So it seems Condé Nast is not the only one tightening up its stable of brands.

Word is that LVMH has another big sale on. According to the head of a private equity firm who is currently in Paris looking at the fashion houses’ books, Celine, Loewe, and Kenzo are on the block. It appears that CEO Bernard Arnault is no longer taking excuses for under-performers.

A New York-based investment adviser who spoke to Fashionista on the condition of anonymity said, “These labels are making no money, their margins are way down!” Just today WWD ran a story on Loewe focusing on its core leather business. And we all recently witnessed how well-received Phoebe Philo’s collection was at Celine. But it seems that efforts to try to unload the brands is still moving forward.

Score another victory over industry counterfeiters, and the people who sell them. A French court has ruled that eBay must pay 80,000 euros (or around $117,000) to LVMH for allowing fakes of their fragrances to be auctioned on the site.

This summer, LVMH scored a huge victory and has since put eBay on alert, and their lawyers working some major hours on the cases, according to WWD.

But the rulings are still going both ways. The auction site had to pay damages to Hermès, but won a case that stated they weren’t responsible for fake Tiffany & Co merchandise being sold. I guess this could be a product of different courts in different countries but I would hope eBay would at least try to monitor to to the best of their abilities.

Because you can’t stop every phony, but we all know how much it sucks to get your eBay purchase and find out it’s not the real deal. The worst.

LVMH is on a shopping spree but first it needs to unload some unwanted brands to raise cash the cash it hopes to spend.

According to sources at an investment firm, Donna Karan’s DKNY brand is up for sale. LVMH bought Donna Karan International in 2001, five years after she took it public. Donna Karan Collection is not believed to be on the block.

Sources say the clothing brand is no longer the right fit for LVMH as they are trying to focus more heavily on their super high-end luxury products with a strong international brand. Donna Karan admits on her website “DKNY is the pizza to Collection’s caviar.” It’s thought that while DKNY carries a lot of weight in New York, it doesn’t have the same luxury pull internationally.

Mr. Timberlake will be gracing our magazines come September in the ad campaigns for not one, but two Givenchy men’s fragrances: Play and Play Intense.

The suits at LVMH told WWD that they were looking for a new face for fragrance that would be recognized around the world.

“Most importantly, we needed to find a man who could embody the modern elegance specific to the Givenchy brand as well as all the facets of Play,” said Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics N.A..

In the Trenches: Sasha and Malia are about to cause another round of skyrocketing coat sales at J. Crew - this time of the khaki trench variety. {Politico}

LVMH Making Moves? Christian Lacroix was spotted at the Givenchy show just after his own (perhaps final) presentation. Tongues are wagging that the Arnaults might just step in to save the house. {FWD}

If She Could Turn Back Time: Holy photoshopping! Britney Spears looks like it’s 1999 in these shots for Candies. We bet she wishes she could revisit that past too. {StyleWatch}

Who’s the Man? The chicest of the chic stay at the Ritz in Paris. This guy makes their loves run smoothly while they’re there. {W}

Just in time for the long weekend, the latest issue of WWWWD has arrived to amuse us all. As always we have more than a few favorite moments including but certainly not limited to:

—A timeline of manhood that includes Three Men and a Baby, Tom Brady, Paula Poundstone, Dante, and Lil Bow Wow. Enough said.

—LVMH entering the beer market with a gold-canned brand called Laissez-Faire. Possible face of the brand Jade Jagger loves the idea: “Laissez-Faire combines my two main interests - gold French stuff and beer - into one fabulous thing that will get me wasted.”

—Kris Van Assche feeling homesick for himself. But luckily he welcomes himself back with open arms.

—Fashion lovelies reveal what they love in a guy. Grace Coddington’s made me spit out my morning Diet Coke.

—Mert & Marcus want nothing to do with Shia LeBeouf’s package. Quite frankly, neither do we.

Happy Reading!

Last year, LVMH succesfully sued eBay for failing to police counterfeit sellers.

Now they, and more specifically Louis Vuitton, have sued Google for allegedly courting advertisers with the search word “Vuitton”. Stores, whether they sell counterfeit product or not, pay Google to be the first link on the page post-search which is why things like Bergdorf and Nordstrom are above the actual Phillip Lim site when you search his name.

It’s true that a year ago, or the last time we remember Googling Louis Vuitton, every possible fake in cyber existence popped up. The highlighted clutter is gone now (probably because they’re in court), making it much easier for the consumer to find the legitimate Vuitton sites. (Though the third search down still boasts “Designer Handbag Cloning Master for the past six years.”)

But Google says that they get their money after the ad link is clicked and since it’s the searcher who chooses which link to follow, they’re not doing anything wrong.

If LVMH wins, Google’s inability to sell brand names to advertisers means a hefty chunk of their profit is gone. And even if they don’t win, we can’t imagine Louis Vuitton’s war against those who aid and abet counterfeiters will end in the near future.

“I didn’t really follow fashion. I don’t think I ever really have, though. I don’t buy fashion magazines and read them cover to cover.” - Phoebe Philo, in WWD.

Everyone’s wondering why Delphine Arnault - Bernard’s daughter - was front row at Gareth Pugh this week, sparking rumors that LVMH is gearing up to add the young designer to their luxury constellation.

So here’s the other part to that rumor:

We hear that not only has Gareth already joined LVMH, but he’s set to do so as Kris Van Assche’s replacement at Dior Homme (no word on where KVA will go).

And we’ll all read about it very soon - Vogue Nippon has a piece coming out soon that details the move.

Morning!

Gareth Pugh showed his first full menswear collection in Paris last night.

The “visionary” collection - super skinny pants, platform patent boots, chain mail vests - might’ve sparked LVMH’s interest, according to The Telegraph. Delphine Arnault, Bernard’s daughter, sat in the front row and personally congratulated Gareth on his show.

The editorial darling could be a big financial risk for LVMH (whose stable of fashion brands include the more reliable likes of Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs) and a much needed breath of fresh air on the heels of their Lacroix sale.

If forced, we’d have pegged Gareth for Gucci Group membership, but it’s hard to imagine him under anyone else’s control, financial or creative, and answering to a larger body who demands a certain measure of commercial success (because we’re pretty sure Michelle Lamy, Rick Owens’ wife and Pugh’s current backer, loves him just the way he is).

Meanwhile, if Pugh joins the luxury conglomerate, shoes and bags are guaranteed and the thought of Gareth Pugh shoes knocks the wind out of us.

E-Luxury is no longer.

Well, technically it still exists but is transitioning into an “‘E-window’ into the world of luxury, by serving as an information reference for luxury in fashion, art de vivre, leather goods, wines and spirits, watches and jewelry, gastronomy, cars, yachts and services,” instead of a place one can buy luxury goods on-line by this June.

So, it will be a super fancy blog through which parent company LVMH can promote its own brands and speak to those still able to afford all of the above by this summer. Spokespeople for the site say the change has little to do with the economy but is a result of so many brands ushering in their own online retail platforms.

Which means, if you’re the kind of girl who likes to buy her Pucci and her Margiela and her Tod’s all in one place, go now.

LVMH just handed Phoebe Philo Celine on a silver platter.

If we had to imagine a designer’s ideal progression through the industry, we can’t think of anything better than having your coming out party at Chloé, going on a really long vacation, then marrying a name as recognized, yet as undefined, as Celine.

Since Michael Kors left the brand in 2004, it’s survived, though it’d be hard to call it relevant, which means that lucky Phoebe has a pretty clean slate, the financial backing and support of one of the largest luxury companies, and an instantly recognizable name.

By the time we see Philo’s designs, March of next year, it will have been over three years since she left Chloé to have babies which means three years of industry speculation of how and when such a successful designer would get back in the game.

Obviously, we can’t wait.

Gareth Pugh’s announced that he’ll show his Fall ‘09 collection in Paris this year, instead of his usual London stomping grounds.

Pugh’s been a staple member of the Brit cool kid pack for the past few seasons, but his recent ANDAM award grants him 150,000 euros, some serious backing (including Swarovski and LVMH), and a Paris show.

Way back when, as an intern in a designer’s London showroom, I had the gall to ask my supervisor why said designer showed in Paris while so firmly rooted in London, to which my boss responded, “Because Paris is the only place that matters. It’s where the real artists show expert collections and it’s where you show when you’ve really made it.”

While I think there are brilliant designers showing everywhere, there’s something about Paris that makes it a designer’s mecca. Pugh said, “I want longevity, of course, and I also want to be taken more seriously,” which implies that while London’s been nothing but good to the young, radical designer, showing in Paris is his ultimate validation.