DIESEL'S WHEELS: Diesel might be adding some hip details to Italy's hot car of the moment — Fiat's modern rendition of the automaker's iconic 500 model. Sources said a 500 by Diesel style is expected on the market soon, although Diesel declined to comment. The buzz is that Lapo Elkann's Independent Ideas advertising agency is working on a campaign for this comarketing initiative. Family ties, however, are not necessarily a shortcut to secure the job. Fiat heir Elkann is only one among several others pitching a campaign, a source said.

SHOE BIZ: Putting its best feet forward, Berluti, the LVMH-owned luxury men's footwear brand, will be kicking off couture week with its own Paris show. The house will unveil some of its latest designs in a mini runway show to be held at the Libéral Bruant hotel on June 30.

BYE-BYE, BIBA: Barbara Hulanicki is putting some distance between herself and the brand she created more than 40 years ago. The designer, who founded the iconic fast-fashion label Biba in 1964, is making it clear she was not involved with the brand's 2006 relaunch and its subsequent demise last month, when the label went into receivership. "I think it's sad," said Hulanicki. "Biba originally was straight to the public — it stemmed from a shop. The people who [took on Biba] aren't retailers — it's a different way of designing." While Hulanicki didn't rule out ever being a part of Biba again, she allowed that yet another revival would be challenging since the brand "has been battered around so much." The designer's current projects include a wallpaper collection for Graham & Brown and jewelry for the Victoria and Albert Museum's boutique. A fashion and accessories line is also in the works, to launch later this year, with an as-yet-unnamed retailer.