Diane von Furstenberg isn't the only brand losing its creative director. Central Saint Martins graduate April Chrichton stepped down from her role at Sonia Rykiel last September and it's only now that a replacement has been announced and by the sounds of it, its a good choice.

Geraldo da Conceicao will joined the French label next month, leaving his position as the design director for women's ready-to-wear at Louis Vuitton.  Because of the dates, the brand's S/S13 collection has been designed by their in-house team and will be shown in an intimate presentation format rather than a runway show and the new creative director's first collection will debut for A/W13.  'We are opening a new chapter for the company,' Rykiel chariman Jean-Marc Loubier said in an interview. 'We are sure [da Conceicao] will be able to take the Rykiel woman and make her international.'

See more after the jump

Taylor Tomasi Hill

The sweater is one of those wardrobe heroes that everyone needs. It's one of the few pieces that can stand you in good stead whatever the weather and over the past few years, it's hard quite the transformation. In the past, it had a bit of a bad wrap. The styles felt heavy, boardering on frumpy, and the colours didn't tend to extend too far beyond neutrals like black, grey and nude. The more recent variations, though, are really good.

3.1. Phillip Lim's comic-inspired sweaters got everyone excited for S/S12 and while his offerings for fall are a lot more subdued, they're definitely still something to keep an eye out for. Even Burberry experimented with sweaters this season with their fun owl embroidered options.

As far as colours are concerned, Sonia Rykiel, Missoni and Marni have great bright printed styles while Acne continues to lead the pack with their bright block coloured pieces. If you don't want to spend too much, J. Crew is the place to go. The colour ways and print options are extensive and the quality hold out from season to season. The moral of the story is that you don't need to conform this winter. Just as colour and prints have been for summer, there's no reason why you can't continue it for winter on your knitwear. Who knows, it might actually make you smile and with the British weather the way it is, that's going to help.

SHOP THE EDIT: 1. Cashmere blend sweater, £148.75, Thakoon at The Outnet; 2. Zebra print sweater, £35, River Island; 3. Sequin fine knit sweater, £45, J. Crew at The Outnet ; 4. Colour block sweater, £450, Chloe at The Outnet; 5. Merino wool sweater, £139.50, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel at The Outnet; 6. Mohair jumper, £175, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel at My-Wardrobe; 7. Chunky knit wool sweater, £105, Paul & Joe at The Outnet; 8. Lace mohair knit sweater, £220, Vanessa Bruno Athé at My-Wardrobe; 9. Cashmere knit jumper, £169, Paul & Joe Sister at My-Wardrobe; 10. Cotton blend sweater, £124.35, ADAM at The Outnet; 11. Open knit jumper, £190, ACNE at My-Wardrobe

Daniella Helayel of Issa isn't the only person planning their next business move. Recent reports reveal that Sonia Rykiel are planning on expanding the brand and are looking into selling of a minority stake in the company to do so.

"I have not taken any decision,"Nathalie Rykiel, president of the company, explained. "I have only just started analysing the possibility. I don't know if it's something I want to pursue, but I want to develop the brand. It has huge potential, in Asia obviously, but elsewhere also. I know that I can go much faster and further with outside help, but I am not even at the stage of contemplating whether the partner should be French or international."

With only a month left to wait until the collection drops on November 23rd, the anticipation is officially starting to build for the launch of Alber Elbaz's Lanvin loves H&M collection.

True to form, H&M is set to produce another huge runway show - as they did for the Sonia Rykiel collaboration last year - to celebrate the launch of the line before it hits shops. The event will take place at the Pierre Hotel in New York, and special customised pieces will also appear on the runway that will be auctioned off online for charity.

Sonia Rykiel's shows don't change much from season to season - but in a good way. Each season you can expect to see models walking down the runway in bright colours and in playful pieces that leave us smiling as much as the models are on the catwalk. This season was no different as the designer sent the models out in multi-coloured briefs and stripy block-coloured knitwear.

Knit tops came in a range of bold colours, but don't be scared - they weren't garish, coming in complimentary combinations like a bright-green and black striped top with cropped voluminous sleeves teamed with bright-green riding trousers and summery espadrilles. Yellow trousers came tied at the waist with a huge black blow, and simple maxi dresses in orange and yellow were instantly made interesting with full-on gold embellishment.

See more after the jump

H&M have had their fair share of designer collaborations in the past. Over the last few years we've seen the high street retailer team up with everyone from Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney to Matthew Williamson and Sonia Rykiel, and they don't seem to show any sign of slowing down.

The latest collaboration is with none other than Bryanboy. He recently took to his Twiiter to confirm the rumour, “OK. Not-so-big reveal. I'm very excited to be collaborating with H&M for a project you'll find out SOON. :-)" What we can expect from the line is yet to be revealed.

Images courtesy of Style.com, Net-a-Porter, Topshop and Reiss

Usually confined only to the lighter days of Summer, neutrals made an unusually popular appearance on the catwalks of AW10. Wear different tones of sand, nude, mink and off white for workable wardrobe, and accessorise with tan belts, bags and shoes for the ultimate neutral outfit. Maybe even add a playful pom pom hair accessory as seen as Sonia Rykiel, or brighten up your outfit with dip dyed hair, as seen at Giles.

Images courtesy of Style.com, Net-a-Porter and Topshop

Whilst we've seen the jumpsuit become a catwalk staple for some seasons now, the key to buying an investment to last Summer through to Winter is to look for a long sleeved, long legged one-piece. Keep it belted to accentuate the figure and buy in neutral colours, sticking to black, petrol blue or nudes and pale greys. Accessorize with shoe boots for day or stilettos for night, and even an oversized pompom if you're feeling brave a la Sonia Rykiel.

Naomi: So what did you think of the collection?

Nic: Overall the collection was quite safe in the choice of colour, and a lot of the collection reflected some of the ideas that we've seen in the H&M collection, which was interesting. I thought she used knitwear quite innovatively too, and it was refreshing to see models with smiles on their faces for a change.

Naomi: Really? I'm all about the scowl! I agree with what you said though. They definitely worked with the same prints that we saw from the H&M line but it is part of the brand's signature after all.

I loved the knitwear. Although they did play it safe, everything about the collection from the colour palette to the simplistic quality of the knitwear gave the pieces a timeless quality whilst still managing to be a bit fun and playful too.

What did you think about the headwear? The first thing that came into my mind was the DVF collection where they had the huge balls on the hats.

Nic: I completely agree about the hats. It was those huge ethnic-like pom pom hats I think.

Naomi: Hardly the most practical pieces in the world but I loved them nonetheless.

See more after the jump