Azzedine Alaïa returns to the runway

(AFP PHOTO/SEBASTIANO CASELLATI)

One of the most reclusive designers in fashion is making a fashion week comeback during the haute couture shows in Paris, July 4-8.

Not much is known at this time, but according to Women's Wear Daily, Alaïa, who presents his designs very sporadically, plans to show a line of "semicouture," a term not commonly used that has his fans speculating.

This means hard luck for Giambattista Valli, the Italian designer just accepted onto the official haute couture schedule, since the main focus will now be on what the Tunisian fashion star - a favorite of the likes of Naomi Campbell, (who, it is hoped, may star in the upcoming show) - has in store.