Who will take over at Chanel and where will Pierpaolo Piccioli go now that he has left Valentino?
The fashion world is awash with such questions at a time of turmoil as sales slump and artistic directors play musical chairs.
Resignations, new appointments -- the swirl of changes has begun to resemble a fashion version of "Game Of Thrones" as Milan Fashion Week begins, reports AFP.
Not a month has gone by this year without its share of shock announcements: Piccioli left Valentino in March after more than two decades, with the Roman luxury brand announcing within a week the arrival of former Gucci head Alessandro Michele, whose official debut comes in Paris later this month.
At Chanel, Virginie Viard, who took the reins after Karl Lagerfeld's death in 2019, bowed out in June, leaving vacant the top position at France's iconic privately run label.
Amid a flood of rumours as to who could take over the house of Coco Chanel, the name of Simon Porte Jacquemus, the young French designer with his namesake label, keeps being mentioned.
Also in June, Dries Van Noten, the cult couturier from Antwerp, took his last bow, retiring after nearly 40 years at the top.
Just last week, the suspense surrounding Givenchy -- which has been without an artistic head since the departure of American designer Matthew Williams in January -- finally ended.
British designer Sarah Burton, who spent more than two decades at Alexander McQueen, will take the helm of the French haute couture brand.
In Milan this week, both Tom Ford and Blumarine are not showing on the catwalk, due to recent changes at the top.
Tom Ford announced two weeks ago that Haider Ackermann would be its new artistic director -- with his first collection for autumn 2025 in Paris -- while David Koma is to take the helm at Blumarine, following the sudden exit of Walter Chiapponi after just one season.