The recession just get get the designers down this year. A la the 1930s, when the Great Depression was at it's worst and fashion at one of its bests, many designers took one of two paths: pure escapism or the destroyed American dream.

TREND ONE: PRETTY PARTY NATION

“Why all the party dresses?” told the International Herald Tribune's Suzy Minkes told Style.com blogger Dirk Standen. “Is that really what people want to do when their friends are losing their jobs? Go out and party? Maybe it is,” she added. And she has a point. What's the point of moping? This is America after all, and partying is one thing we know how to do. From left, Milly showed a 60's inspired party dress show, complete with groovy glasses and psychedelic prints. Rodarte-inspired party frocks showed up at 3.1 Philip Lim, whereas Diane von Furstenburg (my favorite show of the week) continued her party-nomad aesthetic, showing influences of ancient Egyptian culture and safari tendencies. Additionally, Marc by Marc Jacobs' new collection could fit great into one of fall's trends: the 80's, with bright, bubblegum colors and bright bows in the models' hair.

TREND TWO: EAST OF EDEN
No other designer exemplified the literal interpretation of the Great Depression (and our depression) quite like Ralph Lauren. And not all designers could; it took the gall and status of a rigidly royal American brand to take such a chance on such a literal thing. Lauren's collection was risky, but effective, as the models walked down the runway in torn overalls, poor-farmer hats, and other Dust Bowl-inspired garments. His collection was very effective in what it sought to do: make the old new again, while reminding us that America did bounce back from the last depression.

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Last season, the American designers tried simple, and business dropped. Hopefully, the fashion industry will snap back with these escapist and literalist interpretations of the world we are living in now.