Diesel

Turns out those rumors about Nicola Formichetti working with Diesel were true. On Thursday morning, the brand confirmed that the former Mugler creative director has been named Diesel's artistic director.

More on Formichetti's new job, here.

Last season might have been all about print-on-print-on-print, but Spring's latest leans toward a more subtle way of styling your bold patterns. At the Diesel and Edun Studio Africa party in LA, brand ambassador Solange Knowles showed us how to style printed shorts (one of our seasonal must haves) for a look that's high on impact, but not over the top. The key to getting this trend right is finding the perfect pair of statement shorts — we suggest a pair that's not too tight and not too short — and pairing it with minimal accompaniments. Solange's abstract-print cuffed Edun shorts pop against her white Theyskens' Theory sheer-sleeve blouse, while gold metallic sandals add just the right amount of shine to her party look. For added pop, Solange polished off her ensemble with a modern Lucite CC Skye clutch ($295) and gold rings. Easy, right? Shop our editors' selection of printed shorts, then get to styling!

If you thought Nicolas Ghesquière would have more time to tend to his new Twitter account now that he's not creative director of a major brand anymore, think again. Word has it the former Balenciaga designer isn't resting on his laurels, and has had offers to finance his own brand from a number of investors.

Alexa, the fashion arm of The New York Post, reports that firms including Li & Fung and Only the Brave (which owns Diesel) have joined LVMH in offering to back a Ghesquière label, despite some analysts commenting that starting a new luxury brand from scratch is a risky proposition.

"Everyone is trying to get him," one source told the magazine. But not everyone has been willing or able to meet Ghesquière's terms, which reportedly include an equity stake in the new venture.

Whenever and however Ghesquière makes his return, he'll likely be welcomed back to the design world with open arms. Karl Lagerfeld said Ghesquière starting his own label "is not a bad idea," and the designer's personal friend Grace Coddington seemed confident he would find his way back into the industry at some point.

"He will bide his time and come back," she said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "He's too brilliant to just disappear. He's very passionate about what he does."

After months of speculation that Diesel founder Renzo Rosso would buy a stake in Marni, Rosso confirmed on Thursday that the brand is now in his portfolio.

The exact figures of the deal were not disclosed, but Reuters reports that Rosso made the acquisition through his holding company, Only the Brave, which in addition to Diesel also controls Maison Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf. Rosso told WWD that it's his ultimate goal to crate the industry's next big fashion conglomerate.

"It's my big dream to create a modern group that is an alternative to the existing ones," he said. "We are beginning to become one such group, and we are working on consolidating it."

Rosso's investment will not only help open more Marni boutiques around the world, but also push the brand into markets like China. That's the kind of support Marni founder and CEO Gianni Castiglioni said he was looking for in October.

"We would like to double our sales in five years through a further development of retail but without drastically overturning our company," he said. "I would be open to consider a partner only if he would share my vision in managing the company. We are looking at industrial partners that can provide competence and long-term vision."

Industrially speaking, Rosso is a good fit. Through its subsidiaries, Only the Brave manufactures clothing for Vivienne Westwood, Dsquared2, and Marc Jacobs's menswear line. Rosso is also invested in the ecommerce giant Yoox, and in Marcolin, a company that produces eyewear for Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli, and — naturally — Diesel.

Petra Nemcova showed her support for Diesel's Spring 2013 show at New York Fashion Week in a black leather jacket ($995), cobalt coated jeans, and a leather envelope clutch ($420), all by the label. The model's landscape graphic t-shirt broke up her textured separates, while her gold and black Jean-Michel Cazabat cap-toe pumps injected the perfect amount of sparkle. A silver bangle, wing-tipped eye makeup, and an intricately braided updo rounded out her fashionable ensemble. Steal Petra's street-chic look with her exact topper, blue coated jeans, a white graphic T, and cap-toe pumps.

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Lily Donaldson covers the 10th issue of Dossier magazine, photographed by Skye Parrott and styled by Donaldson's best friend, Emilie Kareh. The issue will be on newsstands next week. [Fashionologie Inbox]
  

• Congratulations are in order for model Mariacarla Boscono, who gave birth to a baby girl named Marialucas this week. [Vogue UK]
  

• Brad Goreski is back. Bravo announced today that it's given the green light for a second season of his hit reality show It's a Brad Brad World. [Fashionista]
  

• New season, new designer, new public relations director. Diesel has hired Simone Delfino to oversee its US PR. She was previously director of public relations and events at Club Monaco. [@JimShi809]
  

• Sadly, model Jessica White has had to give up the six-foot python she used to call a pet. "I loved my snake, Jessie, but I had to give him up because he kept attacking and biting guys who came to my apartment," she says. "I guess he was jealous." [Page Six]
  

• Bambi Northwood Blyth, Sean O'Pry, and one very emotional guitar star in the black-and-white Fall 2012 campaign video for Armani Jeans, which was directed by Takai Takemoto. [Design Scene]
  

• Nicole Richie's line for Macy's Impulse was inspired in part by the music she listens to. "I do have a wide range of tastes in music," she says in a video interview. "And I do think that probably affects the way I design as well. I like to have a little mixture of everything in my designs." [Lucky]
  

• The Webster, which recently signed on to do a collaboration with the Shops at Target, is now also one of the retailers included on Farfetch.com. Laure Heriard Dubreuil, who founded The Webster, describes her store as "a wonderful experience that I'd like to share with everybody." [Fashionologie Inbox]
  

Just three weeks after announcing Sophia Kokosalaki's departure, Diesel Black Gold has reportedly selected Norwegian designer Andreas Melbostad as the brand's new creative director. He will start his new role in October.

According to WWD, Melbostad currently runs a design consulting firm that has counted Roberto Cavalli and Vera Wang among its clients. His LinkedIn page highlights stints as senior designer at Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Guy Laroche among his past positions. He was also associate design director at Calvin Klein before moving on to a position as design director at Donna Karan. Before opening his consulting firm, Melbostad was creative director of Susan Dell's sportswear line Phi for over six years.

Diesel has not yet commented on Melbostad's relationship with the company. So far there has been no word on Kokosalaki's future plans.

Photo: Daphne Groeneveld walks in Roberto Cavalli's Spring 2012 show, which Melbostad consulted on.

Diesel Black Gold has announced that Sophia Kokosalaki will leave the brand after being its creative director since 2009. She will present her sixth and final collection for the brand during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 11, and a replacement will be announced in October.

"The last three years I have spent at Diesel Black Gold have been a very interesting and enjoyable experience," said Kokosalaki in a statement. "I would like to thank the whole DBG team for their hard work and support in helping me to establish this line. I am now looking forward to new challenges and wish Diesel Black Gold every success in the future."

Renzo Rosso, Diesel's founder, said he was grateful for Kokosalaki's hard work. "Thanks to her talent, Diesel Black Gold has defined its clear identity as a premium stand-alone label."

Kokosalaki founded her eponymous label in 1999. In 2006, she was appointed creative director of Vionnet, but resigned in May 2007 to focus on her namesake brand.

Kristen Stewart and her costar Charlize Theron promoted their new flick, Snow White and the Huntsman, on Today this morning in NYC. Charlize chose all black, while Kristen rocked a cropped button-down Diesel shirt ($168) over leggings with leather panels, a Rebecca Minkoff blazer ($345), and Balenciaga oxfords ($575). It's quintessential Kristen but with a dressed-up flair. Score her exact pieces now, then wear them like she did, as well as many other ways. Her Diesel blouse would also look great with a pair of high-waist flare jeans or a leather pencil skirt. Her blazer could top almost anything flawlessly, while her oxfords would lend geeky chic to any ensemble.

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal