Spring 2009 Fashion Week: Strutting through recession

There were ruffles, ribbons and bows, satin, silk and chiffon! Surely, at first glance, the playfulness, sumptuous fabrics and bold colors of spring 2009’s Ready to Wear shows might indicate the fashion industry neither knows, nor cares of the crumbling economy that surrounds us. But a second glance reveals a Fashion Week plagued by the same tribulations as the rest of the world.

This time, when the haughty fashion elite and celebrities alike piled into New York’s most glamorous white tents, they were treated to the designer’s renditions of depression du jour. Three themes prominently pulsed through the whole of Fashion Week: ladylike chic, grunge and escapism.

The first is an obvious throwback to the 1930s. Essentially every news station recently has compared the current economic catastrophe to the infamous and gloomy 10-year period, historically deemed the Great Depression. From there, it seems designers took their cue. Marc Jacobs, Luella and Chanel flawlessly dressed their models in proper suits, sensible headwear and matching bags. But make no mistake-though models walked the runways as nattily-dressed ladies, there was no shortage of fun. Luella’s suits, for example, came in lavender, coral and tangerine, while Marc Jacobs mismatched layers of red and yellow, gingham and plaid.

On the other end of the spectrum were designers that, instead of restrictive suits, decided to explore grungy casual. Finding their inspiration in disenchanted and frustrated youth, Christophe Decarnin (Balmain), Roberto Cavalli (Just Cavalli) and Vivienne Westwood channeled Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Their collections were angry, expressive and totally representative of a separation from the status quo. The crude disassociation of these designs was unquestionably the easiest to understand.

The final trend, unlike the previous two, illustrates a decision not to challenge the issues at all. Rather than confronting the point of contention, some designers treated their audiences to an escape from economic peril-specifically with a vacation to Morocco. Frida Giannini (Gucci), the designers at MaxMara and Sir Paul Smith (Paul Smith Women) clearly discarding Americana, adorned their models with beautiful jewels, flowing fabrics and flamboyant headdresses. Their vivid colors and powerful draping were almost enough to make you abandon your rent and empty your wallet for just one of their radiant designs.

Certainly Fashion Week can seem merely a mishmash of fussy designers, expectant celebutants and the pompous fashion elite, all assembled in absurdly?perfumed ivory tents. Beneath the surface, however, it proves to be a culmination of art, the fantastic and the commonplace of our every day.