Dsquared Designs for Britney Spears' Tour... Kate Hudson Expected at D&G...

WILD BOYS: Dsquared is putting the finishing touches on Britney Spears’ wardrobe for her upcoming Circus tour. Dan and Dean Caten reinterpreted clowns, trapeze artists and jugglers into a series of provocative looks for Spears and her dancers to be worn on a world tour that kicks off Tuesday in New Orleans. “We are enormous fans of Britney, and have been waiting for the perfect moment to collaborate with her,” the twins enthused. “It’s going to be wild.” 

CLASS REUNION: When the trial of a former Saks Fifth Avenue fine jewelry saleswoman accused of improperly using discounts and returns to boost her commissions finally got under way in New York Criminal Court Thursday, the defendant found herself being accused by something of a kindred spirit. Cecille Villacorta, fired in January 2006 and now facing a 316-count grand jury indictment including charges of grand larceny, heard testimony from Randi Riley, who investigated the accused on Saks’ behalf and said her probe turned up dummy stockkeeping units and associate ID numbers, unauthorized gift card discounts and returns of nonexistent merchandise going back about six years and totaling about $1.4 million. The transactions could have inflated the seasonal sales figures used to determine the saleswoman’s bonus, testified Riley, who herself was laid off last month when her now former employer eliminated 1,100 jobs.

TRULY A FROG POND: Those in New York looking to book a table at La Grenouille in the next week or so better find an alternative. The restaurant is closed for the next 10 days after a water main broke and flooded the dining room on Wednesday. Charles Masson, the restaurant’s owner, said that, oddly, many patrons continued to enjoy their dinners even as the water mounted beneath them. Masson on Thursday was dealing with a 10-foot long trench down the length of the restaurant. “It’s a process that will require work day and night,” he said of the repairs, before adding that, “On the bright side, it didn’t happen on Valentine’s Day or during Christmas.”

CLOTHES CALL: The Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé art sale might be over but the Saint Laurent sales continue. More than 200 fashion collectors filled Paris’ Richelieu Drouot auction house Thursday to bid for 948 lots of vintage Saint Laurent couture, ready-to-wear, jewelry, accessories and drawings, dating from 1962 to 2002. The auction had topped 222,000 euros, or $284,449, before bidding closed Thursday, beating its initial estimate. Highlights included a long evening dress, which fetched 6,500 euros, or $8,300, while two posters dating from 1986 were sold for 2,500 euros, or $3,200, more than 40 times their estimated price. Drawings by Saint Laurent when he was designing for Christian Dior, meanwhile, fetched 5,500 euros, or $7,000. “These are not at all the same buyers but we have benefited from the media attention around the art sale,” said Dominique Chombet, the sale’s expert. The auction continues today.

GO WEST: Expect a new face in the public relations ranks at the Fendi show on Monday: Kristine Westerby. Fendi North America has tapped her as its new vice president of marketing and communications, according to market sources. Westerby has held the same title at Christian Dior Americas, and her résumé includes stints at Max Mara, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Calvin Klein. At Fendi North America, she succeeds Paige Pedersen, who is leaving the company.

COMEBACK KID: Capucci, a mythic Italian brand from the Sixties and Seventies, is rising once again. A photo shoot is under way in Milan today with Erin O’Connor modeling looks designed by Gianfranco Fenizia, partner in Milan fashion label Albino. The last Capucci ready-to-wear line was suspended in 2005 after an ambitious relaunch involving designers Berhard Wilhelm, Tara Subkoff and Spain’s Sybilla.