>> A couple of weeks ago, Mary Katrantzou said of her Fall 2011 collection: “I got a feeling that with some people, something clicked, and it was very real. They came to the showroom and you felt that it was very positive — I was amazed to feel that response.” It might have to do with the fact that she introduced retailer-friendly knitwear for Fall 2011 — “It brings a completely different story for people to buy into” — but whatever it is, it seems it's paying off. Katrantzou is skipping her planned Cruise 2012 collection because of "massive Fall orders," Style.com's Meenal Mistry reports. [@MeenalMistry]

>> Diane von Furstenberg was shocked after her ski accident six weeks ago, she tells the Telegraph UK: "Do you know what everybody said? 'This is a great opportunity for you to have a facelift.'" But her swollen face and broken nose didn't change von Fustenberg's mind about plastic surgery. "Any doubts I had about not having anything done evaporated, because all I wanted was to get my old face back," she says. "I don't want to be anyone else . . . All these women with fake breasts and cosmetic surgery — all that just objectifies us again."

Von Furstenberg may be anti-plastic surgery, but she's pro-Kate Middleton, who recently wore a DVF dress to lunch with the Duchess of Cornwall: "She's always worn my clothes." As for the school of thought that Middleton needs to step up her fashion game: "She's going to be Queen of England, but she's not from an aristocratic background, so she needs to play the game. Still, I like the fact that she seems to be very independent."

The designer also has opinions on who Middleton should wear for her wedding: "I've always found weddings sad for some reason, but of course I'll watch it on television. I think she should go for Alexander McQueen. But you know what? She reminds me more and more of Diana. Everything about her. I think she's there to avenge Diana's memory — that's clearly what William wants. Giving Kate his mother's ring was a great gesture, and I think that theirs will be a happy version of his parents' marriage. But he absolutely chose a woman who was like his mother — that was deliberate."

>> Rodarte's collaboration with Opening Ceremony is readily available online, but now the label's runway pieces can also be bought with the swipe of a mouse. Net-a-Porter just launched a Rodarte boutique featuring a selection of six pieces from Laura and Kate Mulleavy's Spring 2011 collection — the first collection with an eye to the more everyday wearable — and a $2,325 delft print skirt has already sold out.

>> Christophe Decarnin, who joined Balmain as a designer in 2005 and was named creative director of women's ready-to-wear in November 2007, has left the brand, effective immediately. A successor — an internal candidate is reportedly the frontrunner — is expected to be named next week.

Stylist Melanie Ward, who helped pull together the Fall 2011 collection under Decarnin's directives starting three weeks before the show, is Cathy Horyn's suggestion for successor. She has the experience: she was creative director of Helmut Lang for 13 years, when the namesake designer was still at that label.

Decarnin's exit is not a surprise, given his absence from the Fall 2011 show, due to doctor's orders after seeking treatment for depression. However, WWD reports that sources close to the designer say the state of Decarnin's mental health was overblown. A Balmain rep corroborates that the designer's depression wasn't the cause of his exit, saying this morning that Decarnin's absence from the show "is not the reason, but everything is related" and instead citing "work differences . . . that I cannot comment on."

Tensions between Decarnin and Balmain chairman and CEO Alain Hivelin had reached a breaking point by the time of the show, WWD reports, with each man holding widely divergent views of company strategy and direction. Hivelin cited a desire to keep a tight rein on distribution of the top line, which has had sales growth in excess of 50 percent in recent years, but was also quietly testing future avenues of growth for the brand — including a less-expensive line, Balmain Blue, that reportedly irked Decarnin and was never brought to market.

With Decarnin gone, it looks like that line may be brought back in some form: Ittierre, which produces diffusion collections like C’N’C Costume National and Just Cavalli (as well as Galliano), has reportedly secured a license with Balmain, although both companies have remained mum on the subject.