The folks at LVMH played it safe and smart today, naming former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière as the new HBIC at Louis Vuitton, taking over for the recently departed Marc Jacobs. While this news is anything but shocking to those in the fashion industry, it is somewhat startling how quickly the move was made. If you'll recall, the luxury company spent approximately 25 years before naming Raf Simons as John Galliano's replacement at Dior.

Vuitton is of course LVMH's favorite child, and they got a shitload of kids, and Ghesquière really is the only designer who made complete sense for the job. The boy knows how to stage a fashion show, can cut the hell out of a piece of cloth and, most importantly, is a wiz when it comes to accessories, a crucial element for the LV brand.

It is still not certain when Ghesquière will show his first collection for the brand, but his big coming out will presumably be the Fall 2014 show in February. Here's hoping those fat ass fashion editors don't break the benches again.

And models, it's now all about the Louis Vuitton exclusive come Paris Fashion Week.

UPDATE:

We were bamboozled! LVMH is saying no decision has been made yet, but you totally know this is the man they are eventually going with.

h/t: The Cut