With all the kerfuffle over John Galliano -- and the rampant speculation of who might replace him at Christian Dior -- we almost missed the announcement of another personnel change in the French fashion world that landed in our inbox Tuesday. Kim Jones is replacing Paul Helbers as men's studio director at Louis Vuitton.

 Under artistic director Marc Jacobs, Helbers has been at the helm of the LV men's business for the last  five years -- a time period which saw the men's business nearly double, and included runway collections  inspired by African royalty, New York City bike messengers, the Wiener Werkstätte and, most recently, a mix of Amish simplicity and David Lynch creepiness.

Succeeding him in the position, effective Tuesday,  is Jones, who served as creative director of the century-old Alfred Dunhill brand for 2 1/2 years before leaving that post in September 2010.

I always thought Jones had a knack for interpreting and updating Dunhill's DNA -- not just in the clothing but accessories as well -- elegant Art Deco fountain pens, silk map-printed pocket squares and jump-drive keyfobs among them -- and I can't wait to see what he's going to do once he's turned loose in the vast archives of Louis Vuitton.

-- Adam Tschorn

"Witness" meets "Wild at Heart" at Louis Vuitton

 Photos: At top, the finale of the Louis Vuitton menswear AW11 runway show on Jan. 20, the last under men's studio director Paul Helbers. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times. At bottom, Kim Jones, who succeeds Helbers in that position effective Tuesday. Credit: Josh Olins.

After 2 1/2 years as creative director at British luxury brand Alfred Dunhill, Kim Jones is stepping down, according to a news release issued Sunday by Dunhill's chief executive, Christopher Colfer.

"Kim has made a valuable contribution to the creative development of Alfred Dunhill over the past 2½ years," Colfer's statement said. His collections have been both commercial and greatly appreciated and therefore we are sorry to see him go but his departure is in line with the original planning and strategy for the brand. We wish him the very best in his future creative endeavours."

In the news release, Jones thanked his creative team and said he looked forward to announcing future projects shortly "as well as publishing two books."

Jones' stint at Dunhill has dusted off the century-old heritage brand and injected it with a youthful sense of energy, and his shows have ranked among the most memorable of Paris Fashion Week the last few seasons, especially his spring-summer 2010 collection, which melded inspiration from the company's archives with a futuristic feel; displaying the models on a rotating dais stacked with polished aluminum suitcases.

The news release did not say who would replace Jones in the role, or the timetable for his departure.

 -- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Kim Jones' Alfred Dunhill spring-summer 2010 collection is seen at Paris Fashion Week in June 2009. Jones is stepping down after 2 1/2 years at the British luxury brand. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson / Special to the Los Angeles Times

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