>> Yesterday, Versus hit the runway for the first time in over a decade, under the creative direction of Christopher Kane. “To restore Versus like it used to be means to bring this collection once again on the catwalk, to show in a proper location and in a proper town, and to intrigue the VIP,” Donatella Versace told W. “And it will keep getting bigger and bigger. But not too big. Not yet. Because we are not ready. If you do it big, then you’ve got to do it big. I never really gave Christopher a proper party before either, but I will.”

The Spring 2011 collection, shown against a playground backdrop with a soundtrack of children at play, prompted the Wall Street Journal to write of Kane and Versace's professional relationship: "It was hard not to look at Versus and wonder who [between Versace and Kane] is influencing whom.  Spokesman Tomaso Galli insists Mr. Kane is the understudy. I asked if Mr. Kane consulted on the Versace collection. 'No. Not at all,' Mr. Galli said firmly. 'Not at all.'"

But that doesn't mean that Kane won't be working on the Versace collection one day. When W asked if she could see Kane heading up the house, Donatella replies without hesitation: “At the moment Versus is enough. But I can see him there, yes. For sure.”

Between now and then, however, Kane may have to change his laissez-faire attitude towards celebrity clientele — they are part of the brand DNA. The Versace show was delayed on Friday for more than 45 minutes waiting for January Jones to arrive, whereas Kane once cordially told Victoria Beckham no when she asked for a dress to be sent. “Yes, but let’s get this straight,” explains Kane. “I’ve got nothing against her. I think she’s really great. I think she’s really beautiful. I just wasn’t in a position to gift celebrities at that point. So in the end she bought it.”