Valentino’s been an utter disaster since Valentino left.

So yesterday the company announced they were bringing back Carlos Souza, the former model and current PR whiz to whip it back into shape. Or more specifically, to get back their devoted celebrity clientele.

He’s starting now, or next week at couture and working alongside HL Group here in the States to right what’s become the wrong Valentino image.

If anyone can do that, if anyone knows the brand well enough, it’s Souza, but how can all the PR in the world fix a label with disastrous, or worse, boring designs? From Alessandra Facchinetti’s controversial ousting to the lackluster clothes from Valentino’s former accessory designers the house hasn’t had the least success since Valentino left.

Here’s hoping Souza really is the answer. We’d hate to see Valentino be the new Halston.

Valentino has just announced that their menswear designer, Ferruccio Pozzoni, has parted ways with the fashion house, or in other words, gotten canned. The designer is being let go even before his first collection for the house is presented, which means this firing must really sting.

Three months after the label replaced Alessandra Facchinetti and just a month after they announced there will be no menswear show come Fashion week - we have to wonder, is this all part of one giant make-over for the brand?

Apparently, the relatively new owners of Valentino, private equity group Permira, are “trying to broaden the brand’s appeal and lure younger customers.” But isn’t trying to be young sort of besides the point at Valentino? We always thought the sophisticated, beautiful gowns Valentino’s known for suited full-grown women far better than their teenage daughters. And besides, isn’t firing two designers after such a short time at the house sort of hasty?

Pozzoni’s successor has yet to be announced, but considering how short a time Facchinetti and Pozzoni lasted, we wonder how long the new designer will stick around.

—HAYLEY PHELAN

Dear Everyone,

We get it, fast fashion is where it’s at. No one’s enjoyed Go International more than us, we’re still eagerly awaiting Comme for H&M, and we’re counting the days until another GAP shirt collection. But, as often as we’ve reported on the ins and outs of designers at Chloe, Gianfranco Ferre, Valentino; we wonder, what’s going to happen to Paulo, Lars, and Alessandra?

So we were thinking this morning, as we usually do over french toast, that it would be a really interesting proposition for someone like, say, Bergdorf Goodman, to have a Go International collection of their own, but at the designer level. Think about it. While Alessandra’s waiting for Rochas to propose, she could do a one-off collection of empire-waisted chiffon-y frocks, and Alessandra gets to remind everyone how swell she is, not to mention pick up a nice little paycheck in between gigs. Plus, the store gets a covetable collection that gets people to spend their money at a time when everyone’s just waiting for the next diffusion line to come out, and we all get amazing clothes. Total win-win.

If you need more convincing, imagine how amazing it would have been if a few years ago, Phoebe Philo had a chance to remind everyone why they love her courtesy Barneys. It might have made Anna’s job getting her the top spot at Celine way easier, not to mention an instant fan base for normally unlikely customers for Celine.

Just saying,

Fashionista (ok, it’s Brett, as if you didn’t know)

This just in from WWD:

Alessandra Facchinetti has been confirmed as officially out at Valentino, pending a vote by the company’s board.

But her successor, after just two seasons with the house, won’t be Giambattista Valli, as some were hoping.

The new targets designers?

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, longtime accessories designers for Valentino.

No word on yet on where Alessandra’s heading, or whether today’s collection ever had a prayer of saving her..

To make up for the incredibly boring eight days that was New York Fashion Week, the rumors from Paris Fashion Week are piling up just as the ceremonies are getting under way:

First up, Martin Margiela may - finally and actually - be giving up fashion for good, the rumor coming in from everybody everywhere, and with some astutely pointing out that Martin Margiela himself does not even work on the line, so a replacement would be that much easier (though since Raf’s been counted out due to his newly signed three year contract with Jil Sander, who else is supposedly up for the job?) Supposedly, he’ll announce his retirement from fashion sometime soon…

Next: Alessandra Facchinetti, whose collection for Valentino this coming Thursday will be only her second, and already the Daily reports that it’s her last chance, her future at the house resting completely in the hands of the editors and buyers in the front row. And there’s more - the supposed replacement? Giambattista Valli, who some supposedly feel could bring more innovation to the line, maybe because he’s French, maybe because he’s older…

Guess we’ll know where everybody stands by next week - kind of makes the rumors on Gossip Girl tonight seem a little passé, mais non?