Aretha Franklin wants Vera Wang to design her wedding dress.

The iconic singer - who announced she would be wedding her long-term friend William Wilkerson earlier this month - has a number of designers in mind for her special gown, but is said to be particularly keen to have iconic dressmaker Vera do the task.

Valentino doesn't think Raf Simons is the right person for the Christian Dior job.

The Belgian designer - currently at Jil Sander - is said to be close to signing a deal with the French fashion house to replace John Galliano as the label's creative director, but Valentino isn't convinced.

Valentino is launching a virtual museum,

The designer and his long-term business partner Giancarlo Giammetti will launch the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum - a downloadable desktop application - on December 5 and Valentino is delighted to have made his legacy "accessible".

Labels such as John Galliano and Valentino have donated covetable items to help protect the world's rainforests.

The fashion houses have joined forces with Sting and Trudie Styler's charity, Rainforest UK, and contributed goods to annual charity auction The 12 Days of Christmas.