>> As suggested last week, Olivier Rousteing, a key deputy of Christophe Decarnin at Balmain, was just confirmed as the house's new designer. He will supervise the design and development of both men's and women's ready-to-wear collections, and will reportedly not give any interviews prior to the debut of his Spring 2012 collection later this year.

According to the press release, Rousteing had been in charge of Balmain's womenswear studio since 2009 and previously spent five years at Roberto Cavalli, where he was promoted to designer of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections. He is French-born, was raised in Bordeaux, and completed his fashion studies at ESMOD in Paris in 2003.

>> Carla Bruni is pregnant with her first child by husband Nicolas Sarkozy, according to reports in the French publications Le Figaro, Le Journal du Dimanche, and Le Parisien. Although the Elysee Palace has not denied or confirmed the claims — a spokesperson instead commented that the subject is a private matter — the French magazine Closer reports that ministers have been told not to share the news, as Bruni is still in the early stages of pregnancy. Bruni, 43, has one previous child, Aurelien, born in 2001 by a previous boyfriend. It was already reported last week that she may skip the Cannes Film Festival premiere of her Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, for fear of appearing too "bling" in the face of next year's French presidential elections, but a pregnancy could be another reason to avoid the scrum of press. [Vogue UK]

>> Karl Lagerfeld has never been one to hold verbal punches, and his recent conversation with W — in which he tells us how he really feels about Christophe Decarnin, explains why he doesn't use computers, and vouches for which designers he would like to see at Dior — is no exception.

A few highlights, below.

On whether he'll ever cut his hair: "No, because I’m afraid it won’t grow again. And I’m not very gifted for hairdos. This is the quickest thing in the world. It takes less than five seconds. I have someone who comes to the house and washes it, puts in the dry shampoo, and takes care of it because I have no time. I don’t even have time to go to the dentist. I’m busy but in a pleasant way. I’m the one who wanted to do all of it, so I can’t complain."

On who he wants to see take over at Givenchy: "Well I’m not a consultant there, but I think Riccardo Tisci would be good, and then Haider Ackermann at Givenchy — not because they are friends of mine, but because they are good."

And if he still wants Haider Ackermann to take over at Chanel: "Not especially. It’s not his world I don’t think."

His thoughts on Christophe Decarnin leaving Balmain: "Forget about it! This was a job done by a fashion editor. I don’t even know the name of the man who did it, so don’t ask me about that."

On why he doesn't use a computer and instead communicates by fax: "It’s very easy to explain: For me, sketching and writing are the same thing. I like to write. It’s a physical thing — I hate to be without paper and pencil in hand. And I write like a talk. I can put my way of talking on the paper exactly the same way. The machines they tried to make where you write directly on computers are not perfect. The minute they’re perfect, I will use them."

The one thing he doesn't like women to wear: "I’m not mad for thongs."

>> Riccardo Tisci is subversive in a lot of ways, but, he says: "At the end of the day, I believe in my Jesus Christ, I believe in my God, and I am Catholic. It's one of the world's oldest religions and it's not quick to change. My mother will tell you that, I might not seem it, I might not look it, but I am a good, religious boy." And that carries beyond using religious iconography in his work: Tisci says he prays before each show, and puts salt in the four corners of the show venue "to avoid negative energy. I'm superstitious, that is very much part of religion." [Independent UK]

>> The Costume Institute Gala is a week away and Alexander McQueen is reportedly finishing up dress fittings on a number of women today. Usually, there are no previews of the dresses to be worn until they hit the event's red carpet, but this year is an exception.

Prabal Gurung worked with Elettra Wiedemann Rossellini to rework one of her grandmother Ingrid Bergman's dresses, made by postwar Roman couturiere Fernanda Gattinoni. Originally, the gown was floorlength ruched ivory chiffon with bands of rhinestone and sequined embroidery running down each side, but Gurung reoriented the embroidery and shortened the dress in the back, leaving the original dresses chiffon back panels in place (left). Wiedemann explained that they aimed to “maintain the integrity of the dress but also make it mine and his. I felt it was important to pay homage to my grandmother but put my own stamp on it. It’s still the same dress, but it feels a little bit sexier, more contemporary, and younger.” A picture of the original can be seen here.

In other Met Ball news, meanwhile, Nicole Richie is in New York this week doing fittings on the gown she designed for Britt Maren to wear. “It’s pretty major,” Richie said.

>> Lara Stone has appeared in a couple of commercials for Calvin Klein, but would she ever throw herself full fledged into acting? "I never gave it that much thought to pursue acting or anything, but I would definitely be a Bond girl if they asked me. For sure — I would make a great evil Bond girl!" [WWD]