Xavier Romatet, president of Condé Nast France, recently announced vague plans for the launch of a new French Vanity Fair. The Times notes the unusual timing, "many months before it appears, without a fixed date for the first edition ... [and] in the midst of an economic crisis, with a soft advertising market." One source, a journalist with "close ties" to Condé, says the move is likely designed to rain on Carine Roitfeld's parade and overshadow the launch of CR Fashion Book. Unsurprisingly, Romatet says that's not the case.