A new look

America's elite designers gathered in New York this week to show off their autumn collections.

America8217;s elite designers gathered in New York this week to show off their autumn collections. Threadbare sales had prompted some onlookers to question whether all the exhibitors would still be around come autumn. The industrys striking new look at Fashion Week gives a hint of the sort of makeover it will need to survive.

This season many designers chose to abandon the catwalk,the very symbol of fashion. With the cost of a 20-minute show in the event organisers tents easily exceeding 100,000,some designers,such as Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson,decided to cut costs by holding smaller spectaculars at their own showrooms. Others opted for even thriftier presentations,where models were hired to stand on podiums like mannequins for a few hours,or to mingle with the ordinary mortals in the crowd.

The collections were also smaller,a sign of the reduced demand for luxury clothing. Department stores have already said they will curb buying,reining in designers who used to make the same dress in a dozen hues.

In a daring display,the fashionistas,who normally trade in exclusivity,have opened their hallowed halls to mass-market brands. Mattel,which makes Barbie dolls,put on a fashion show to celebrate the leggy blondes 50th birthday. Guests received dolls of their own to take away. McDonalds paid an undisclosed amount to be the official coffee-purveyor,in an attempt to persuade designers that they do not have to drink designer coffee. And QVC,a television and internet shopping company,put on a runway show of its own,with all items costing less than 120.

Some wonder whether the industrys calendar of seasonal shows in several different cities round the world may itself go out of fashion. One firm,Halston,recently released its autumn collection through a music video. Others are also likely to pursue digital means to reach a broader audience. Catherine Malandrino,a popular French designer,has spent the past three months reworking her website to make it more human and interactive. Fashion,she points out,was historically sold through intimate salons. She wants to re-establish that accessibilityand the internet allows her,and others,to do it cheaply.

The Economist Newspaper Limited 2009