The ones to watch in 2009

Online sample-sale sites

Gilt (a blouse from the members-only site is pictured), Hautelook, Ideeli and TopSecret.com — new online sample-sale sites are cropping up at lightning speed, promising “insider only” bargains on items such as Judith Ripka fine jewelry and Habitual jeans.

These sales are anonymous, meaning that shoppers don’t have to feel guilty about spending. And they also offer good prices and value, says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for market research firm NPD Group. The downturn in the economy has led to massive excess inventories.

“This is the one area of retail that will find enthused consumers and be a growth source for designers and manufacturers as they try to move canceled merchandise and keep their factories busy producing product,” he said.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Thrift

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without,” was the mantra of the post-Depression set, and a modern-day version is likely to be the 2009 rallying cry — what “eco-friendly” was for 2008 — even after the economy comes back to life. If there’s a “dollar-saved” equivalent to the carbon-offset credit, expect that to be the next metric by which we’ll all be judged. Conspicuous consumption in the form of wearing a status watch or carrying a luxe handbag will be as gauche as driving a Cadillac Escalade in a gas crisis.  (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

Michelle Obama

Charlize, Keira and Nicole have nothing on Michelle Obama. The future first lady is the woman the world’s designers want to dress right now. She combines youth and beauty with an innate sense of what to wear. She chose clothes by several American designers on the campaign trail, but she mixed them with cheap-chic finds, suggesting that she will have a more daring and down-to-earth fashion identity than any of her recent predecessors.

Quarterbacking her outfit choice for inauguration day has become the fashion equivalent of a parlor game. And Barack’s no slouch either, especially when he’s shirtless. That’s right, our next president’s a heartthrob.  (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

Geometry

Out with florals and in with grids, geometric forms and repeating Op Art patterns. The spring collections were full of them — Francisco Costa’s Cubist dresses with origami-like folds at Calvin Klein; Dries Van Noten’s black and white stripe jacket and checkerboard shorts; and Dolce & Gabbana’s Mickey Mouse ear-shaped jacket sleeves.

The trend carries over to accessories too, on Yves Saint Laurent’s cage heel pumps, Chanel’s caged booties, Roger Vivier’s flats with a prism-shaped buckle and Louise Goldin’s prism-print toes for Topshop.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

The end of the runway?

If magazine ad sales continue to sink and shoppers continue to stay away from luxury stores, the fashion machine could be poised for a wholesale reinvention.

With most retail buyers doing the bulk of their purchasing before even one model steps out on the catwalk, the logic of runway shows — and the cost, fiscally and environmentally, of hundreds of people traveling between the U.S. and Europe twice a year — has been under discussion for some time. One thing the flagging economy might do is force the industry to confront it. Vera Wang, Carmen Marc Valvo and Betsey Johnson have already bowed out of February’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York, and others are sure to follow.  (Louis Lanzano / Associated Press)

Less red carpet glitter?

With the Golden Globes just a week away, it’s anyone’s guess how the red carpet will unfurl. Will actresses swan in the face of the recession in frothy gowns and gape-worthy jewels? (Last year’s WGA revolt and subsequent Globes press conference did leave a lot of ingenues as glum as a prom queen with the mumps.)

Or should we expect to see the same somber tones and minimalist accessories spotted at last year’s Oscars? “Stylists might hear from the publicists that they need to go with a more understated look to be sensitive,” says Jay Carlile, who works with Martin Katz Ltd. jewelers in Beverly Hills and loans baubles to celebrities.

In other words, “bailout attire” could be the new black tie.  (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)