>> So just how does the richest man in France, and one of the most powerful in fashion, do it?  A profile in the March 2009 issue of WSJ. gives us a clue about the dealings of Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, who Anna Wintour says "has a very strong understanding of what [his] designers do. If he’s concerned about something, he’ll speak up, but he’ll never tell them, ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that.”

But he will give them a strong hint.  When John Galliano was presenting the Pre-Fall 2009 collection to buyers in Paris, Arnault came to oversee.  Twenty-three models are escorted in for Arnault's perusal, and Galliano "reads nervously in English from a prepared speech to explain the source of his inspiration: Dior seen through the erotic lens of photographer Helmut Newton":

Arnault, seated on a white sofa, focuses on two ingredients: Is the piece “Dior” enough and is it priced right? “Ah, this is true Dior,” he states definitively of a black waist-cinched suit with pleated pockets. “It’s Dior safari,” he says of a beige coat with fox-fur collar. A skirt suit in Prince of Wales check appears: “The Dior woman will like this and will want to come back season after season,” he says.

"Ça, c’est beau — how much is it?” Arnault asks as a tall blond model stands before him in a $1,500 red double-face wool dress. “Will that sell?” he asks of an embroidered $15,000 cream-colored gown. (The answer was yes, in Monaco, Hong Kong and Moscow.) “Why not use those black masks for the ad campaign?” “If you tell me so, sir,” Galliano answers.

Now about those pesky plastic pendants »

>> INSIDER WIRE —Earlier this week, deputy managing director at Christian Dior (and LVMH heiress) Delphine Arnault sat front row at Gareth Pugh's debut menswear show, prompting rumors that he is being looked at to either consult for Dior Homme or perhaps take over from Kris van Assche.  So far, there's only been denial from both camps — Delphine chalked her appearance up to "always [being] interested in young designers," and a Pugh spokesman assured: "There have been no discussions whatsoever with Dior or LVMH about any kind of design role." [WWD]
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>> Leave it to Fashion Week to turn up a juicy rumor or two.  Currently being served up?  The future of Gareth Pugh.  At his premiere menswear show in Paris last night, an unexpected front row guest — LVMH heiress Delphine Arnault — caused a lot of chatter.  Arnault, who is the second largest shareholder in LVMH after her father Bernard, is not known for staying out late, much less for a show which started an hour late at 10 pm on a rainy Sunday night.

After the show, which she deemed, "Beautiful, amazing," Delphine went backstage to congratulate Gareth.  The designer has recently been talking about making more wearable pieces, and Arnault's appearance could be more than coincidence.  As the Telegraph reports, "The word is out that someone very big wants to harness his talent, because it could be just the spark to reignite a moribund menswear market."  Grazia has heard from several sources that that "very big" someone is LVMH's Dior Homme, who is about to tap Pugh as a consultant.
*image: source