>> INSIDER WIRE —Some are surprised that Fabien Baron is being welcomed back at Interview, given the magazine's financial state and that Baron was originally let go because he was going over budget.  Apparently, fashion director Joe McKenna — who is expected to leave — cancelled a recent shoot on grounds of nonpayment, creative directors Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak of M/M Paris quit because they are owed three months pay plus expenses, and a number of retouchers and photographers are owed, including Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, who have not been paid for their August 2009 cover story. [FWD]

>> Is fashion finally getting sick of the shoe silhouette that has so pervaded the last few years — the painfully high heel?  Carine Roitfeld, notorious for her pro-heel stance, was snapped recently at a luncheon in Cannes wearing flats; Francisco Costa shod all of his Cruise 2010 models in brogues and flat boots, and Vogue's Mark Holgate noted at yesterday's Cruise 2010 Yves Saint Laurent presentation that even "the house that started the platform craze is coming down off them."

Today, Andre Leon Talley dedicated a whole Vogue Daily post to the phenomenon, observing that at a recent Alexander Wang Cruise 2010 appointment, "Meredith Melling Burke . . . walked in off the elevator in a beige 3.1 Phillip Lim chesterfield and beige trousers tucked into an impeccable black pair from Miu Miu — that were completely flat! A sign of things to come?"

He's not finished »

>> THE MODELIZER —Half Singaporean, half Australian model Rachel Rutt just hit New York after sweeping Rosemount Australian Fashion Week at the end of April — a feat that Myf Shepherd took last year — and is already getting plenty of buzz.  She has modeled for 3.1 Phillip Lim and Doo.Ri resort so far and is "creating quite the storm," according to Models.com. [Frockwriter, COACD, Models.com]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Fabien Baron may be back at Interview, but it sounds like creative directors Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak of M/M Paris and fashion director Joe McKenna, who both came on after Baron left the magazine in January, are on their way out.  Karl Templer, who served as creative director under Baron the first time, is expected back imminently — official announcements are expected within a week. [FWD]

>> To mark six years of collaboration and the release of the Multicolor Spring Palette, Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami just released a colorful anime short film, "Superflat First Love," as a sequel to Murakami's "Superflat Monogram" anime short from 2003.  The trailer was released back in late April, but now the full film is available; the plush character that stars in the new film is currently in Louis Vuitton stores as part of Murakami's interior makeover.

The full video! »

>> INSIDER WIRE —Harper's Bazaar's official stance on their July 2009 cover fiasco? "In a recent Bazaar.com poll," explains a Bazaar spokesperson, "Our readers told us they are completely fascinated by Angelina Jolie. For us, it's about giving readers what they want, when they want it, so we contacted Naomi Wolf to explain the Angelina phenomenon. Her conclusion — that women not only want to be Angelina, but sleep with her, too — got all of us talking, and we decided to publish it immediately as our newsstand cover story for July. Harper's Bazaar innovated the two-cover concept in 2001, so for our subscribers, who desire a more fashion-forward image, we've got the next great supermodel, Doutzen Kroes, shot for us by Terry Richardson. Either way, the reader wins." [FWD]

>> It's all about TV these days: Elle just started filming for The City, Zac Posen is working on the early stages of a scripted show, the ladies at WhoWhatWear are developing a fashion news show with MTV . . . and now E! is reporting that Vera Wang has signed on for the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars, which premieres Sept. 21.

Although neither Wang's rep nor ABC would confirm the report, the casting is feasible — Vera trained as a professional figure skater and competed with a partner in the 1968 US National Championships before trying to qualify for the Olympics the same year.  She also has experience designing the glitzy, tight outfits that are worn on the show — she once designed for figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan.