>> INSIDER WIRE —While we're watching for the vaunted Lara Stone-themed February 2009 issue of Vogue Paris to surface — Jan. 21 is said to be the date — it doesn't hurt to think ahead to March.  A hint, which seems to indicate a new cover star for the magazine: "That haute fresh new face striking a stark but elegant pose. A new generation star is born. Trust." [The Imagist]

>> Vogue Paris's most recent issue brought us Terry Richardon's pinup-laden 2009 calendar, and as rumored, come February we will indeed be seeing a whole lotta Lara Stone — 100-plus pages worth.

A couple of weeks ago at the Vogue Paris calendar launch party, Carine Roitfeld spilled all kinds of details about what we have to look forward to: "February is an entire issue with Lara Stone and the cover line is Et Vogue Créa Lara."  The influence is Roger Vadim's 1956 Brigitte Bardot classic Et Dieu . . . créa la femme — Lara has often garned Bardot comparisons — and will include shoots by Inez van Lamsweerde, Peter Lindbergh, Hedi Slimane, Nan Goldin, and Steven Klein.

Granted, Lara is known to be one of Carine's favorite models, but fans are just happy to hear Lara speak, so why an entire issue?  "Lara had almost stopped working so I decided I wanted to make her a star," the VP editor explained.
*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —Vogue Italia may have devoted its entire July 2008 issue to black models, but rumor is that Carine Roitfeld is taking it a step further for the February 2009 issue of Vogue Paris, dedicating the entire issue to one of her favorite models.  Supposedly, Lara Stone is the lucky lady — so prepare yourself to see a lotta Lara come February. [Fashist]

*image: source

>> Just to round out yesterday's bout of Anna Wintour in, Carine Roitfeld out rumors followed by Si Newhouse's denial, Carine also denied the rumor last night in London, where she was overseeing a photoshoot with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and then heading to Paris for the Chanel Paris-Moscow showing today: "I'm very happy at Vogue France."

And just like Si, another senior official at Conde Nast laughed the rumor off yesterday: "I would eat my hat if such a changeover came about. It is borderline theatre of the absurd."  But again, it's important to remember that everyone is denying that Carine is replacing Anna, not the rumor that Anna is going to retire or be replaced — no one has commented on that.
*image: source

>> Did Lauren Weisberger predict the future?  The Devil Wears Prada had Miranda Priestly, the Anna Wintour character, being replaced by Jacqueline Follet, the Carine Roitfeld character — until Miranda maneuvered her way out of it — and according to rumors, that might just be what is in the works in real life.

Talk of Anna Wintour's retirement has been running rampant, especially with Anna's deflated "leave me alone" response when asked about the retirement rumors, and her daughter Bee Shaffer's recent comment about how she would be "staying far away from Vogue."  Last night, Conde Nast insiders were overheard talking about how Si Newhouse left early for his three-week December vacation in Vienna — the one during which he usually makes big strategical changes in the company — purportedly to meet in Paris with Carine Roitfeld and finalize details about her moving to New York and taking over at Vogue at the beginning of next year.

Wintour may well be on the outs — she has been at the magazine twenty years, her domain at Conde Nast shrunk recently, Vogue's ad pages dropped this year, and her supposed $2 million per year salary could be seen as a hindrance in this economy — but is Carine the right fit?  She loves being subversive and has a substantially smaller circulation at Vogue Paris — two things that wouldn't fly with American Vogue, unless Si really is looking for the magazine to be entirely restructured.  But would Carine want to leave all the freedom she has now behind?  She'd definitely be scrutinized much more closely at Vogue.  And what about staff?  The editors at Vogue Paris and Vogue have entirely different styles and personalities.  But her daughter, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, does live in New York . . .
*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —Vogue Paris's December/January issue, guest edited by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, is supposed to drop Nov. 28, and with it comes that annual treat, the calendar.  The 2009 edition was photographed by Terry Richardson and was made in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, featuring footwear and bits of lingerie from the Cruise and Spring 2009 collections.  Anna Maria Jagodzinska and Aline Weber are rumored to be inside. [WWD, TFS]

*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —I spoke too soon earlier today: the guest editor of Vogue Paris's December/January holiday issue is rumored to be Princess Stephanie of Monaco, daughter of Grace Kelly.  A bit of a change from the designers and muses chosen in the past — Charlotte Gainsbourg, John Galliano, Kate Moss and Sofia Coppola. [WWD]

>> BLOWING THE COVER —A red swim cap makes its way onto two Vogue covers for November 2008: Vanessa Paradis in Miu Miu — since she is their Fall 2008 campaign girl — for Vogue Paris by Miu Miu campaign photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and Alana Zimmer by Tom Munro for Russian Vogue.  Vogue Paris's next issue is their December/January issue, which always has a fun guest editor — Kate Moss, John Galliano, Charlotte Gainsbourg — but no announcement yet.  It has to come soon, right? [TFS, Supreme Being]

>> BLOWING THE COVER —Christy Turlington licks her lips on the October 2008 Vogue Paris cover because she knows how delicious the magazine's innards are: Lakshmi Menon makes her debut in some insane stilt-like shoes, sharing editorial space with Yasmin Warsame in "Afro-disiaque." [Models.com Daily Feed]

>> Rodarte, Malo, and Marc Jacobs have all gone by — shows that Carine Roitfeld usually appears at during Fashion Week — and yet, no sign of her. At the end of Malo this morning, I had to know: Where was Carine?

I caught up with Vogue Paris junior editor Melanie Huynh (who's pregnant, by the way!), who told me Carine was coming for Friday — the last day of Fashion Week. As for what important project the Vogue Paris editor-in-chief was hunkered down with, Melanie wouldn't budge an inch on that information.

*image: source