>> INSIDER WIRE —In this money-crunching time, major designers are expected to scale back their Fall 2009 shows come February, whether by returning to the Tents or by exchanging their $100,000-$500,000 runway shows for presentations.  Already, Donna Karan is downscaling her DKNY show to a presentation, and both Vera Wang and J.Mendel are looking at a runway alternative; more will likely follow suit. [WWD]

>> After all the rumors on Gawker today that Anna Wintour was going to be replaced as editor-in-chief of Vogue by Carine Roitfeld starting in January 2009, Si Newhouse decided to put the talk to rest.  After receiving a copy of the original Gawker item via fax in Europe, he denied through a spokeswoman that anything was amuck: "It’s the silliest rumor I ever heard. There is no truth to it."

When asked about the possibility of her mother Carine replacing Anna a couple of weeks ago, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld also dismissed the possibility: "I don’t know how that rumor started.  She loves Paris too much — she’d never leave."

The general consensus seems to be that Carine wouldn't be a good fit for Vogue — unless there were some massive changes in the prioritities of ad sales, circulation size, and creative appearance made — but as for Anna being on the outs?  Who knows . . . what executive would do anything but deny a rumor before he's ready for it to be outed?

UPDATE: Over at Fashion Week Daily, they've heard another editor's name floated around as Anna's possible replacement — British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, who as the clues indicate, trains the incoming Vogue editors and is "not too tall, not too short, 'deplores plastic surgery' and is sporting a fresh new fringe."  My best guess for promoting someone within Vogue would have to ride with Sally Singer.
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>> THE MODELIZER —Back in September, Iekeliene Stange was searching for a location for her first gallery opening, and she finally settled on Berlin.  Her solo Polaroid photography exhibit, "I Like Ponies," will debut in January 2009 at projektGALERIE showrooms during Berlin Fashion Week and will focus on her "most personal work." [The Pipeline]

Sample sale, check, weird beauty product, check, designer interview, check, Raf Simons, check---we've got everything a chicster could need on a Tuesday afternoon.

Did someone say Brian Reyes? This is one sample sale we might actually get dressed and leave our apartment for. Fashion First Lunch Later gives up the details on a Brian Reyes sample sale which starts tomorrow.

Okay how do we put this...there is this ball, and it's never ending, and you roll it all over your body whilst in the shower, and...well, go see for yourself. Today, The Daily Obsession writes up "The White Ball".

Bob Bland, designer of Brooklyn Royalty and co-host of our onetime feature called Garmento, gabs with The Smashing Darling Blog about all things design. In the interview, Bland gives her two cents on the design process. 

Style Flavors gave a shoutout to a Raf Simons shirt that has a scarf sewn into the collar. We can't help but wonder how such a thing would look on the dance floor...

Easy silk blouses, slip-on frocks, and loose-fitting trousers are what have come to define Alexander Wang as a designer and this Resort 09 is full of gorgeous examples. Resort, the midseason phenomenon quickly gaining fashion clout, is often where we see the most clear examples of a designer's aesthetic. These deliveries do not come with the spectacle of a runway show (save for, say, Chanel) nor do they aim to redefine a designer's persona. They are, in fact, tried and true offerings of what works and what will sell--which is precisely what makes them interesting. What did we love most from Wang's Resort 09? His foresight in using orange as a pop-color and the ease at which these garments could be worn during both holiday and vacation happenings. Wang reminds us, over and over again, that his brand is far more serious than it looks.

>> 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 . . .
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>> INSIDER WIRE —Marc Jacobs has Marc by Marc, Alexander McQueen has McQ, and pretty soon, Zac Posen will be joining their ranks by rolling out a number of lower-priced lines, including a diffusion line.  The time is right in this tough economy . . . [FWD]

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