Still, most of the gossip here is about designers, not about models. The hottest story is about Givenchy: it seems LVMH's Bernard Arnault is ready to let go his designer, Julien Macdonald. The rumor mill has Hedi Slimane, Dior menswear designer, taking over the house, especially since Sarah Jessica Parker wore a Slimane evening suit to the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.

(A propos Golden Globes, have you noticed Cameron Diaz' incredible micro-dress?)

Another designer on the hot seat is Laurent Mercier at Balmain. The reviews of his show yesterday are horrible, even in the French press, generally quite polite and boring. Mercier is famous for being the costumier of Lenny Kravitz, but Oscar de la Renta he isn't. In the words of Suzie Menkes in the IHT: "However striking or photogenic the sassy pants and pink palette might be for the camera — what it all had to do with the loyal clientele de la Renta built up in his decade at Balmain is as mysterious as the show’s lacy or feathered face masks".

But let's not forget the main news of the day are still the Haute Couture shows here in Paris. The town is full of models! When I entered W.H. Smith mags stand in rue de Rivoli, there were more models in front of the mags than inside the pages!

The biggest story is of course the sudden appearance of Laetitia Casta at the JPG show. Casta was always the bride in the YSL Couture shows, so having her closing his show was Gaultier's way of saying - I am the new Yves Saint Laurent. That's not very nice to Tom Ford -- after all, the YSL house in now his -- and it's interesting that Laetitia was not afraid to do JPG in these conditions. It is highly probable Gaultier asked YSL and Pierre Berge for their permission to use Laetitia as the bride.

By the way, the bride at Chritian Lacroix was Alek Wek - the first time a black model was chosen for the closing of a Haute Couture show.

Elize Crombez is about everywhere, the only "new" girl who made it this year. As I noticed yesterday, the big stars are the classic models from the past - Georgina Greenville, for example, the only big-name at the Versace show.

But the true starring appearance is one by Erin O'Connor - illustrator David Downton presents more than 200 drawings of her, including great nudes, at Galerie Joyce (168-173, galerie de Valois, 75001 Paris). If you're a fan of Erin, you must come to Paris before the end of March to see the exhibition!