Gareth Pugh

British designer Gareth Pugh opened his first retail store in Hong Kong over the weekend as part of a deal with I.T. Group, the company that now owns Pugh's Hong Kong retail rights. The 658-square-foot shop is located on Ice House Street near fellow experimental designers Comme des Garçons, Ann Demeulemeester, and Martin Margiela. The interior features jet black rubber paint and glossy black tiles in the main space and ash gray walls and carpet in the fitting rooms.

The all black exterior does not have traditional window display, rather a large glass wall that will show through to an LED screen in the back of the shop. Inspired by his friend Nick Knight, Pugh is hoping one day the screen might connect to a live feed camera in his studio. Pugh has no immediate plans to open additional retail stores. The designer also denied recent rumors that he is heading to Thierry Mugler: “There is no truth to them at all,” he said. “Rumors are rumors. It’s not going to happen.”

>> Last week, it was reported that Thierry Mugler is looking to change the direction of his newly relaunched womenswear line (helmed by Rosemary Rodriguez) and has been in talks with several candidates — Gareth Pugh included.

Now, Hint reports from "a trusted source" that Nicola Formichetti — the stylist behind Lady Gaga, Dazed & Confused creative director, and Vogue Hommes Japan fashion director — has been named the new artistic director at Mugler. Word is Rodriguez already departed the label three weeks ago.

Thierry Mugler looks to relaunch his womenswear label with new design talent, possibly Gareth Pugh.

Campaign news: Karen Elson will appear in ads for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, Daria Werbowy will return for Yves Saint Laurent, Karlie Kloss has renewed agreements with Oscar de la Renta and Christian Dior, and Miranda Kerr lands Prada and Jil Sander.

Halle Berry is rumored to be this September's Vogue cover girl. Her fragrance, Reveal, comes out in August.

Megan Salt has been named Vogue's director of public relations, taking over responsibilities from Patrick O'Connell.

Source: Getty

>> Earlier this year, it was thought that Gareth Pugh engaged in talks about becoming Alexander McQueen's successor, but the position ultimately went to McQueen's head of womenswear, Sarah Burton.

Now, there's talk that Pugh may land elsewhere. There was a rumor last Fall that Thierry Mugler was looking to fully relaunch his womenswear label for Spring 2011 under current Mugler artistic director Rosemary Rodriguez. Now, however, WWD reports that Mugler is looking to change the direction of the label and has approached several potential candidates.  One such candidate? None other than Gareth Pugh.

>> Gareth Pugh Reportedly Plans to Open First Store Next Month —With nine runway shows under his belt and an ANDAM prize which allowed him to start showing at Paris Fashion Week in 2008, Gareth Pugh is taking the next step in building his brand. Hilary Alexander reports via Twitter that Pugh will open his first brick-and-mortar store — not in London, Paris, or Tokyo, but in Hong Kong next month. [@HilaryAlexander]

Tommy Ton is one of Anna Dello Russo's favorite things.

Gareth Pugh denies rumors he has been tapped to succeed Alexander McQueen.

Karl Lagerfled will photograph the next Pirelli calendar in April. “I’ll do it in my studio in Paris. It’s too obvious to have a beach setting," he told WWD.

Lindsay Lohan was not involved in the Emanuel Ungaro fall 2010 collection.

Watch Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren as they undress Kristen McMenamy during the Viktor & Rolf fall 2010 runway show.

Peter Dundas has left his position as creative director at Revillon.

>> Much speculation has identified Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens as two possible frontrunners to take over creative direction of Alexander McQueen's label, and over the weekend, the Telegraph UK reported that Gucci Group owner PPR had indicated Pugh as the desired successor.

Last night, however, Pugh's PR company, Mandi Lennard Publicity, issued a statement in rebuttal: "To speculative reports earlier this week, Gareth Pugh is not in discussions with Gucci Group about a Creative Director role at Alexander McQueen."

Meanwhile, the last collection McQueen worked on — which is believed to have been mostly finished before his death — will be shown in "a series of low-key, private, salon presentations this week," the Telegraph UK notes.

Leave it to Gareth Pugh to develop what may be the wildest manicure to hit the Paris runways this week. The designer, whose wild aesthetic is favored by stars like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, created a steely, strong collection. To complement the look, nail technician Marian Newman created manicures that dripped with small chains. "The silhouette of the collection was angular with the occasional hint of softness, so I translated this onto many of the nails for the girls," she explained. To get the chevron effect, she painted nails with CND Ivory Coast polish before blending strokes of CND Blackjack polish. She then applied small chains — miniature versions of those seen on the clothes — to create a truly tough-girl effect.

Photo courtesy of CND