Photo: Imaxtree

It may not be as earth shattering as Raf Simons leaving Jil Sander or Stefano Pilati exiting Yves Saint Laurent, but today’s news that Derek Lam will step down (or has stepped down) from his role as creative director of Tod’s after six years is still surprising—and leaves yet another open fashion wound. WWD‘s reporting that he’s already gone, though they were unable to obtain comment from either Tod’s or Lam. Lam’s the first person to hold the position, and has definitely attracted a younger audience (along with Anne Hathaway), but hasn’t had the chance to work on ready-to-wear for the Italian brand.  Perhaps he’s looking for a role in which he can design clothes for a larger brand or, on the other end of the spectrum, to focus on his ready-to-wear collection, an oft-noted favorite from the New York collections.