>> Alessandro Dell'Acqua broke with Italian knitwear brand Malo a couple of months ago, and now it sounds like he might be breaking with his own brand. On Friday, he sent a press release out through his public relations firm stating that both the Alessandro Dell'Acqua men's Spring 2010 collection and women's Pre-Spring 2010 collections "will be produced without my approval, as I haven't had the possibility to verify the conformity of the final product to the sketches I submitted to the company."

Cherry Grove, the corporation which acquired the Dell'Acqua brand and its trademarks in 2003, "has always been consistent with my style," Dell'Acqua wrote, "but in this case, despite of their formal assurance, . . . [they] decided to move forward without having me, the designer, check on the quality of the product."

Cherry Grove has not formally responded to the statement, which Dell'Acqua ended by disowning the two aforementioned collections: "I have to detach myself from these two collections that have not been approved by me and that I don't acknowledge as realization of my creations."

>> MODA OPERANDI —When IT Holding filed for the Italian equivalent of bankruptcy in late February, casualties were to be expected among its fashion brands Malo and Gianfranco Ferre, not to mention its licenses.  Malo was shown in Milan as a small presentation soon after, instead of a full runway show in New York like seasons past — and the clothes couldn't hold a candle to the stunning collection designer Alessandro Dell'Acqua did for Spring 2009 back in September.  Now, the casualty is pretty clear — Dell'Acqua is leaving the brand after less than a year, and going forward, the line will be designed by a team, with a focus on its core knitwear identity. [WWD]

>> Peter Som has had a tough past six months, between the fallout at Bill Blass and the pull out of his eponymous lines' investor.  Two weeks ago, he wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to pull anything together for Fashion Week, but he's succeeded in producing something for Fall 2009 — a capsule collection of 16 looks, which he will be showing at private appointments.

Peter's not alone in his misfortune this season — for various other labels, big and small, Fall 2009 isn't panning out so well either.  Some, like Peter, have had to cancel their runway show in favor of showroom appointments (Sari Gueron) or lookbooks (Francis by Christian Francis Roth, who just tried to stage a comeback last season).  Some are just plain nixing their shows (Benjamin Cho, Hanii Y, Sue Stemp, Rubin Singer).

Poor newcomer Mikhael Kale had to cancel his show because his samples were damaged during shipping; he's remaking the collection for press and buyer appointments in two weeks' time.  Italian knitwear label Malo, designed by Alessandro Dell'Acqua, is totally missing in action, even though it always draws Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani front row.  And Patrick Robinson has postponed Gap's presentation until April.  Here's to hoping the news only gets better from here.
*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —We'll be watching next Wednesday to see what Alessandro dell'Acqua has to offer in his new role at Malo, but now there's even more of a reason to pay close attention to the Spring 2009 show. The designer has tapped Edward Enninful to work his styling magic behind-the-scenes, and I, for one, can't wait to see the outcome.

*image: source

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld won't be photographed with lobster rolls, but will be in Ibiza for all of August [FWD]

»Arden Wohl was arrested for defacing a Ralph Lauren store with lipstick [Page Six]

»Agyness Deyn, with puppies [PopSugar UK]

»A look at the Brooklyn vintage boutique where Patricia Field pulls from [The Cut]

»Steven Klein is hosting a benefit at his Bridgehampton house with Calvin Klein and Vanity Fair on Saturday [Page Six]

»First look: Marni Resort 2009 [Chic Report]

»Magdalena Frackowiak for Alessandro Dell'Acqua Fall 2008 [Models.com]

>> Ch-ch-changes are in order at Malo.  Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi left the brand in April to become creative directors at Gianfranco Ferre — Malo and Ferre are both owned by IT Holding, so it's all in the family — and now their vacancy has been filled by one Alessandro Dell'Acqua. 

Dell'Acqua's first collection for the Italian luxury knit company will be for the Spring 2009 season in September, and he will also continue to design his own eponymous collection.  Instead of showing Malo at New York Fashion Week, as Aquilano and Rimondi did, however, Dell'Acqua will present the line in Milan.

*images: source