The former Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière is the front-runner to replace Marc Jacobs as creative director for Louis Vuitton, after Jacobs stepped down to pursue an IPO for his own brand.

News reports claimed Ghesquière’s ascension was official, which parent company LVMH denied, stating that “nothing has been decided.”

Chatter during Paris Fashion Week was that Ghesquière was already working at Vuitton, but a spokesman told us, “It’s not true.”