I always wonder about well-placed leaks in the press, even well before Karl Rove's little tete-a-tetes with Judith Miller (and we all know what happened to her.)

So this latest rumor about Alessandra Facchinetti getting the boot, the very stylish and well-heeled one at least, at Valentino has me wondering. Not that I didn't wonder way back when her appointment was first announced. I mean, coming from Gucci, she wasn't the most obvious fit.

So does it make sense that Giambattista Valli's name is being uttered among those-in-the-know as Facchinetti's replacement? Actually, yes.

Since he's been garnering more of a following in the past few seasons, it does seem to make sense that he should go to Valentino. Valentino's is a house with such history that it needs a designer who has already staked out a name of his own, lest he be swallowed up by the very brand he is trying to helm.

What I'd like to know is, how long has Valli's ascension to Valentino been in the works? Or was it just coincidence that he ended his Spring 2009 collection with a swathe of Valentino-esque red?