SINCE the economic slump started, the fashion industry has looked to past periods of success for ideas on just how to get itself moving forward again.

There were nipped waists and full skirts from the 1960s one season, menswear from the 1970s the next. The upcoming spring season will have its fair share of loose 1980s shapes - and some of its highlighter colors.

None of that has inspired shoppers, though, which sent designers in an entirely new direction for the fall collections at New York Fashion Week. Retail sales of established store fell 1.6 percent in January, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs tally, the fourth consecutive monthly decline.

That might be enough for even the most fanciful designer to want to send out a parade of cozy and comforting jeans, T-shirts and cardigans.

But there's a risk in that, too. If consumers start returning to stores later in the year, they might rush back out if faced with drab, more-of-the-same styles.

"It's a very challenging season. It's hard to stay positive in the sea of negativity, but there's also pressure to make something really fabulous," said designer Nanette Lepore who struggled with balancing the reality of the moment with thinking ahead. The future won out.


Day one: Michelle

Celebrities? Check. Over-the-top fashion? Check. Unlimited expense accounts? Well, not so much.

New York Fashion Week kicked off on Friday with a few concessions to the economic downturn, but for the well-heeled crowd and even better-heeled models, it was mostly fashion as usual.

Top fashion editors, including Anna Wintour, jammed into a packed show for Jason Wu, the young designer who was little known before he designed First Lady Michelle Obama's inaugural gown and the dress she wears on the March cover of Vogue.

"The fact that Michelle Obama is wearing Jason Wu makes him hotter than hot," said Suze Yalof Schwartz, Glamour magazine's fashion editor at large. "I've never been to his show before, but it was the only show I wasn't going to miss this season."

Mrs Obama was a no-show, but her impact was clear. Retailers also stopped by the showroom of Obama's favorite Chicago designer, Maria Pinto. And other top designers cited the Obamas as a source of inspiration and optimism as they prepared their fall collections.

"It's not fair to pin the hopes of the whole industry on one woman, but she has proven she can fuel excitement and optimism," said Constance White, style director for eBay.

There were signs of the sour economy, though not as many as some had anticipated. Monique Lhuillier and Carmen Marc Valvo skipped their usual runway shows for smaller presentations.


Day two: Space age

The present looks bleak for the fashion industry, so designers at Fashion Week have a solution: the future.

Space-age materials and clothes with jutting hips and shoulders made a Jetsons-like splash on Saturday at New York Fashion Week.

Even Barbie, celebrating her 50th birthday, got in on the act. A fashion show with 50 designs inspired by the doll closed with a series of futuristic dresses including a white Calvin Klein dress with cut-out shoulders. Heidi Klum sat in the front row, looking a bit like the plastic muse.

Georges Chakra used liquidy, high-tech fabrics with sharp Jane Jetson shapes, continuing a trend seen in the early going of New York Fashion Week.

BCBG relied on asymmetrical necklines and shoulder pads - yes, they may be back - and put models in metallic tights, which at the right angle on their ultra-thin legs could remind an observer of C-3PO from "Star Wars."

Nicole Miller embraced a space-age look that's a little more 1960s than futuristic, shown best in a black vest with an in-your-face shoulder flange worn over a slim black stretch dress.

And that projecting shoulder might offset another recurring sight: peplum pants, with fabric that juts out at the hips.


Day three: Coloring

A sea of black clothes at New York Fashion Week got a shot of optimism on Sunday from injections of teal, magenta and purple.

In a difficult economy, color may be just what customers are looking for. Retail buyers were hoping that a dose of brightness and novelty would bring shoppers back to the stores.

"It's not about providing basics at this point," Colleen Sherin, fashion markets director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said before the previews began.

Jewels set the tone at Lela Rose and Reem Acra on the third day of previews of fall collections. A palette including teal, fuschia and purple was bright enough to pop, but still appropriate for autumn.

There was plenty of black on the runways of Alexander Wang, DKNY and Nicole Miller, but it was far from basic. Miller added splashes of metallics, purple, red and cobalt blue. DKNY spiked black with hints of kelly green and rhubarb.


Day four: Shoulders

Remember the 1980s, when big hair and even bigger shoulders were the height of chic? The designers at New York Fashion Week won't let you forget.

Yes, the shoulder pad is back.

Add that to power suits, Robert Palmer-style second-skin dresses, dark lipstick and even, at Miss Sixty, acid-wash jeans.

It's probably safe to say that in recent history there were more shoulder pads at Goodwill drop-off bins than at fashion boutiques. But designers have successfully brought back other 1980s hallmarks: the skinny jean, leggings and legwarmers. Big shoulders edged onto the runways of Miss Sixty, Diane von Furstenberg, Herve Leger, BCBG, Jason Wu, Nicole Miller and Alexander Wang as Fashion Week entered its fourth day of fall previews on Monday.

"Shoulder pads scare people but remember, runway is a fairy tale," said Gloria Baume, fashion director at Teen Vogue. If you're feeling daring, go for 1.3-centimeter pads, not the 5-centimeter seen on the models, and don't shove them into any old shirt or jacket - the fabric must be strong enough to take it, Baume said. "You should wear shoulder pads with a little sense of humor too."


Day five: Hard edge

When the going gets tough, the clothes get tougher.

Clothes with a hard edge made their presence known on New York Fashion Week's fifth day of previews on Tuesday, a theme that has carried through the early fall previews.

Even elegant Badgley Mischka was more somber than red-carpet ready, opening with an aggressive daytime look and a series of black pieces with a taffeta-wool checkerboard weave. Tough-as-nails dresses heavy on black and metallics were on the runways of Herve Leger and Nicole Miller, with other designers relying on aggressive hardware or patent-leather trims. The usually girlish Cynthia Rowley presented an almost all-black collection, while Alexander Wang stuck with black and white.

It's a trend that fits with the strong shoulders (and shoulder pads) that have also been prominent on the runways.


Day six: Metallica

If the economy hangs over New York Fashion Week like a basic black cloud, designers are seeking a silver - or gold, platinum or bronze - lining.

Metallic dresses melted down the runways on Wednesday as New York Fashion Week entered its home stretch of fall previews, with almost every runway featuring a flash of metallic evening wear

Who needs to win an Oscar when you can dress like one?

But metallics weren't just for the red carpet. Marc Jacobs presented eye-catching metallic floral coats and Nanette Lepore dressed down the bling. "We showed metallic dresses in the show with hoodies and jackets to make it casual for day with their modest and simple shapes," Lepore said after her runway show.

"Metallic dresses are a great option when a woman wants to wear clothes that have impact but she's not a big fan of any particular color," said Hal Rubenstein, InStyle magazine. "Metallic dresses are also perfect for the minimalist because they require little or no accessorizing with jewelry. They have their own sparkle built in."


Day seven: Coating

The tough girl who has been the muse for designers at New York Fashion Week has one rival who can't be tamed with mere leather, metallic hardware and shoulder pads: Mother Nature. For that, she needs a killer coat, which designers are happy to provide.

Tommy Hilfiger sent out one refined-yet-practical camel cashmere coat after another at his runway show on Thursday.

Proenza Schouler's modern take on the topper: add black ribbed insets, which made the coats both futuristic and flattering.

On other catwalks, the coats have had fur trim, elaborate embroidery or cozy quilting. Oscar de la Renta accessorized one of his designs with gloves and a scarf made of skunk fur - yes, skunk fur.

A coat is a worthwhile investment piece, said InStyle Fashion Director Cindy Weber Cleary, because you can wear it more often than a dress or sweater. "Some special coats have a craftsmanship that can last forever."