Balenciaga

Alexander Wang's first show for Balenciaga won't be a full-scale runway spectacle. Instead, the designer's debut at the house will take the form of an "intimate" and "salon-style format," a spokesperson for the brand told Vogue UK.

That means the show will have fewer attendees than Balenciaga's last few outings, which have been staged at the Crillon Hotel in Paris or at its offices on the Rue Cassette. The show is scheduled for 9:15 on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 28. Other details, like what the clothes will look like or who is — or isn't — invited, are being closely guarded.

A smaller, more intimate affair in some ways echoes Tom Ford's return to designing women's ready-to-wear for Spring 2011. But instead of wanting to preserve a sense of mystery about the clothing, the brand's spokesperson said it decided to scale back because this is Wang's "introductory season." The American designer took over for Nicolas Ghesquière, who'd been Balenciaga's creative director for 15 years, last November.

While there's been no official announcement on whether PPR will invest in Christopher Kane's eponymous label, the latest reports suggest the firm is getting closer to making a deal.

Unnamed sources have told WWD that Alexis Babeau, managing director of PPR's luxury division, has interviewed candidates to be the brand's new CEO once it becomes part of PPR's portfolio. Kane currently runs the business with his sister Tammy.

Rumors that PPR would add Kane's label to its stable of brands — which includes Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Gucci, among others — started going around when Kane left his position as the creative director of Versace's secondary line Versus. At the time, it was rumored that Kane would come to PPR to replace Nicolas Ghesquière as the creative director of Balenciaga, a job that eventually went to Alexander Wang. Kane has reportedly been in talks with PPR since November, but so far nothing concrete has come from the meetings.

Alexander Wang is rumored to have asked Carine Roitfeld to join Balenciaga as his in-house stylist, but so far there's been no confirmation of the news.

In fact, Grazia, the first news outlet to report on the pairing, has since taken its post down, but that hasn't stopped other sites from picking up the story. If the rumors hold water, Roitfeld would replace Balenciaga's longtime stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé, who worked with Nicolas Ghesquière during his tenure at the brand.

Wang and Roitfeld are friends, too, and have worked together in the past (Wang was photographed for Karl Lagerfeld's book The Little Black Jacket, which Roitfeld helped style), but this partnership would be their biggest collaboration yet. In her new position, Roitfeld would help Wang style his runway collections and ad campaigns, giving her an undeniable influence at the brand.

Wang took over for Ghesquière at the end of December and will present his first collection for the house in February. Whether Roitfeld will have anything to do with the show remains to be seen.

While exiting the Music Box Theatre in NYC after finishing up one of her final performances in Dead Accounts last night, Katie Holmes colorblocked two fabulous colors: orange and navy. First she wore a punchy orange dress, then topped it with this navy Balenciaga coat ($2,125), which she's been sporting frequently lately. On bottom the actress kept cozy in a pair of black opaque tights and coordinated her piped Gio Dev pumps with her ensemble. Re-create Katie's latest outfit by matching a bold orange dress with a navy coat, then get these almost-identical Stuart Weitzman pumps ($298, originally $425) to really nail her look.

Katie Holmes stood out in a bright-pink Narciso Rodriguez dress upon arrival at the Late Show in NYC yesterday. What we love most about her look isn't only her dress, but the combination of the dress with her olive-green Balenciaga trench coat. The actress kept the accessories to a minimum but dressed her feet with nude suede Isabel Marant pumps. Re-create this fabulous color combo by pairing an olive coat with a pink dress during your next night out. Or, for a casual twist, sport olive jeans with a hot-pink sweater or pink pants with an olive top. But before you do, vote on which latest Katie Holmes look you love most.

Katie Holmes was spotted in NYC looking all bundled up in her new navy Balenciaga coat ($2,118) she's been showing off lately. On bottom she wore faded skinny jeans and these Rag & Bone Newbury booties ($347, originally $495), and she carried this Delvaux colorblock bag ($3,500). But it was her green scarf peeping out from under her coat that really made her look pop — we love the mix of green and navy. To mimic Katie's latest street style, finish your navy coats and sweaters with a bright-green scarf.

Grace Coddington isn't keeping quiet about what she thinks of Alexander Wang replacing her friend Nicolas Ghesquière as creative director of Balenciaga.

Coddington, who said last month that she hoped Ghesquière wouldn't "just give up and walk away" from fashion, has added her voice to the chorus of people commenting on Wang's new job. She told The Huffington Post that she's optimistic about the future of the house. She also shared her thoughts on Ghesquière's possible future plans, and on whether John Galliano will ever make a comeback.

On Wang designing for Balenciaga: "I'm sure Alexander Wang will do really well. He's very well-liked. It's an incredibly difficult thing to take over for Nicolas because there are all the old fuddy-duddy people like me digging their heels in. But you've got to embrace it — it's happened. I'm sure the Gucci people thought long and carefully, they didn't just pull him out of a hat. And he fit all their criteria."

On whether Wang can really replace Ghesquière: "Don't think of it as the same house as it was when Nicolas was the creative director; that's everybody's mistake. Don't think of it as a replacement for Nicolas, because it isn't. Alexander has a whole different agenda. He's a very confident young man, he's cute-looking, girls love him, he's an 'It' person and he makes very affordable clothes. I haven't spoken to him, but he can only do what he can do. He can't be somebody else, and he certainly can't be Nicolas."

On Nicolas Ghesquière's next steps: "He will bide his time and come back. He's too brilliant to just disappear. He's very passionate about what he does. He's not caught up in fashion and celebrity at all. I don't think he's going to go off and become a sculptor like Helmut Lang, either."

On whether Galliano can come back to the industry: "I hope he will return, but I don't know. That's a tough one to get over. That's tougher than the Gucci people thinking they want a change of face. I love John; I think he's brilliant. He certainly intends to come back — when he's ready."