>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Those who enjoyed Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann as Lanvin girls, cherish it while it lasts — they won't be back for Spring 2009.  Although no casts have been revealed, Steven Meisel shot the new Lanvin campaign in New York last week, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin shot Yves Saint Laurent a few weeks ago with a very "California" theme, Mario Testino is doing Versace in LA in early November, and Gucci will be photographed this week in Miami. [WWD]

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>> Last week Hermes had to deal with a belligerent heir, and this week, Gucci is caught up in a spy scandal — anyone want to guess what drama will round out the three?

The brand's offices in Florence, Milan, and Rome were searched this week as part of an investigation of illegal access to the Italian Ministry of Interior's data bank.  Last year, Carlo Del Bo, Gucci's former head of security, was arrested for illicitly obtaining information to help the brand fight conterfeits.  A Gucci spokesman said that the brand was unaware of Del Bo's methods to unearth the information and is "fully cooperating with the authorities."

Gucci is the latest target to be pulled into into the ongoing "Spy Story" scandal; Alessandra Facchinetti, former head of womenswear at Gucci — who hasn't had a great year already — was revealed in July to be a target of another wiretapping scandal connected to Del Bo's arrest.  Her phone conversations were tapped illegally for unclear reasons.
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>> Over the weekend, Valentino confirmed that its accessories designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli will be replacing Alessandra Facchinetti as creative directors of the brand.  This marks the second time Facchinetti has been replaced by accessories specialists, the first being when Frida Giannini replaced her at Gucci in 2005.

But here's the rub — Facchinetti found out she was being replaced at Valentino from the press, she said in a statement:

It was with deep regret that I learnt from the press that I would no longer be working with Valentino. This news came as a great surprise since the company’s top management has not yet seen fit to inform me of the above.

I would like to thank Valentino S.p.A. for showing their appreciation of my 'creative contribution and my sophisticated talent,' although I deeply regret the fact that this talent and contribution do not seem to have been adequately acknowledged.  I find it extremely sad that a brand label of the caliber of Valentino, which has made history in the world of fashion, has been the subject of rumors for the past two weeks.

So why was she given the boot? »

>> There are various Coco Chanel films and a Gucci movie in the works for 2010 — but fashion can never get enough of film, and it looks like the feeling is mutual.

That Vivienne Westwood biopic that has been bandied about for two years?  The rumors have been reignited — the designer's managing director was supposedly overheard a couple of days ago telling guests at the Westwood Gold Label show that Kate Winslet is lined up to play Viv from the '70s to present day.

And here's a new one: a Kate Moss movie.  Supposedly, a team of Hollywood types is interested in London's Primrose Hill and the crowd who hangs out there — Sienna Miller, Rhys Ifans, Sadie Frost . . . and Kate Moss.

Neither film is anywhere close to being confirmed, but interesting, nonetheless.
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>> If Frida Giannini is good at one thing, it's selling clothes, and bags, and shoes, and accessories.  The attendees of her Spring 2009 Gucci show will admit that she's a "master merchandiser," but another, perhaps less flattering, comparison for her collection kept coming up — Zara.

Those reviewing express disdain for Frida's blatant merchandising — at WWD: "Gucci looks are all over Zara. The argument that they seem more appropriate to such a venue than to the upper echelons of luxury fashion hasn’t put a damper on sales of the real thing, even in the United States, where everyone knows that almost nothing is selling."  At The Wall Street Journal: "Not every designer puts such an array of products on the catwalk, even though they will appear in stores. At first glance, there was nothing much about either the fabrics or silhouettes of the clothes that would make them stand out from fast-fashion imitators [Zara and H&M]."

Even Cathy Horyn of The New York Times said her piece: "Apart from the updated Jackie bags and chunky stone bracelets, how luxurious was it? The olive and khaki safari dresses, with zips and drawstrings, were cute and well-executed. But are they a look you expect from Gucci, or Liz Claiborne?" Some food for thought.
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