>> In honor of the US premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor today at the Hamptons International Film Festival, two more clips from the documentary, this time focusing on Valentino and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, rather than the designer's pugs.  Valentino pulls Giancarlo aside during the preparation of a show, angry: "Cheri, please, a bomb is going to explode here. Look at my hand shaking! I've been working for 40 hours straight." Giancarlo tries to remind him that the cameras are rolling, but Valentino says he doesn't care and threatens to quit the film altogether.  As Giancarlo sums up their relationship, "To be with Valentino as a friend, as a lover, as an employee, you need a lot of patience."  And patient Giancarlo is.

>> 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  This marks the second time Facchinetti has been replaced by accessories specialists, the first being when Frida Giannini replaced her at Gucci in 2005.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? »

>> MODA OPERANDI —Pending board approval, Alessandra Facchinetti, as rumored, is out at Valentino.  Contrary to rumors, however, her replacement will not be Giambattista Valli — although many thought his collection yesterday looked like a tryout for the job — but rather Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the longtime accessories duo at Valentino.  Fachinetti is said to have clashed with management over design direction and production costs. [WWD]

>> Alessandra Facchinetti doesn't show her collection for Valentino until tomorrow, but since Giambattista Valli — whose name has been thrown around as her successor at Valentino — showed today, all eyes were watching to see what kind of move he would make.  Valli himself was noncommital about the rumors — "I have no comment to make on that. I wish Alessandra the best of luck with her show tomorrow. I think she is doing a wonderful job." — but he didn't convince everybody.

Many saw Valli's collection as a tryout for the job: Hilary Alexander was convinced she saw clues: "the print on the silk and organza dresses was inspired by fading Roman frescoes and his mood board featured photographs of numerous Roman statues – and we all know Rome is the HQ of the legendary house of Valentino."  Suzy Menkes — though less explicit — saw it too: "the show looked too much like a résumé for someone who wants to take over a couture house."

And just for posterity, Fashion Week Daily reaffirmed the general feeling: "If there was any doubt that Giambattista Valli is in the running to become the heir apparent at Valentino, he surely quieted non-believers and made a strong case for the job with today's show. The collection was filled with the sort of red carpet fare that the house of Valentino depends upon."  So how long do you think before there's an announcement?
*image: source

>> It's never a good thing when rumors are swirling about your departure right before you debut a collection.  But that's just the case for Alessandra Facchinetti, whose Spring 2009 collection for Valentino debuts on Thursday — word is it may be her last.

"I heard they are giving her one more show," a "top editor" told Fashion Week Daily, echoing the sentiments of "several other industry insiders." Since Facchinetti's announcement as Valentino's successor last September, her reception has been only so-so.  In fact, one "well-placed Valentino insider" is even implying that she was always meant to be temporary, to "pave the way for Valentino's successor to 'save' the iconic house."

Giambattista Valli has been fingered as that savior; As for any confirmation, a Valentino spokesperson would only refer to the rumors as "inconsistent," whatever that means.
*image: source

>> As funeral services for Yves Saint Laurent near, the list of attendees grows — almost 1,000 guests plan on attending. 

Among the substantial group, YSL's designer peers Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Stefano Pilati, John Galliano, Hubert de Givenchy, Alber Elbaz, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Hedi Slimane, Kenzo Takada, Sonia Rykiel and Jean-Louis Scherrer, plus his former muses Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta and Claudia Schiffer, are all expected. 

During the services, which are tomorrow at the Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris, the YSL headquarters and YSL boutiques worldwide will all be closed in memoriam.
*images: source

>>  Earlier today we got a look at Isabeli Fontana in the Fall Cavalli campaign, and now we've got a small peek another one of her Fall works.  Introducing Alessandra Facchinetti's first Valentino ads, featuring Angela Lindvall along with Isabeli and shot by Peter Lindbergh in Paris.  I'm not sure why you would release an image if you're going to require it to be this small, but hey, something is always better than nothing, right?

The idea was to "emphasize Valentino's ties with Paris," according to Facchinetti, and the ads are presented in a "groupage," or a number of images photographed to run together and tell a story.  Expect a mix of color and black and white, studio and location shots, set to debut in July fashion issues — maybe we'll be able to make out what's going on in the pictures by then.

*images: source