Daily Front Row

2009 April 22

The Dust Settles at Nina Ricci

Comments | | Print

(NEW YORK) After a nearly six-month saga, it seems that the Nina Ricci team at Puig has finally stabilized. The Daily reported back in December that Olivier Theyskens, the former Rochas designer who served as creative director at Ricci for four seasons, would be out following a tough-to-sell Spring 2009 collection; Theysken’s Fall collection, shown in Paris less than two months ago, was indeed his last. Although rumors of possible successors swirled for several months (most of which appeared to point toward Louis Vuitton’s Peter Copping, who met with Ricci execs in January), the Puig group refused to confirm the appointment--until now. Today, reports surfaced that Copping’s first day on the job was Monday, and though Nina Ricci is not expected to stage a runway show until March 2010, his first designs would be unveiled in late June and be delivered in stores around December.

The only piece of the puzzle yet to be solved? Theyskens' inevitable landing spot. Industry insiders anticipate either an eponymous line for the designer (who’s still beloved by influentials like Anna Wintour) or the top spot at the house of Schiaparelli, slated to re-launch in 2010.