olivier's house hunt

Olivier Theyskens and Halston Shall Never Be

Rumor had it Anna Wintour was lobbying the heads of Halston, Harvey Weinstein and Tamara Mellon, to install Olivier Theyskens as head of design for the house. But Fashion Week Daily reports that a “well-placed insider” close to Halston revealed the label isn’t considering the ex–Nina Ricci designer for the role. “Olivier [as creative director at Halston] will never, ever happen,” this person said. “It’s no secret that [the brand] is struggling — they need a designer who can sell lots and lots of clothes, not just get great press.” Theyskens is known for wowing editors with his runway shows, not for selling clothes, which is probably why he was dismissed from Ricci.

Theyskens never seemed like a great fit, aesthetically, for Halston, but New York’s fashion community would die if he showed here. Yet, woe are we, the rumor is false. Anna Wintour may still want Theyskens in New York — and now that her Met gala is over, she should have lots of time to work on getting him here, ahem — but where else would he wind up? The man would have to work on his own label, which is what we’ve been hoping for all along. But considering that he loves smoking by and peeing in the Seine so much, we won’t get our hopes up.

Theyskens to Halston? Don’t Get Too Excited … [FWD]

Olivier Theyskens and Halston Shall Never Be