if I may.....the rumour seems to have an element of ' truth'...but it has not being confirmed even by Della Valle yet.....exciting idea though !...giving his beautiful and elegant modern aesthetics with the refined accent and feeling of couture....he could be/turn out to be the right ' magician ' to revive it......

But why WOULD you revive that house? No matter what quality of a pastiche Giles Deacon is able to pull off, it's never going to have the cultural resonance of Surrealism during the Avant Garde period. Della Valle should learn from the fortunes of Rochas and Vionnet and LEAVE WELL ALONE. Why look back when there's the future to consider?

MADELEINE VIONNET...1930's

..there is a very valid point in your assertion...perhaps the whole idea of reviving grand old couture signatures with their legendary prestige is a tangible proof of how difficult is to create a new signature with credibility and credentials....
But to revive the house is not enough....it has to be convincing that it has the magic to captivate the interest of the potential clients....and as you said the fortunes of Rochas and Vionnet serve as as example...and yet Balenciaga seems to be doing very well....but that I believe is a case that proofs that you need the right talent.....at the right place...talent as in with 'modern vision' and not just...'dressmakers'...so to speak...!
Couture is still about dreams, craftsmanship , experimentation, luxury and continuity but then for 2007 and beyond!...not about just...how the next
'season ' should look as in ... Pret-a-Porter...
As in the case of Madeleine Vionnet her philosophy was... "when a woman smiles, then her dress should smile too." not to mention her passion for how the body and materials should work together and her interest in using new techniques and new materials, that together and more is what made her one of the leader couturiers of the day..., the present house should somehow reflect some of those principles today but with the present very clear in mind !....having said that, all in all it is a fascinating challenge ...but not as easy as it seems....