Photo: The New York Times

Vanessa Friedman’s taken to her Financial Times blog to let the world in on a very big secret.  At least one person has already been offered John Galliano’s job at the top of Dior, and it’s one name that’s gone relatively unmentioned since the house imploded in March: Azzedine Alaïa. Friedman says the house offered Alaïa the top position despite his vocal opposition to everything a house like Dior does to the speed of the fashion cycle.  The designer confirms that he turned them down and told Friedman, “The story of what happened with John was a sad story…and he didn’t want to be part of the next chapter.” The question of who’ll replace John Galliano is the only one anyone in fashion is interested in these days and the same names—Riccardo Tisci, Haider Ackermann, maybe Sarah Burton—are thrown around on a daily basis.  Like Friedman says, choosing Alaïa first indicates the house of Dior, and CEO Sidney Toledano, is thinking outside the box. So who will it be?  There’s a good chance we won’t know until September—and if it’s Alaïa they wanted, whoever it is will have to live up to doubly huge expectations.