Getting Dressed

For the time being, however, we're preoccupied with grasping for any kind of safety we can get our hands on, even of the symbolic, knee-length variety. In our society's current state, the cerebral and the sexy are luxuries we seem not to be able to afford. After all, who can appreciate the avant-garde or fully escape into hedonism when the party atmosphere of the American economic landscape is evaporating before our eyes? But sooner or later things are bound to stabilize, with new styles emerging as part of this societal shift. Recently the talk among fashion editors has been about their hunger for harder-edged, more androgynous styles that don't portray women as delicately. (Market observers might want to keep their eyes peeled for women in black leather jackets and knee-high boots.) If George Bush's recent prediction that "the economy is going to come on" proves true, then things might butch up as soon as the next round of runway shows this fall. If he's right, women will find themselves faced with a host of innovative options that are more diverse than just the dress. And if not—well, there's always next season.

© 2008