Hey, Page Six, just one quick question:
Tuesday, Page Six reported that next month’s resort show would be the immortal Karl Lagerfeld’s last for Chanel. The reports got slapped down by the French house faster than the DM you tried to send to Rihanna after yesterday’s “Needed Me” video.
One reported story that admittedly could possibly still come true getting rebuked is one thing. But PageSix is notorious for throwing up a story saying [BIG NAME DESIGNER] is leaving [MAJOR FASHION HOUSE] and claiming to have unnamed sources—Chris Broussard can tell you how well that usually goes. So let us present to you, every time Page Six lied about a “major designer shakeup.”
Phoebe Philo Is Leaving Céline
Page Six cited the most ambiguous of sources, “industry chatter,” to say that Philo was “getting bored” working at Céline. It even added that she was interested in heading back to work with Richemont, the parent company that owns Azzedine Alaïa and Chloé, where she worked as creative director from 2001 to 2006.
That was back in August of 2015. Halfway through April, Philo is still sitting pretty at Céline. Next!
Tom Ford Is Returning to Gucci
Page Six had Tom Ford riding in on a wave of overpowered cologne and making a triumphant return to Gucci, which he headed up from 1994 to 2004, in January of last year. This time, the publication couldn’t even get as specific as “industry chatter.” Instead writing, “his name has been mentioned.”
Hedi Slimane (and Others) Are Candidates for Gucci Job
So begins the great run of every designer you’ve ever heard of getting put up for the vacant spot at Gucci. Before Tom Ford, it was Hedi Slimane, with Saint Laurent at the time, whose name was being thrown around in contention for the Gucci creative directorship. At least this time Page Six had “industry sources” backing its claim.
In that same exact report Page Six apparently figured why not and also named Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci (“known for his close friendships with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West”) and Joseph Altuzarra, who heads his own namesake label.
What’s saddest about all these reports is not once does Page Six make mention of the man who eventually got the job, Alessandro Michele.
Dior Finds Man to Replace Raf Simons
This one is a little more defensible considering Page Six was merely adding fuel to a fire that was already roaring. But the publication reported earlier this year, “The fashion world is buzzing that Jonathan Saunders is heading to Dior.” That post went up late last month, so there’s still time for this lottery ticket to pay off, but it looks unlikely Saunders will be Simons’ successor.
Kanye West Is Leaving Music for Fashion
In 2014, Page Six reported, “After his next [collaboration] with Paul McCartney comes out, he’s going to step away from music and concentrate on clothing.” There’s some merit to this report because we didn’t get a proper album from ‘Ye in 2015, but did get both Yeezy Season 1 and 2. But let’s remember that Kanye premiered new music at both those shows. And we did eventually end up with “Wolves“ CDQ.
Marc Jacobs Is Taking Over Dior
Remember the Dior job that Raf Simons got? Yeah, well, Page Six first thought it was going to Marc Jacobs. The publication also named “Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz, Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, Haider Ackermann and Hedi Slimane” while reblogging a WWD report. So, it’s not totally on Page Six, but the publication casted a net wide enough to catch a whole whale and still didn’t come up with the name that actually mattered: Raf Simons.
YSL Is Firing Stefano Pilati
So close, Page Six! While Stefano Pilati did eventually leave YSL, clearing the way for Slimane and his vision of Saint Laurent, Page Six threw this out in October 2010. Pilati didn’t step down—after years of rumors that there was bad blood between the designer and YSL executive Pierre Bergé—from the house until 2012.
