>> Rumor: LVMH May Sell DKNY, Make Bid On Hermes —Word is that LVMH is shopping around DKNY, with no plans to sell Donna Karan Collection, because it wants to focus on high-end luxury brands with a strong international recognition; DKNY's only response was to state that long-term company policy is to not comment on rumors.  European private investment firms are also buzzing that in addition to dropping DKNY, LVMH may be selling Moet-Hennessy to make a grab for Hermes. [Fashionista, DKNY Twitter]  

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — Is Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist repeating his DKNY Jeans campaign gig for Fall 2009?  At the Topshop opening this morning, he was snapped photographing Gracie Carvalho and a male model in two different looks, in what Refinery29 identified as "a DKNY campaign."  Girlfriend Garance Dore was also spotted in the vicinity — she's in town for an "ultra-secret mission" — could they be collaborating on the campaign? [Refinery29]

>> Designers may be pulling their belt tighter this Fashion Week, but hardly any are pulling out of the rat race altogether — the attention is too valuable. "You kill a thousand birds with one stone, because you get that many people there in an hour and you're getting one message across to them," says Scott Sternberg of Boy and Band of Outsiders. "They're writers and photographers and culturally indulgent people with loud mouths."

Instead, designers are saving by hosting presentations instead of runway shows (Monique Lhuillier, Temperley London, and Carmen Marc Valvo), inviting fewer guests (Marc Jacobs and DKNY, who's slicing her usual 1,000 down to 400), sending email invites instead of by mail (nearly everyone), or showing fewer looks to save on fabric and sample-making costs.

Two models, 15 looks, and a free space to show it in »

>> INSIDER WIRE —PETA has been heavily targeting Donna Karan since the latter half of 2008 — storming her DKNY runway in September, papering the streets of New York with "Bunny Butcher" ads in November, launching the now-offline DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com in December.  As a result, she vowed to be fur-free for Fall 2009, with "no plans" to use fur in the future.  Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein have been past PETA targets . . . and it sounds like Giorgio Armani is next on the list. [PETA]

>> INSIDER WIRE —2009 is already shaping to be a big year for Scott "The Sartorialist" Schuman.  His first major ad campaign, for DKNY Jeans, recently debuted for the Spring 2009 season, and today he announced his first book deal with Penguin for 500 pages of images.  The book is set to be published in Sept. 2009, as a paperback and limited-edition "bespoke" version simultaneously, and will include coverage of London, Paris, Dublin, plus a few cities in Australia and the United States. [The Sartorialist]

>> INSIDER WIRE —In this money-crunching time, major designers are expected to scale back their Fall 2009 shows come February, whether by returning to the Tents or by exchanging their $100,000-$500,000 runway shows for presentations.  Already, Donna Karan is downscaling her DKNY show to a presentation, and both Vera Wang and J.Mendel are looking at a runway alternative; more will likely follow suit. [WWD]

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Vlada Rosylakova holds the title of Fall 2008 and now Resort 2009 face of DKNY, but is that the end of her run?  Rumors are circling that the job, which before Vlada went to Kate Moss, has been placed in the hands of Elite+-signed, New York it-girl Harley Viera-Newton for Spring 2009. [Paper, Nylon]

>> INSIDER WIRE —To mark its 20th anniversary, DKNY is moving back to the tents at Bryant Park for New York Fashion Week.  The brand usually shows at the Stephen Weiss Studio, and hasn't shown in Bryant Park since Fall 2002. [FWD]

*image: source