>> Just a few days after LVMH reported a decline, causing all marketing to be cut save for its top-performing brands, PPR reported a 76 percent decline in first-half profits. Tomas Maier can breathe a sigh of relief: the company's only area of growth was Bottega Veneta, on which PPR has been focusing, which saw an 8.6 percent rise in sales in the second quarter.

At flagship brand Gucci, which accounts for the bulk of Gucci Group's profits, Frida Giannini was credited by PPR chairman Francois-Henri Pinault for bolstering PPR as a whole with sustained demand for her bags in China.

As for any incoming Gucci Group brands . . . »

>> MODA OPERANDI —Sergio Rossi has a new main man: Francesco Russo, who has designed footwear at Yves Saint Laurent since 2000.  He replaces Edmundo Castillo, who exited the brand, as creative director of women’s and men’s footwear, bags and accessories, and will present his first collection for Fall 2009. [WWD]