>> Rachel Zoe has never been known to be anything but busy: her new lifestyle newsletter, The Zoe Report, launches tomorrow, and she's still finishing up filming for the second season of The Rachel Zoe Project, which premieres Aug. 24 at 10 PM on Bravo.  

The trailer for the upcoming season has just hit the web, full of her catchphrases, footage from Paris (only New York was highlighted last season), Rachel riding on a Segway, and featuring cameos by Diane von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Giambattista Valli, Liv Tyler, and Lorenzo Martone.  

And for those who've noticed Zoe's tendency to wear loose dresses and voluminous clothes on the red carpet, it's because when she tries to wear something more form-fitting — like a sequined flapper-style dress in the trailer — her husband and assistant both tell her she can't because of all the bad press about how thin she is.

The video! »

>> Giambattista Valli Is Looking to Grow Past Cocktail and Evening Dresses —Giambattista Valli just signed a new licensing deal — starting with Fall 2010 production — and he already has big plans: “The collection is going to grow. I want to be known for all the parts of the wardrobe, not just the cocktail and evening dresses.”  He also mentioned bags and accessories as a very real possibility, and aims to grow his presence in New York by making more visits stateside and establishing offices in the city.  When prodded about showing at New York Fashion Week, he wouldn't commit, letting slip only: "Never say never." [Style File]

>> INSIDER WIRE —New York Times's T magazine — which just last weekend brought us tidbits about Giambattista Valli's last-minute bow-out as successor to Valentino, Katie Grand's love for rabbits, guinea pigs, and Muppets, and Oscar de la Renta's fear of being alone, may be in jeopardy.  The magazine has been scaled back from 15 to 12 issues a year, and there are internal rumblings that it may fold or end up as a special section within the main New York Times Sunday Magazine. [NY Post]

UPDATE: A spokeswoman clarified there will be 13 issues, not 12, and two of the four fashion issues published will be absorbed into the Sunday Magazine. [The Cut]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Before McBeha there was "Frina," the ambiguous pairing — or perhaps just the result of backstage boredom — of Freja Beha Erichsen and Irina Lazareanu, which produced quite a few pictures of the two caught up in the moment and being playful (NSFW).  Last night, Irina — who's back in Paris doing the modeling thing — found a new partner for play: Mischa Barton.  They were out celebrating Mischa's birthday with Giambattista Valli and Olivier Theyskens — who must not be too worried about his current situation, because he had a big smile on his face. [PopSugar]

>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's book, Influence, doesn't come out until Thursday, but The Cut got an advanced copy — an advanced look at all the interviews the Olsens conducted for the book — among their subjects are favorite designers Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano, Christian Louboutin, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Giambattista Valli, favorite photographers Peter Lindbergh and Terry Richardson, plus pictures by Rankin of the interviewees and their work. 

Needless to say the Olsens didn't leave out their favorite Karl Lagerfeld — The Cut excerpted parts of his interview, including his views on models:

KL: [N]owadays you start to model because you're young. Now the girls are sixteen, seventeen, fifteen, and Russian. They are like from another planet.
AO: They can look very bizarre!
KL: I hate all these tall women. They are all giants!
MKO: If only I were a little taller — that would make me happy!
KL: You are one meter fifty-one. You are taller than that?
AO: We're five feet and one inch.
KL: Oh, I thought my office told me that you were four-foot eight or something. Not that it matters. What you need is a face. If you have a face you don't need height or a voice. Models know this; that's why the good ones don't need to talk much.
KL: I like to work with models for a long time. Sometimes the girls change, but some girls I work with for years and years.

Enlightening, perhaps, since some think the Chanel Spring 2009 campaign will host not long-time Chanel girl Claudia Schiffer but either Heidi Mount or Russian model Sasha Pivovarova . . .
*image: source

>> MODA OPERANDI —Pending board approval, Alessandra Facchinetti, as rumored, is out at Valentino.  Contrary to rumors, however, her replacement will not be Giambattista Valli — although many thought his collection yesterday looked like a tryout for the job — but rather Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the longtime accessories duo at Valentino.  Fachinetti is said to have clashed with management over design direction and production costs. [WWD]

>> Alessandra Facchinetti doesn't show her collection for Valentino until tomorrow, but since Giambattista Valli — whose name has been thrown around as her successor at Valentino — showed today, all eyes were watching to see what kind of move he would make.  Valli himself was noncommital about the rumors — "I have no comment to make on that. I wish Alessandra the best of luck with her show tomorrow. I think she is doing a wonderful job." — but he didn't convince everybody.

Many saw Valli's collection as a tryout for the job: Hilary Alexander was convinced she saw clues: "the print on the silk and organza dresses was inspired by fading Roman frescoes and his mood board featured photographs of numerous Roman statues – and we all know Rome is the HQ of the legendary house of Valentino."  Suzy Menkes — though less explicit — saw it too: "the show looked too much like a résumé for someone who wants to take over a couture house."

And just for posterity, Fashion Week Daily reaffirmed the general feeling: "If there was any doubt that Giambattista Valli is in the running to become the heir apparent at Valentino, he surely quieted non-believers and made a strong case for the job with today's show. The collection was filled with the sort of red carpet fare that the house of Valentino depends upon."  So how long do you think before there's an announcement?
*image: source

»Is Dior Homme trying to get Hedi Slimane back? [Fashionista]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld's boyf Magnus Berger has a new magazine, The Last, out in September [FWD]

»Agyness Deyn recorded her first single, was snapped holding hands with The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. [Chic Report, Just Jared]

»Alana Zimmer, Behati Prinsloo, and Rachel Clark went to an S&M festival last Sunday [Supreme Being]

»Gerard Darel replaced Charlotte Gainsbourg, who has been their face since 2003, with Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer for their Fall 2008 campaign [WWD]

»Naomi Campbell wore the same dress to Nelson Mandela's birthday dinner that Stephanie Seymour wore to the Costume Institute Gala [FabSugar]

»Full Giambattista Valli, Balenciaga Resort 2009 collections [Style.com, Style.com]