>> Peter Copping's First Nina Ricci Collection Said to be "Great" —We have yet to see any work from Peter Copping for Nina Ricci — his first collection for the line, for the Cruise 2010 season, was supposed to come out late last month and seems to be running a bit late — but it sounds like it's something to look forward to. Kate Betts's has "an extremely reliable Parisian source" who says that Copping's Cruise 2010 collection is "great." [Kate Betts Twitter]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Peter Copping is busy preparing his first collection for Nina Ricci — a capsule resort collection, which is expected to be unveiled later this month — and in the meantime, the house is trying to clear out all trace of Olivier Theyskens.  On Friday, its holding a major one-off sale in Paris, with catwalk pieces and ready-to-wear spanning several seasons, as well as shoes and accessories going for as little as 40 euros ($55). [WWD]

>> Not that it was expected any other way — Olivier is officially gone from the brand and sources have been pinpointing him as next in line for months — but now it's official: Peter Copping is the new artistic director at Nina Ricci.

He started at the brand on Monday and is already hard at work on a capsule resort collection, which is expected to be unveiled in late June.  It sounds like his first Nina Ricci runway show won't be in the Fall, but rather in March 2010 — the company wants to give him time to settle in (and hopefully get it right, considering that he's the third designer they've had within a span of three years — Theyskens started in 2006, and Lars Nilsson was in place before that).   

But he already has plenty of ideas »

>> Nina Ricci is currently in a state of transition — Olivier Theyskens officially left the house earlier this month, and although Peter Copping's name has been thrown around as the replacement of choice, nothing has been made official.  Apparently several staffers, including PR director Kate Etter, also left the brand with Theyskens.

Today, Mario Grauso, president of Ricci owner Puig, verified that there are "no plans [for] a hiatus at Ricci," adding that the company "will announce a new designer within the next few weeks."  According to Fashion Week Daily, a well-placed industry insider is "99% sure" that Copping will be tapped, but Grauso would not confirm anything, and when prodded about a possible Copping appearance at the Costume Institute Gala, replied, "I have not yet invited people for the Met."

As for Oliver's legacy, those towering shoes he created for Fall 2009 will not be going into production — no surprise, but still, a comment on the ever-present misalignment between the brand and its former designer.
*image: source

>> All signs pointed to Olivier Theyskens's imminent exit from Nina Ricci, and now it's official: house and designer released a joint statement revealing that Olivier is gone as of March 10, despite the fact that his contract goes through October.

Neither Theyskens or Ricci would comment beyond the statement, in which the house indicated it “wishes to re-orientate its development strategy for the years to come.  Consequently, Nina Ricci and its artistic director Olivier Theyksens have decided by mutual agreement to cease their collaboration.”  All signs point to Peter Copping, top design deputy at Louis Vuitton, being tasked with the reorientation as Olivier's replacement, but no mention of him was made in the statement, and thus no word on when he will be transitioning over for his first Ricci collection.

So what's next for Olivier? »

>> An in-house team has produced the last two Halston collection since Marco Zanini left, but the search is still on for a creative director.  Sources say that young London talent Marios Schwab might be the man — he's apparently been in talks with the brand — but Bonnie Takhar, Halston CEO, wouldn't confirm anything. “We have been looking at all options in the market, but we have made no decisions.”

If Schwab were to take the job, would he be required to shutter his eponymous label?  Increasingly, brands are looking for devoted creative directors who don't have to split time between labels; in fact, a lot of brands are digging up designers who have never helmed a label before: Vionnet just hired Prada alum Rodolfo Paglialunga, Nina Ricci is supposedly going with Louis Vuitton-trained Peter Copping, Valentino recently promoted accessory designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, and Chloe decided on alum Hannah MacGibbon.

Hiring designers: it's not what it used to be »

>> INSIDER WIRE —It looks like Olivier Theyskens and Nina Ricci owner Puig are continuing to play nice — just a couple of weeks after Olivier was seen sitting at the Nina Ricci table with the brand's president Manuel Puig during a charity event, the Paris Fashion Week calendar has been released, and Nina Ricci is on it, business as usual.  It looks like Theyskens might stay on until his contract ends in October — but sources say that Peter Copping is indeed in line to replace him after that. [WWD]
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>> The Olivier Theyskens-Nina Ricci saga continues: Sources are saying that Peter Copping, who met with Ricci owners two weeks ago, is in place to succeed as designer at Nina Ricci.  No details could be determined on when the switchover would occur — Olivier is contracted until October, which means he could show up to two more collections for the label, but rumors of clashes between the designer and management also imply that he might leave sooner.

The main point of disagreement is understand to be management's expected commerciality of Olivier's designs — apparently his Spring 2009 collection didn't sell well, but Olivier still seems blase about paying attention the bottom line.  The designer has a history of designing expensive pieces that, while eliciting editorial acclaim, don't always sell well — this was the case at Rochas before Nina Ricci.

Copping, on the other hand, hails from Louis Vuitton, where if nothing else, he's guaranteed a pedigree in how to make money with fashion — Louis Vuitton is not exactly known for losing money as both Ricci and Rochas did with Olivier at the helm.  Copping sounds exactly like what the brass at Nina Ricci would be looking for right about now — plus, he's Marc Jacobs's right-hand man, and has the Central Saint Martins degree.

In the midst of all this mess, Olivier still appears blase — he was spotted out partying Monday night, a big smile plastered across his face.  Maybe he knows something we don't know?
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>> If the couture show rumor mill is to be believed, Olivier Theyskens has officially left Nina Ricci.  Rumors of clashes between the designer and management have been around for over a month — management wanted to go more commercial, while Olivier is known for sticking to expensive craftmanship and creative vision over all else — part of the reason he was let go at Rochas in 2006.

Olivier's contract at Nina Ricci is up in October, and just two weeks ago, both brand and designer reiterated their commitment to each other through the term of the contract.  Apparently, Nina Ricci's Spring 2009 collection is failing to sell, however, and recently, Olivier still didn't sound ready to worry about the bottom line:

“When the economy changes, it’s not like you want to start eating bad-tasting chocolate.  You have to stay true to what you’re doing, and the house of Nina is about luxury.  I think it’s important to study the market and to feel you are right with it.  But if I felt we had to start doing simple clothes, I’d be doing them.”

There's no official confirmation yet about the departure, but this could explain why Ricci owners Puig were meeting with Peter Copping, Marc Jacob's right-hand man at Louis Vuitton, two weeks ago.
*image: source