The ones to watch
Happy hours
Half-priced fajitas and margaritas? No way. Thanks to the recession, chic restaurants such as Cube on La Brea and Riva in Santa Monica now offer early bird food-and-drink specials for the pre-dinner set. Nobu West Hollywood’s bar and lounge serves tapas such as Wagyu beef with foie gras gyoza for under $12 after 8 p.m. At the Edison downtown on Friday nights, you can get 35-cent gin or bourbon cocktails and free grilled cheese with tomato soup. Might we suggest a new label for a frugal foodie: the gastronista?
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Online sample-sale sites
Gilt, 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.
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‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’
Adapted from Sophie Kinsella’s successful chick-lit “Shopaholic” book series, the film version of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” opens Feb. 13. And it could be the fashion hit, or the fashion flop, of the year, depending on how viewers see the film’s brand-obsessed heroine.
The plot? Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) moves to Manhattan post-college to nurture her shopping addiction and get involved in the glossy magazine world. Though she’s up to her eyeballs in debt (something we can certainly relate to now more than when the film began production in early 2008), she becomes a financial-advice columnist and, lucky for her, falls for a wealthy entrepreneur.
Naturally, Patricia Field of “Sex and the City” and “The Devil Wears Prada” fame is doing the costumes. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Topshop
Before cheap chic was, well, chic, Topshop brought inexpensive, up-to-the-minute trendy clothing and accessories to the masses. With no stateside stores, the UK-based stores -- featuring collections from Kate Moss, Preen and Louise Goldin -- have long been key shopping destinations for frugal fashion lovers traveling abroad. But on March 25, drumroll please, Topshop and its men’s store Topman will open in New York City. The store will be in SoHo (478 Broadway at the corner of Broome to be exact). Topshop also recently launched a U.S. website, www.topshopus.com, that makes it much easier to order products on the Web. Quirky fashion darling Zooey Deschanel already has her favorite picks up on the U.S. site.
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Jelly shoes
Goodbye $1,000 stilettos, hello $175 jelly shoes. The trend started last spring when high-end lines Givenchy, Gucci, Fendi and Marc Jacobs all did rubber jellies as part of their collections -- with the same logos and designer names -- for a fraction of what their shoes usually cost.
For Spring ‘09, Tod’s has a cute T-bar jelly sandal for $175, Sigerson Morrison has a cool, jelly gladiator wedge heel for $175 and Vivienne Westwood has collaborated with Brazilian jelly shoemaker Melissa on the Lady Dragon, all-rubber high heels that will sell for $149. Expect knockoffs for much less.
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Mid-tier retail makeovers
We’re rethinking how we spend, sensible shopper Michelle Obama is a fashion icon, and suddenly mid-tier brands such as Talbots, White House/Black Market, Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne are looking attractive again, in part because they’ve added more style to their classic, affordable career wear offerings.
Hingham, Mass.-based Talbots has recently undergone a major face-lift, with a new image more in keeping with a J. Crew shopper than a woman who loves her Chico’s. From the catalog to the clothing, everything is brighter, fresher and more desirable. Spring dresses evoke the spirit of “Mad Men” with bold florals and retro silhouettes for just $139 to $169. A new creative director, chief marketing officer and design team have dusted things off, reinvigorating the overall look and merchandise, while keeping prices as low as before.
Meanwhile, Ann Taylor’s new president is turning around its image too, by adding more fashionable items such as chunky jewelry, flower-topped flats and leather bomber jackets. And designers such as Kay Unger and Wyeth are creating pieces especially for the retailer. Come spring, Liz Claiborne will have a fresh new look thanks to creative director Isaac Mizrahi’s first collection arriving in stores in February. Now, we’ll see if it’s enough to turn around those balance sheets.
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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.
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‘Project Runway’ in L.A.
With no organized fashion week planned for next season, the only thing that stands to reinvigorate L.A.’s style community is Season 6 of “Project Runway.” The popular program was partially filmed in Los Angeles and presumably features local talent and landmarks.
This may be just the thing that the city needs to bring its fashion scene to a higher level of recognition. There’s just the small matter of that pesky lawsuit to clear up first.
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