There’s runway fashion and then there are fashion trends on Main Street.  The designers present their new collections every spring, and amid the blurs of taffeta, fur, metal studs, and gold and silver lamé, the one thing on many people’s minds is, “who actually wears this stuff?”  It may be the designers who present their new fashion concepts every year, but consumers choose amongst these concepts, and then interpret those concepts yet once again to suit their needs and personal styles.

On the runway side, Style.com sees a further mining of fashion from eras past, most notably the “Trashy Eighties.”  Think lots of leopard print and “geometric construction.”  Style.com boldly states, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going…in one of two directions. They either strip things down to the essentials and concentrate on core values, or they throw caution to the wind and go deliriously wild.”  This is a further nod to the huge influence the recession has on fashion right now.  One of their most interesting observations is what they label “Depression Chic,” which draws heavily on the flapper style and the revival of the baggy dresses of that era.  There is lots of fringe this season.

So, which is it – core values or throwing caution to the wind?  Let’s explore further. The best way to gauge what and how we’re wearing is by checking in with the fashion industry analysts, who are expert at spotting trends among the people who are actually buying the clothes. 

The first trend the industry has observed is the decline in popularity of the suit, particularly for women.  According to Drapers Online, a prominent trend spotter in the fashion industry world, “No one is buying suits – they are buying jackets which can be worn with trousers or skirts.”  (Drapers Online Womens Wear Indicator of January 2009.) This is something I’ve noticed my friends doing as well.  I’ve heard of professionals going to interviews dressed in a black cocktail dress with a solid colored jacket, and maybe an interesting (yet subdued) necklace.  I’m guessing that this is a byproduct of the recession – most likely people are splitting up their dress suits and wearing them as separates, and also putting that seldom-worn black cocktail dress to use. 

Also according to Drapers, in their Online Womens Wear Mainstream Indicator of April 2009, dresses are in the lead as the best-selling item this spring, followed by tops, knits, trousers and occasion wear.  This seems to be a markedly conservative trend, the return to the dress as the fashion item of choice.

Another solid byproduct of the recession is the insistence of consumers on quality in purchasing their fashion items.  When Drapers polled mainstream womens’ wear retailers regarding consumers’ preferences towards purchasing clothing for autumn, they found that the most important factors in consumers’ selection were quality (37%), design (33%) and price (30%).  (Drapers Online Womens Wear Mainstream Indicator of January 2009.) I think it is very telling that quality snagged the highest percentage out of the three criteria.  We are obviously insisting that our clothing last for the long haul, since no one knows how long the recession will continue. 

So fashion designers are looking to the past for inspiration.  Depression chic.  Trashy ‘80s chic.  I’ve even observed some ‘50s chic.  Add to this many designers’ return to some of their efforts of years past.  It has many people outside and within the fashion industry scratching their heads and wondering why such items as Ray-Ban sunglasses, baby doll shirts and sun dresses are worth recycling from years past.  So why are designers dredging up this stuff?  Is this yearning for the past an effort to recapture lost tradition or past social mores?  Not according to Orli Sharaby of PSFK.com.  It’s merely the fashion industry’s last-ditch effort to survive the recession.  Designers are relying on the tried-and-true, and hoping that it will work yet one more time.  Ms. Sharaby states, “No one is shopping, stores are closing left and right, retailers that are still in operation are slashing prices to unheard of levels.” 

And I think that’s the general trend that’s scaring everyone in the fashion industry.  What are people buying this season?  They aren’t.  They’re recycling old stuff, and sometimes buying it at thrift stores and vintage clothing stores (all right, there’s some vintage fashion for you).  Those are the fashion trends on Main Street.

http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/

http://www.drapersonline.com/Journals/1/Files/2009/1/24/012DRAP240109.pdf

http://www.drapersonline.com/Journals/1/Files/2009/4/6/012DRAP040409.pdf

http://www.psfk.com/2008/12/fashions-low-risk-strategy-in-2008.html