>> The end of the year isn't here yet, and neither is the end of all the upheaval.  Yesterday, Bill Blass closed its doors until further notice, and today it looks like Olivier Theyskens may be leaving Nina Ricci.

Since his time at Rochas, Theyskens has been known for creating exceptionally expensive pieces — exquisite red carpet gowns have always been his forte over everyday resort collection-type wear — and as Fashion Week Daily notes, "As fashion executives rededicate themselves to focusing on the bottom line, the industry's creatives are certain to take a hit."  Theyskens is rumored to be exiting Nina Ricci "following a Spring 2009 collection that left retailers wondering backstage if the 'real collection' was available in the showroom."

The designer met with execs at Nina Ricci-owner Puig in November to "discuss adjusting future collections to the needs of the commercial market," according to industry sources, but something must have put a kink in the works, giving his continued tenuous stance at the company.  He's an Anna Wintour darling, however, so even if things with Nina Ricci don't work out, she'll surely find him placement elsewhere.
*image: source

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>> It has already been well-reported that Sarah Jessica Parker wore the same Nina Ricci dress to the New York Sex and the City premiere last week as Vogue contributing editor and socialite Lauren Santo Domingo wore to the Costume Insitute Gala on May 5. 

More interesting, however, is the story behing the mix-up — as Cathy Horyn reports, both Nina Ricci designer Olivier Theyskens and Mario Grauso, the president of the fashion division at Puig, which owns Nina Ricci, assured SJP that the gown had not been worn in anything but magazine shoots.  When she came to find out that wasn't the case, she felt deceived:

In the big picture, this is not important, but there is a relationship between the entertainment industry and fashion . . . my affection for the dress hasn’t changed, but what they did was so short-sighted. It’s just unethical and disappointing that they would allow the dress to be worn again.

Parker says she mentioned to Olivier during the fitting that she was surprised the dress hadn't already been worn:

He didn’t say, ‘Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.’  I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it.

When Cathy asked Grauso for a response, he of course said, "I’m upset that she’s upset.”  But then he went on to fumble for excuses — he clearly knew that Lauren had worn the dress to an event before, because he said he had no reason to mention Santo Domingo:

'Is Lauren a celebrity?  It depends on how you look at it.' He said he and Theyskens mainly thought of her as a friend. He then asked—somewhat incredulously, I thought—“Does everybody look at Style.com?'

A bad move on Nina Ricci's part, especially when they were just becoming red carpet gold.  I wonder what Anna Wintour, who so strongly favors Olivier, thinks about it?

*images: source